Life of Pixel

About

"Life of Pixel" is a retro-style platformer that takes you on a journey through the history of video games. Explore 19 historically inspired consoles and over 100 levels, filled with challenges and dangers reminiscent of classic gaming. Whether you're a fan of retro games or new to the genre, get ready to make your own gaming history. Note: existing users have been upgraded to Super Life of Pixel for free on PC.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 269 reviews

graphics20 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

The game features excellent graphics and sound that faithfully recreate the aesthetic of various classic consoles, providing a nostalgic experience.
The level design is creative, with each stage themed around different gaming systems, making it a fun journey through gaming history.
The gameplay is challenging yet rewarding, with a variety of collectibles and secrets to discover, appealing to completionists.

The game lacks checkpoints, leading to frustrating gameplay where players must restart entire levels after dying, especially in later stages.
Many levels feature unfair design elements, such as surprise spikes and unpredictable enemy behavior, which can lead to cheap deaths.
The controls can feel imprecise, making it difficult to execute the pixel-perfect jumps required in some levels, contributing to a frustrating experience.

graphics
166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
86%
2%
The graphics in "Life of Pixel" are widely praised for their nostalgic homage to various 8-bit and 16-bit consoles, effectively capturing the aesthetic and limitations of the original systems while offering a visually appealing experience. However, some reviewers note that while the graphics are impressive, they often overshadow gameplay mechanics, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, the game is recognized for its artistic variety and commitment to retro styles, though it occasionally suffers from graphical inconsistencies and a lack of depth in gameplay.
- “The varied art styles and commitment to recreating the graphical styles of a staggering array of old consoles is really impressive.”
- “The game is a solid platformer and especially the retro graphics are an eye-catcher since they emulate the graphic possibilities of all the featured consoles quite well, which gives you a feeling of what it was like way back in the early days of video gaming.”
- “Life of Pixel is a very nice homage to the retro games of the 80s and 90s in terms of graphics styles based on the levels you play in certain console eras.”
- “The controls, physics, level design, and enemy behavior are all terrible and frustrating, leading to a lot of cheap deaths, and the graphics and music are extremely lazy and bland.”
- “Every single level feels pretty much the same, just with graphics getting prettier as you go along.”
- “I got about 1/3 through the game before I realized that there wasn't really any significant progression other than the graphical presentation.”
gameplay
94 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
70%
6%
The gameplay is characterized by a repetitive core mechanic that remains largely unchanged throughout the levels, leading to a sense of monotony despite varying visuals and music. While the platforming can be enjoyable, particularly with the introduction of a double jump mechanic, many players find the overall experience uninspired and lacking in complexity. The game offers decent controls and some challenge, but ultimately suffers from basic level design and a lack of innovative gameplay elements.
- “When it works, the platforming is quite good and the double jump mechanic (once acquired) feels unique enough for this not to feel like a generic platformer.”
- “Just like back in the old days, this game shows why good gameplay doesn't need to be complex and why simple graphics are not an issue when you have something called replayability.”
- “The controls are also very good, and the gameplay is simple with a good bit of challenge.”
- “However, from a gameplay perspective, the mechanics are exactly the same from start to finish, and I was bored to tears after the fourth world.”
- “The gameplay is extremely reminiscent of all those uninspired platformers that I'm all too familiar with suffering through.”
- “If there was one thing I fault this game for, it is that the gameplay doesn't change throughout the levels; only their design does.”
music
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
63%
4%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its nostalgic chiptune soundtrack that aligns with the visual styles of various classic consoles. However, some players note that the music can be repetitive, with only one track per platform, and express a desire for more distinct styles tailored to each system. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the gaming experience, there are criticisms regarding volume control and the occasional lack of focus in the musical compositions.
- “Lots of interesting stages in the style of classic console games and a nice soundtrack to tie it all together.”
- “The main joy of the game is getting to play a game with 13 different graphical styles, 13 different bit appropriate musical selections, and some numerous design decisions/flaws/necessities of the past, experiencing the evolution of the artform and the graphical changes in pixel, the environment and the various enemies in the game.”
- “The chiptune soundtrack is made using the original sound-chips for each machine, even some graphical glitches very common on 8-bit systems are recreated.”
- “Levels differ with visuals and music, but not really with mechanics which makes it somehow repetitive.”
- “Title screen music is extremely loud and there's no volume control for the game.”
- “Music is repetitive as there is only one track per platform (8 levels each).”
grinding
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to certain achievements that require excessive repetition, such as dying 500 times. While some enjoy the challenge of grinding for achievements, many feel that the gameplay can become monotonous, especially in larger levels where collecting items is hindered by limited health and challenging enemy AI. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant detractor from the otherwise enjoyable experience.
- “Gets pretty tedious.”
- “The last couple levels turned out to be more tedious than difficult.”
- “It feels like a middle finger from the devs. Haha moron, you can't get the achievements unless you spend another 15 hours grinding the same level over and over.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
56%
25%
The game's story is criticized for being shallow and lacking depth, with many reviewers noting that it revolves around a simplistic premise of a pixel visiting a gaming museum. Despite this, some found the background story well-executed enough to keep the game compelling, though overall, the narrative received low ratings and calls for improvement in potential sequels.
- “Done well, and somehow even with a lack of a deep story, the game remained compelling.”
- “Maybe a story about a bumbling fool protagonist in a town whose citizens get turned into blocks?”
- “The background story.”
- “The story presented here is 'this pixel went to a gaming museum and that's it.'”
- “There's no story to move you forward and the actions the character can perform are far too limited.”
- “And that's about all I got for this one... here's hoping for a sequel with more of a story than the first one, more varied objectives, less punishing deaths, and more consoles such as the Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo, Game Boy Advance, PSX, etc.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is plagued by numerous stability issues, including graphical lag, off-screen rendering, and problematic tile collisions, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. Players have reported that these bugs detract from the overall enjoyment, making the game feel less polished and more reminiscent of the glitchy nature of older consoles. Despite its nostalgic appeal, the instability significantly impacts the gameplay experience.
- “The game is very buggy; I found random graphical lag, the game drawing stuff off-screen (you can see extra stuff up and down), problems with getting off of the airship, pressing enemies with pushables, you following the platform acceleration you jumped off (visible on the first Amiga level, probably a feature, but makes jumps a lot harder), and bugs about tile collision on the first console (you will sink in water even if you are more than half sitting on a solid tile).”
- “It's also a bit buggy.”
- “Life of Pixel is reminiscent of the days when console games didn't have battery backup for saved game profiles; it uses the elements of game design to teach the player how to play the game, and even mirrors some of the graphical glitches present in old consoles.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
13%
13%
The game offers strong replayability through classic best time lists for individual and overall levels, as well as hidden items and Steam achievements to discover. However, some players feel that the lack of a proper pause function detracts from the experience, suggesting that the developers may not fully embrace the game's replay potential. Overall, the combination of simple yet engaging gameplay and collectible elements keeps players coming back for more.
- “That replayability comes from classic best time lists for both the single levels and all level times combined.”
- “The hidden items to find and the Steam achievements add great replayability to this game.”
- “Just like back in the old days, this game shows why good gameplay doesn't need to be complex and why simple graphics are not an issue when you have something called replayability.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Character development in the game has been criticized for its poor design, with players finding the characters to be nondescript and blending into the backgrounds, making it difficult to identify them during gameplay. This lack of distinctiveness detracts from the overall experience, as players often waste time trying to locate their characters.
- “It's one thing to lack inspiration, but it's another when your character design is so profoundly nondescript that every level I find myself wasting around ten seconds attempting to figure out where the would-be pixel even is because they simply don't stand out between the platforms and backgrounds.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be entertaining, particularly in the first part, but it is overshadowed by a lack of engaging gameplay, leading to a mixed overall impression.
- “+ the first part of the game is funny”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players appreciate the inclusion of hi-score and best time lists, which encourage replayability and optimization of performance, reminiscent of gaming experiences from the 80s. This feature enhances competition and motivates players to improve their skills.
- “Hi-score lists and best time lists - that's what caused players back in the 80s to replay the same games and levels, and try to optimize their own performance.”