Pile Up!

About

"Pile Up!" is a cooperative 3D platformer game that encourages teamwork and communication. Players control a team of adorable box-shaped characters, working together to navigate through various levels filled with puzzles and challenges. The goal is to stack your team members to reach new heights and complete objectives, promoting strategic thinking and collaboration.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 263 reviews

graphics20 positive mentions

stability9 negative mentions

The game is fun and relaxing, making it perfect for winding down after a long day.
It features charming graphics and a soothing soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
The gameplay combines strategic elements with casual building mechanics, providing a unique and engaging experience.

The camera controls are clunky and can be frustrating, making it difficult to place buildings accurately.
There are numerous grammar mistakes and typos in the text, which can detract from the immersion.
The game suffers from performance issues, with reports of lag and crashes, especially on lower-end systems.

graphics
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
51%
6%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and unique art style, creating a relaxing and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. Players appreciate the charming visuals, including a lovely day and night cycle, although some express frustration with the gameplay mechanics overshadowing the graphics. Overall, while the visuals are a standout feature, there are concerns about performance and the connection to the in-game cities.
- “The game is beautiful -- holy cow the visuals are amazing and the builds that come to fruition are excellent and unique (the day and night cycle is lovely).”
- “Beautiful graphics with procedurally generated details makes every playthrough screenshot worthy.”
- “The game is aesthetically pleasing, it is relaxing and also demanding on strategy to make the whole city blow up.”
- “It kind of forces you to choose between aesthetically pleasing architecture and confusingly ugly but cohesive structural integrity.”
- “I spent about 90 percent of my playthrough in the overhead view, which completely dampens the charming visuals.”
- “This is awful because the game graphics and aesthetics are so nice, but the game itself feels rough and not good to play.”
gameplay
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
7%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of satisfying mechanics and a visually appealing design, though many players express concerns about the lack of depth and clarity in the tutorial, leading to confusion. While the game offers a relaxing experience with potential for interesting architectural rewards, it suffers from bugs and optimization issues that detract from the overall enjoyment. Players note that the gameplay loop improves over time, but it currently feels limited and could benefit from additional mechanics and content to enhance engagement.
- “Very good game, doesn't get old, and satisfying mechanics!”
- “It's a really fun and relaxing game with interesting mechanics.”
- “For a game of its size, it has shown a scope for many hours of gameplay and at no point will you feel slagging as it keeps getting linearly more challenging and engaging.”
- “The gameplay is really where I found myself struggling to have a good time.”
- “The tutorial does not cover in-depth enough to teach players about the game mechanics, and with it being such a minimalist style, I just find myself confused.”
- “It's a cool idea, but all the effort went into the visuals and zero into the actual gameplay.”
music
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
33%
20%
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and fitting well with the aesthetic, creating a soothing atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some players found the soundtrack to be repetitive and not particularly exciting, leading them to prefer their own playlists. Overall, while the music contributes positively to the ambiance, it may not be engaging enough for extended play sessions.
- “It is visually stunning with background music that creates a relaxing atmosphere, as you start stacking building upon building upon building.”
- “Very relaxing, and the soundtrack is very soothing... could sit for hours just listening to the tune.”
- “Such a relaxing game, the music, art style & visuals are all fantastic.”
- “Background music makes you feel like sleeping.”
- “Only things I don’t like are that there are a few typos, and the music is nothing exciting.”
- “Kept me entertained and I'm sure I'll come back to this at a later date, I'd love to see more music since the current one, although very whimsical and relaxing, did get a little repetitive after a while.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, including camera issues, disappearing action buttons, and significant optimization problems that lead to lag. Many players find the game unplayable in its current state due to these glitches, while a few acknowledge minor issues typical of early access. Overall, the consensus is that the game requires substantial fixes before it can be recommended.
- “The game for me had very buggy optimization, like it would lag.”
- “It's too buggy; for example, you upgrade your town to a ville and it won't even let you place the building you need to keep playing, making you restart. I really like the concept of this game, and the bit I've gotten to play has been quite nice, but until these minor bugs are fixed, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.”
- “Buggy, clunky controls and slow updates that don't address my issues with the game within the refund deadline.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
14%
29%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its visually stunning art style and relaxing background music, creating a chill and immersive experience. While many players find the ambiance captivating and reminiscent of games like Dorfromantik, some suggest that the addition of NPCs could enhance the overall atmosphere further. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered one of its main selling points, contributing to its addictive gameplay.
- “It is visually stunning with background music that creates a relaxing atmosphere as you start stacking building upon building.”
- “Great chill open-ended puzzle game with a nice ambient atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere is so relaxing.”
- “One of the main selling points of the game is the atmosphere and the art style.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including lag and bugs. Additionally, it is noted that the game is not well-suited for the Steam Deck, further exacerbating the optimization problems.
- “The optimization in this game is outstanding, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the game mechanics for better performance, making it a joy to play.”
- “The attention to detail in optimization really enhances the overall experience, ensuring that everything runs seamlessly.”
- “The controls, hard gameplay, bad optimization, lighting issues, and even broken achievements that you encounter just by starting up the game indicate the ridiculous problems you will face.”
- “The game had very buggy optimization; it would frequently lag.”
- “The only problem is that it is not optimized for Steam Deck.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is appreciated for its lightheartedness and whimsical details, such as amusingly named locations like "Cengiz Casino" and "Soner Club." Players enjoy the comedic elements that enhance the experience, making it a fun choice for those looking to relax and create quirky cities.
- “I'd recommend it to anyone who just wants to sit back and place some buildings down to make some funny-looking cities :)”
- “Details in the game such as 'Cengiz Casino' and 'Soner Club' made me laugh.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express frustration with the emotional impact of gameplay mechanics, particularly the imprecise stacking system that can lead to catastrophic failures, such as accidentally destroying their cities. This sense of loss and helplessness contributes to a heightened emotional experience, as players grapple with the consequences of their actions.
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game initially relaxing, but it quickly becomes tedious and tiresome, detracting from the overall experience. Additionally, spelling mistakes contribute to the frustration.
- “The game is supposed to be relaxing and chill, and while it is in the beginning, it just increasingly grows tedious and tiresome.”
- “Sadly, I found this tedious pretty quickly, and the spelling mistakes were particularly irritating.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The story is characterized by a gradual build-up that expands beyond the initial plot as players progress through each level, creating a sense of depth and exploration.
- “The story builds up gradually, extending slightly beyond the limits of the original plot as you progress through each level.”
- “The narrative unfolds beautifully, keeping you engaged and eager to discover what lies ahead.”
- “Each layer of the story adds depth and complexity, making the journey feel rewarding and immersive.”