Pillar

To me Pillar is a game that simply exists, and even then I don’t see it having an appeal to a broad audience. I really like the premise that Michael has come up with – wanting to set a game based on personality types – but I don’t think that idea is fully explored here. Some of the puzzles are fun while others aren’t. I don’t want to say that Pillar is a badly put together piece of work, because it isn’t, and clearly love went into the project. However, it isn’t a fun puzzle game, and feels like a missed opportunity.

59%Game Brain Score

music, atmosphere

story, graphics

74% User Score Based on 27 reviews

Critic Score 63%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

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About

Pillar is a single player hack and slash game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Gonçalo Antunes and was released on May 29, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Lost in an intimate snowy town, a palette of individuals are in search of a mysterious artifact said to bring great knowledge and understanding. Lead each character through their quest in this collection of minigames, each with unique personalities and challenges...

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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74%Audience ScoreBased on 27 reviews

music6 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Enchanting and atmospheric music that greatly enhances the game experience.
Charming, sweet, and hand-painted art style that creates an immersive and distinct environment.
Thoughtfully designed puzzles that strike a balanced challenge, enjoyable for puzzle lovers and casual players alike.

Storytelling is vague and difficult to follow, leaving many players confused about the narrative.
Gameplay mechanics can feel repetitive or awkward, with some players finding the overall puzzle gameplay less engaging.
Certain graphical elements and bugs diminish the experience, with some critiques on art quality and lack of polish.

music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The music in Pillar is widely praised for its enchanting, atmospheric quality that complements the hand-painted art style and helps convey the story without words. Players appreciate how the soundtrack varies across different areas, enhancing the mood and character distinctions. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that significantly enriches the game experience.
- “Pillar is a small gem that stands out with its enchanting music and retro-styled graphics.”
- “As you move through the town and explore different areas the music changes; industrial in the hospital, angelic in the cathedral and in the whimsical vibe in the forest.”
- “The fact that all the story is told without any words is impressive and it is fantastic that the developers relied on only the visuals and music to tell the whole story.”
- “Pillar should be applauded for its hand-painted art style and atmospheric soundtrack, though ultimately it doesn't deliver on the promise of its unique setup.”
- “Clever puzzles with a chilled out atmosphere and music.”
- “The art and music are the biggest clues in this game on what to do, and as such there is a lot of focus on creating distinct borders for each of the characters to really tell you what you need to know about each of them.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's story is presented in a minimalist, wordless manner using visuals and music, creating an immersive atmosphere but making the plot somewhat ambiguous and challenging to follow. While some players appreciate the unique storytelling approach, others find the narrative confusing and hard to understand.
- “The fact that all the story is told without any words is impressive, and it is fantastic that the developers relied only on the visuals and music to tell the whole story.”
- “As per the store page, in-game there is no prologue or story for you to read; you are shown a vibrant and intimate picture of the whole town after you create your profile in the woods outside of it.”
- “The background sound of whirling machines and laughter of children create atmosphere and breathe life into the story.”
- “Original review: I found the story to be very confusing and hard to follow.”
- “Pillar is a game that requires some mental gymnastics to understand the story.”
- “Not entirely sure on what is going on story-wise but that could be just me.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game's hand-painted, retro-inspired graphics and art style receive praise for their charm and atmospheric quality, contributing to storytelling without words. However, some users find the visuals poorly executed or buggy, leading to a mixed reception regarding overall graphic quality.
- “Pillar is a small gem that stands out with its enchanting music and retro-styled graphics.”
- “Hand-drawn graphics give the game a nice touch.”
- “Pillar should be applauded for its hand-painted art style and atmospheric soundtrack.”
- “The game is buggy, looks bad, and the artwork was sufficiently bad that I needed to check into an ER.”
- “I cannot recommend anyone pays $8 for eye-damagingly bad graphics.”
- “Pillar should be applauded for its hand-painted art style and atmospheric soundtrack, though ultimately it doesn't deliver on the promise of its unique setup.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
29%
The game features a captivating atmosphere enhanced by charming, hand-painted art and atmospheric music that effectively bring the setting to life. Background sounds and a unique soundtrack contribute to its immersive and charming environment, making it appealing to players seeking a visually and audibly engaging experience.
- “The game’s atmosphere is immediately captivating, drawing you in with its simple yet beautiful presentation.”
- “The background sound of whirling machines and laughter of children create atmosphere and breathe life into the story.”
- “Pillar should be applauded for its hand-painted art style and atmospheric soundtrack, though ultimately it doesn't deliver on the promise of its unique setup.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay receives mixed feedback, with some praising its challenging and rewarding elements and original ideas, while others find the mechanics unclear, repetitive, or insufficiently challenging. Despite beautiful visuals and interesting themes, the overall experience can feel disconnected and more like a personality test than engaging gameplay.
- “Original ideas wrapped in familiar game mechanics, beautiful hand-painted backdrops, deals with interesting themes, difficult yet rewarding.”
- “Outside of light puzzles, gameplay isn’t that great, didn’t feel a real connection to events on screen, felt more like a personality test.”
- “Confusing gameplay with conflicting design decisions.”
- “Unclear mechanics and rules.”
- “While the gameplay ties into various personality traits in some interesting ways, the puzzles are nowhere near challenging enough, allowing you to power through most of what this title has to offer in just a few hours.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs and poor visual quality, which negatively impact the overall experience.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers a unique psychological concept that provides an interesting and somewhat emotional experience for players.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game runs smoothly and maintains good performance, indicating solid optimization.
- “Performance is pretty well optimized.”