Pion

About

Pion is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Oliver Chime and was released on January 18, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

A fast-paced sci-fi top-down shooter with roguelike elements. Pilot exotic hovercraft and battle your way through ancient drones and defense systems to retake Earth. Collect powerful weapons and technology from the remnants of Earth's techno-cults.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 21 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

stability1 negative mentions

Fast-paced, smooth, and satisfying gameplay with a variety of weapons and ships offering good replayability.
Engaging roguelike elements with a challenging but rewarding difficulty that encourages multiple playthroughs.
Visually appealing with a unique soundtrack and solid combat mechanics that provide an addictive experience.

Sluggish and awkward controls, particularly with aiming and controller support, which can frustrate players.
Steep and sometimes inconsistent difficulty spikes, especially around level transitions and boss fights.
Lack of polish with bugs, limited level design (narrow corridors), unfinished feel, and no tutorial or clear goals.

gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
11%
33%
The gameplay is praised for its smooth, fast-paced roguelike mechanics and engaging, destructive weaponry, providing a fun and replayable experience despite some clunky controls, AI issues, and minor interface quirks. Its fluidity and overall design are highlights that overshadow the technical flaws.
- “The fluidity of Pion's gameplay is truly what makes the game shine.”
- “Fast-paced gameplay with a super smooth flow, that not only looks great but also provides some seriously butt-clenching moments!”
- “The gameplay is superb!”
- “The hacked together menu, slowly viewable pilot and ship properties, odd pilot pictures and loading screen freezes prevent immersion and highlight the game's unpolished indie nature.”
- “The game still needs significant work on optimizations and gameplay; AI issues are crucial as they frequently blow up their own allies and run into walls.”
- “The controls are mildly clunky and the game mechanics somewhat non-intuitive, which detracts from the overall experience despite a solid rogue-like element.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game offers strong replayability with fun and accessible top-down shooter gameplay, making it engaging for repeated playthroughs. While it may lack style and originality, its well-crafted design ensures players continue to enjoy returning to it.
- “Fun, accessible top-down shooter with amazing replayability.”
- “Will definitely keep playing this as the replayability is fun and easy.”
- “Not replayable.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is described as unusual yet surprisingly fitting, offering an interesting and unique soundtrack that complements the game well.
- “The soundtrack is odd, but surprisingly fitting.”
- “The soundtrack is interesting.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users praise the game's graphics for their impressive visuals, enhancing the overall experience and making in-game action, like explosions, particularly satisfying.
- “Pair that with the great visuals, the game simply feels amazing to play.”
- “The graphics are good and blowing things up is great.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is hampered by slow-loading menus, unpolished visuals, and occasional freezing during loading screens, reflecting its one-developer, indie nature. While these issues affect immersion, they also highlight its authentic, grassroots development approach.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game requires significant optimization improvements, particularly in AI behavior, as issues like teammates harming each other and running into walls detract from the gameplay experience.
- “However, it still needs a bunch of work for optimization, gameplay, and fixes for the AI, as they are seen blowing up their own buddies and running into walls.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users found the story to be straightforward and minimal, primarily serving as a brief mission focused on getting the controller working in the settings rather than offering a deep narrative experience.