PixARK
- May 31, 2019
- Snail Games USA
- 25h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Epic Games Store"PixARK is a platformer and sandbox game with a mix of survival and action elements, allowing 2-player local and massively multiplayer online co-op or single-player mode. The game features 100+ creatures to tame, train, and ride, procedurally generated maps and quests, and a voxel block building system. Despite good game mechanics and spectacular visuals, it has several bugs and requires lots of grinding."
PC
Windows
Cloud
NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Reviews
- Fun and engaging gameplay that combines elements of Minecraft and Ark.
- Charming graphics and a variety of creatures to tame and explore.
- Great for casual play and enjoyable with friends.
- Numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay.
- Poor multiplayer experience with connection issues and difficulty joining games.
- Lack of meaningful updates and support from developers, leading to a sense of abandonment.
- gameplay264 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Pixark is a mixed bag, combining elements from both Ark: Survival Evolved and Minecraft, which results in a vibrant voxel world filled with diverse mechanics. While some players appreciate the creative building and survival aspects, many criticize the clunky controls, numerous bugs, and unbalanced mechanics that detract from the overall experience. The game offers a steep learning curve, and while it has potential, it often feels unfinished and frustrating, especially for newcomers to the genre.
“Its voxel art style, diverse gameplay mechanics, and dynamic world provide an enjoyable experience for players of all ages.”
“With its vibrant voxel-based design, diverse gameplay mechanics, and the allure of both creative construction and challenging survival, the game offers an expansive playground for both enthusiasts of the genre and newcomers alike.”
“The gameplay is addictive and challenging, but not so difficult that you'll want to throw your computer out the window.”
“Unfinished dropped game with clunky mechanics.”
“The gameplay is grindy and time-consuming.”
“Gameplay is washed down and terrible, tedious, frustrating, goals are poorly defined, map generation does not work at a base level - your map can generate without entire biomes, and will often generate without proper quest givers.”
- graphics208 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, characterized by a charming voxel art style that combines elements from both Minecraft and Ark: Survival Evolved. While many players appreciate the vibrant and accessible visuals, some criticize the performance issues and graphical glitches, suggesting that the game can lag even on lower settings. Overall, the graphics are seen as appealing and suitable for a broad audience, particularly younger players, despite some technical shortcomings.
“The graphics are nicely done, and the best rides have been mine, such as when I was on a T-Rex’s back during a forest ride or at a cliffside site where I built a beautiful base.”
“Its delightful visuals, accessible survival mechanics, and the infusion of magical elements create an experience that caters to a broad audience.”
“The graphics are gorgeous and make me want to go out exploring to see all that I can (cautiously).”
“The graphics are not excellent, but for a game that combines Minecraft and Ark, they are not too shabby.”
“Graphics are worse than Minecraft while the gameplay tries to be Ark: Survival Evolved.”
“You'd think with pixel Minecraft-esque graphics that it would run better than the base Ark.”
- stability170 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous players reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly detract from the overall experience. Many users express frustration over the lack of effective updates and support from the developers, leading to a feeling that the game remains in an unfinished state. While some players still find enjoyment in the game despite its flaws, the overwhelming consensus is that it is plagued by instability that can make it unplayable at times.
“I've been playing solo and it's very fun; my laptop isn't high-end but it runs great. It can be difficult to go to the harder biomes by yourself, but it's always fun to make a base underground to start your adventure in a new area.”
“No glitches so far for me and my friends.”
“Good game so far; I would recommend it, just don't go in expecting a fully released, bug-free game because you won't get that.”
“Even after all these years, this game is extremely buggy, making the experience quite frustrating at times.”
“The game came out in 2019 and it has been a buggy mess ever since.”
“This game is both extremely tedious, very buggy, and obviously thrown together and poorly maintained.”
- optimization90 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as frame rate drops, stuttering, and lag, particularly on official servers. While some users noted improvements and smoother performance on certain setups, the consensus is that the game is poorly optimized compared to its predecessor, Ark, and still requires substantial work to enhance stability and performance. Despite these challenges, some players find the game enjoyable and believe it has potential if optimization issues are addressed.
“Pixark has good optimization.”
“The game is well optimized and has some of its own features.”
“Game is optimized very well - quick download, easy to run, easy to configure and work with your settings.”
“The game is cloggy and unresponsive with frequent frame freezes and stuttering frame rate.”
“It is the worst optimized game I have seen so far; optimization is worse than in normal Ark.”
“Optimization seems to be their weakness; both Ark games are very badly optimized, so don't worry if it runs badly, your computer isn't the problem here, it's them and their crappy amateur optimization.”
- story78 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing it for lacking depth and a compelling narrative, often comparing it unfavorably to titles like Dragon Quest Builders 2. While some appreciate the inclusion of quests, they often find them simplistic and poorly integrated, leading to a sense of aimlessness in the gameplay. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game suffers from a weak storyline and insufficient guidance, leaving players feeling unfulfilled.
“In Dragon Quest Builders 2, the main character, your builder, becomes friends with the villain of Dragon Quest 2.”
“With the blend of a Minecraft-like world and the feeling of adventure from both Ark and Dark and Light, along with its quest system, it is a game that will stand to get a large audience.”
“It's been 2 and a half years since I played Dragon Quest Builders 2, and I can tell more of that story than I ever could for a game made under the Ark name.”
“This game suffers from giving too much information on items and animals while giving absolutely no information or general direction where to start the storyline.”
“If you're still interested after hearing this, go for it, but don't set your hopes too high as the game feels largely empty, lacks any sort of plot (no explorer notes or goals of any kind), and is vastly underwhelming in my opinion.”
- grinding76 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that grinding in the game is a significant and often tedious aspect, with many players expressing frustration over the time-consuming nature of leveling up, building, and resource gathering. While some find enjoyment in the early stages, the overall consensus is that the game becomes excessively grindy, requiring substantial time investment to progress, especially in higher difficulty areas. However, a few players appreciate the reduced grind compared to similar games like Ark, suggesting that it can be enjoyable for those who embrace the grind.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It isn't as grindy as most survival games, although it does start to get a little harder to level up after level 20, but that might just be me.”
“It really combines Ark and Minecraft, and it isn't as grindy as the main game, but if you like to grind, you can move up and down the multipliers.”
“I was hoping for a less tedious experience.”
“The game is absolutely riddled with questionable mechanics, such as making it so that you can’t even damage enemies in higher difficulty areas if your weapons aren’t strong enough, so you essentially have to spend hours in the very small starting area farming XP just to get high enough level tools to allow you to even survive outside of the starting area.”
“It is no fun to spend all this time grinding to level up your weapons, stats, and armor just to have you and all your tamed dinos taken out by untamed trikes that are level 10 in three hits.”
- monetization29 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been heavily criticized, with users labeling it as a blatant cash grab by Snail Games, exploiting the popularity of voxel games and the Ark franchise. Many reviewers express disappointment in the game's quality, citing a lack of effort and innovation, and warn potential buyers to avoid it due to its shallow content and aggressive monetization tactics. Overall, the sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, with players feeling that the game prioritizes profit over quality and player experience.
“The whole game is clearly nothing more than Snail Games trying to cash grab off of the popularity of voxel games by making a low-effort voxel clone of Ark.”
“This game is not what you'd expect; it is just another cash grab by Snail Games, the same people who ruined Ark: Survival Evolved. The content in this game is so boring, there are just way too many bugs, and the visuals are awful.”
“It's a quick zero-effort cash grab and it's not trying to hide it at all; it is not unique, it is no better nor worse than Ark itself.”
- humor26 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often described as quirky and entertaining, with players finding amusement in both intentional comedic elements and unintentional glitches. Many reviews highlight the game's funny creature designs and amusing animations, while some players appreciate the lightheartedness amidst gameplay frustrations. Overall, the humor adds a layer of enjoyment, making the game feel fun and engaging despite its flaws.
“The funny thing is, in one of those cases, I never got onto the dragon to begin with; I was collecting berries and was suddenly teleported into the back of the dragon far away, which then proceeded to vanish and drop me into nothingness.”
“Pretty fun and funny game, especially with the faces of the creatures.”
“Very funny, and worth the money!”
- music25 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the cheerful and laid-back tunes that enhance the experience, while others criticize it for being low-quality, repetitive, and reminiscent of royalty-free tracks. While a few users highlight standout soundtracks that elevate gameplay, many express a desire for more variety and depth in the music to avoid monotony. Overall, the music aspect is seen as a significant but inconsistent element of the game.
“Excellent: outstanding soundtrack, enhances every aspect.”
“All of Ark Survival and Minecraft added together with a beautiful environment and delightful relaxing music and stimulating fight music in one game.”
“Love the art, it's very cute and the music so far has been very cheerful and laid back.”
“The music and audio in general sound like it was taken from a royalty-free library.”
“The sound design was also lacking, with repetitive music and sound effects that quickly became annoying.”
“I would love to see a larger variety of music in all locations as it can get really repetitive to hear the same songs.”
- replayability14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The game's replayability varies significantly among users, with some noting a fair amount of replay value due to multiple paths and modes, while others highlight a lack of depth and variety in quests. However, many players appreciate the diverse gameplay experiences, random map generation, and numerous activities like crafting and exploration, which contribute to high replayability, especially in multiplayer settings. Overall, the potential for replayability is strong, but it can be inconsistent depending on the game's execution and the player's experience.
“The game offers diverse gameplay experiences and has a high replay value.”
“With upgradeable skills, a lot of crafting options, great exploration, animal breeding and taming, and a good variety of mobs, this game has tons of replayability potential.”
“At each new game, maps are randomly generated, providing infinite replay value, even if you occasionally get a map that doesn't look quite right.”
“The game lacked depth and replayability, with a lack of interesting quests or side activities to engage players.”
“Suffers from the same problems the other Ark did... I would say wait until it's more playable.”
“Some replay value, but lacks variety.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for being immersive and relaxing, appealing to fans of titles like Ark: Survival Evolved and Minecraft. However, some users feel that the sound and music are basic and do not significantly enhance the overall experience, leading to a mixed perception of the atmospheric quality.
“If you love Ark: Survival Evolved and Minecraft and enjoy a relaxing atmosphere to play in, then this is the game for you.”
“This game is pretty atmospheric.”
“The game is like Minecraft, but it does not generate that atmosphere/environment.”
“The game is like Minecraft, but it fails to create a compelling atmosphere or environment.”
“The sound and music are basic and do not enhance the overall atmosphere.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a mix of emotional attachment and frustration towards the game, highlighting a deep connection with in-game characters like the argentavi named Phoenix, while also feeling disheartened by technical issues and a disappointing user interface. The desire to enjoy the game is overshadowed by these frustrations, leading to feelings of heartbreak and disappointment.
“I became emotionally dependent on an argentavi named Phoenix.”
“Please fix this bug because it's irritating and heartbreaking.”
“It's a real shame; I want to like this game, and it's heartbreaking to realize a game you want to love is terrible.”
