PixARK

About

PixARK is a single player and multiplayer casual role playing game. It was developed by Snail Games USA and was released on May 31, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"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."

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68%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,939 reviews

gameplay57 positive mentions

stability160 negative mentions

A fun blend of Ark and Minecraft, offering a unique survival experience.
Great for casual play with friends, providing a light-hearted atmosphere.
Regular updates and events keep the game fresh and engaging.

Severe bugs and glitches make the game frustrating and unplayable at times.
The user interface is cluttered and unintuitive, making navigation difficult.
Multiplayer connectivity issues prevent players from enjoying the game with friends.

gameplay
275 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
69%
10%
The gameplay of Pixark is a blend of survival mechanics from Ark: Survival Evolved and creative building elements reminiscent of Minecraft, offering a unique voxel-based experience. While many players appreciate the diverse mechanics and visual style, they also note significant issues such as bugs, clunky controls, and a steep learning curve that can overwhelm newcomers. Overall, the game provides an engaging but often frustrating experience, with a mix of enjoyable and poorly implemented features that can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “Pixark is a voxel-based survival sandbox that merges the core mechanics of Ark: Survival Evolved with the blocky aesthetic and creative sensibilities of games like Minecraft.”
- “The gameplay begins with the usual survival tropes: gather resources, build shelter, craft tools, and keep yourself alive.”
- “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.”
- “However, technical stability can be hit-or-miss, with lag, server desyncs, and bugs sometimes interrupting gameplay.”
- “The balance between survival challenge and accessibility is sometimes uneven—new players may feel lost early on, while more experienced survival gamers might find the pace too slow or the gameplay loops too familiar.”
- “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.”
graphics
213 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
57%
7%
The graphics of Pixark are characterized by a vibrant voxel art style that combines elements from both Ark: Survival Evolved and Minecraft, creating a playful and charming aesthetic. While many players appreciate the colorful visuals and the game's ability to run smoothly on lower-end systems, some criticize the graphics for being simplistic or lacking detail compared to more graphically intensive titles. Overall, the graphics are seen as a fun and accessible alternative, appealing to a broad audience, though performance issues and optimization concerns have been noted.
- “At first glance, the game’s colorful, pixelated world appears lighthearted and playful, but beneath the charming visuals lies a surprisingly complex survival experience.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous and make me want to go out exploring to see all that I can (cautiously).”
- “It's ark but with cutesy pixel graphics and more leeway in building, which I love.”
- “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.”
stability
166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
1%
96%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players express frustration over the lack of attention from developers to address these problems, leading to a feeling of an unfinished product. While some find enjoyment in the game despite its flaws, the overall consensus is that it remains a buggy experience that can detract from the fun.
- “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.”
- “Bugs and glitches that hinder progression and create frustrating inconveniences, making it feel like a waste of time.”
- “The game was released too early, with numerous bugs and glitches that made it difficult to play.”
- “A buggy mess with 0 design thought put into anything it seems.”
optimization
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
52%
32%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as frame rate drops, lag, and unresponsiveness, particularly on lower-end hardware. While some users have noted improvements and smoother performance in recent updates, the consensus is that the game still requires substantial optimization to reach its full potential. Despite its fun gameplay and creative elements, the persistent technical glitches and optimization shortcomings detract from the overall experience.
- “The game is well optimized and has some of its own things.”
- “Overall the game is good, the optimization of the game is fairly good.”
- “This game feels better optimized than Ark.”
- “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.”
- “High system requirements for poor performance: despite being a 7+ year old block game, Pixark requires modern hardware to run well and still manages to lag.”
grinding
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
6%
90%
Overall, players find the grinding mechanics in the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, often comparing it unfavorably to its predecessor, Ark. Many reviews highlight the frustration of resource collection, lengthy taming processes, and a clunky UI that exacerbates the grind. While some appreciate the game's potential for fun and exploration, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding detracts significantly from the overall experience, making progression feel unnecessarily gated and laborious.
- “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 would like to mention that 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.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Normally, grinding in a game doesn't bother me, but I don't want to spend half an hour hacking away at meat cubes for necessary items every time I run out.”
- “Additionally, progression can feel gated behind tedious resource collection or overly lengthy taming processes.”
- “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.”
story
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
79%
15%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed to negative feedback, with many users criticizing it for lacking depth and coherence. Comparisons to "Dragon Quest Builders 2" highlight a significant disparity in storytelling quality, with players finding the narrative in the reviewed game to be either non-existent or overly simplistic. While some appreciate the inclusion of quests, they often feel aimless and poorly integrated, leading to an overall impression of a bland and unengaging storyline.
- “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.”
monetization
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has been overwhelmingly criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many users expressing frustration over its perceived lack of quality and originality. Reviewers highlight that the game feels like a low-effort clone designed to exploit the popularity of voxel games and the Ark franchise, leading to disappointment and distrust towards the developers, Snail Games. Overall, players warn others to be cautious and consider the game's potential for abandonment and shallow content before spending their money.
- “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.”
humor
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted by players, who enjoy the amusing glitches, unexpected moments, and quirky interactions, such as the chaotic experiences with dinosaurs and the game's playful design reminiscent of Minecraft. Many find the contrast between the game's flaws and its entertaining elements to be a source of laughter, contributing to a lighthearted gaming experience. Overall, players appreciate the game's comedic aspects, despite some frustrations with bugs and mechanics.
- “We’ve tamed dinos, built floating bases, explored crazy biomes, and had so many funny moments (like the time one of us accidentally hit a dragon… bad idea ).”
- “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.”
- “Very funny game, of course different from Ark but really fun and a nostalgic feeling.”
music
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
50%
19%
The music in the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its cheerful and laid-back tone that complements the visuals, while others criticize it for being repetitive and low-quality, detracting from the overall experience. Some find the soundtrack enjoyable and fitting, enhancing the adventurous atmosphere, while others feel it lacks variety and originality, often sounding like royalty-free library tracks. Overall, the music contributes to the game's light-hearted feel but may not satisfy all players due to its repetitiveness and occasional disconnect from the game's theme.
- “The music and ambient sounds complement the visual style, reinforcing the adventurous, light-hearted tone while maintaining tension when threats arise.”
- “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.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
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. Positive reviews emphasize diverse gameplay experiences, random map generation, and engaging activities like crafting and exploration, contributing to high replayability, especially in multiplayer settings. However, some players express disappointment with certain maps lacking biomes, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “Diverse gameplay experiences, high replay value.”
- “Upgrade-able skills, lots of stuff to craft, great exploration, animal breeding and taming, good variety of mobs, chill but challenging, world events, dungeons, land, water and air mounts, loot, bosses, random maps, lots of replayability potential, total freedom, different biomes, daily quests, good for kids and adults.”
- “At each new game, maps are randomly generated as well, giving infinite replay value, even if you'll get the odd one that just doesn't look 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.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of emotional attachment and frustration with the game, highlighting a deep connection to in-game elements like the argentavi named Phoenix, while also feeling disheartened by technical issues and UI design that detracts from the experience. The desire to enjoy the game is overshadowed by disappointment, leading to a sense of heartbreak over its shortcomings.
- “I became emotionally dependent on an Argentavis 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.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
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 enjoy Minecraft, this game offers a relaxing atmosphere that you'll appreciate.”
- “This game is pretty atmospheric.”
- “The game is like Minecraft, but it creates a unique atmosphere and environment.”
- “The game is like Minecraft, but it does not generate that atmosphere or environment.”
- “The sound and music are basic and do not enhance the atmosphere.”