PixARK
- May 31, 2019
- Snail Games USA
- 20h 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 charming blend of Minecraft and Ark, appealing to both casual and hardcore players.
- Easier taming mechanics compared to Ark, making it more accessible for new players.
- Regular updates and community engagement from developers show promise for future improvements.
- Numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with multiplayer connectivity and game crashes.
- Unbalanced gameplay where tamed creatures often struggle against lower-level wild creatures.
- Poor UI design and lack of clear instructions can lead to confusion for new players.
- gameplay187 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title combines RPG elements, voxel-based design, and survival mechanics, offering a mix of creative building and exploration that appeals to both genre enthusiasts and newcomers. However, players have noted significant issues with building mechanics, bugs, and balancing, which can detract from the overall experience. While the game has potential and provides hours of entertainment, its execution is often criticized for being frustrating and unpolished, particularly for those familiar with similar titles like Ark and Minecraft.
“RPG elements, such as character progression and skill trees, bring depth to the gameplay.”
“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.”
“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.”
“The building mechanics are just frustrating enough to not make it fun (seriously, try making a roof).”
- graphics159 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been described as charming and vibrant, often compared to a blend of Minecraft's blocky style and Ark's more realistic visuals. While many players appreciate the cute, pixelated art style and find it appealing, some criticize the graphics for being less detailed and experiencing performance issues, particularly on lower-end systems. Overall, the graphics are seen as a fun and accessible alternative to more demanding titles, though opinions vary on their quality and impact on gameplay.
“First of all, the graphics are stunning.”
“The graphics are gorgeous and make me want to go out exploring to see all that I can (cautiously).”
“It's a beautiful game with incredibly fun graphics and an overall friendlier feeling than the original Ark.”
“I highly don't agree with the game being worth $39.99 as Ark (being a lot more graphic and realistic in a way) is like $20 cheaper.”
“But for the rest of us that got used to Ark, a downgrade in both graphics and fun doesn't really make sense.”
“You'd think with pixel Minecraft-esque graphics that it would run better than the base Ark.”
- stability139 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 96 % 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. While some users find the game enjoyable despite these problems, many express frustration over the lack of polish and ongoing technical difficulties, suggesting that it feels unfinished and poorly maintained. Overall, players recommend caution, especially for those who are sensitive to bugs, as the game remains in a notably unstable state.
“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.”
“Occasional performance issues and technical glitches might disrupt the immersion and enjoyment of the game.”
“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.”
- optimization75 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting inconsistent performance, frequent frame rate drops, and technical glitches that disrupt gameplay. While some users note improvements over time and find it playable on mid-range PCs, others criticize it for being poorly optimized, especially in comparison to its predecessor, Ark. Overall, while there are moments of smooth performance, significant optimization issues remain a concern for many players.
“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.”
“This game is very fun to go in with friends and mess around, honestly more optimized on day one than Ark.”
“In my opinion, this game is really poorly optimized.”
“It is the worst optimized game I have seen so far; optimization is worse than in normal Ark.”
“The balance, optimization, and overall mechanics of the game are all extremely sub-par.”
- grinding69 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that "grinding" in the game is a significant aspect, often described as tedious and time-consuming, with many players feeling that it detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the depth and variety of activities, such as taming and building, others find the leveling and crafting systems overly grindy, leading to frustration and a sense of wasted time. Overall, the game is perceived as less grindy than its predecessor, Ark, but still requires a considerable investment of time to progress effectively.
“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.”
“The gameplay is grindy and time-consuming.”
“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.”
“You have to pass certain levels to be able to tame the simple boring dinosaurs, never mind the ones you actually want, and grinding out those levels is far too long and boring for anyone who just wants to jump into the action.”
- story56 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing it for lacking depth and direction, often describing it as "boring" or "empty." While some appreciate the sandbox nature and the potential for personal storytelling, others find the quest system unengaging and poorly defined, leading to a sense of aimlessness. Comparisons to other titles, particularly Dragon Quest Builders 2, highlight a perceived deficiency in narrative quality and memorable content.
“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.”
“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.”
“The game suffers from giving too much information on items and animals while giving absolutely no information or general direction on 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.”
“The game lacks a proper story and main purpose; as of now, it seems only to level up and unlock new engrams.”
- monetization25 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been overwhelmingly criticized by users, who describe it as a blatant cash grab with little regard for quality or player experience. Many reviewers express disappointment in the developers for prioritizing profit over meaningful content, suggesting that the game feels abandoned and lacks genuine effort. Overall, players warn others to avoid spending money on what they perceive as a shallow and exploitative product.
“This game completely sucks and feels like a cash grab by a development company that doesn't care at all about quality.”
“It's simply not worth it, very shallow and it's purely a cash grab.”
“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.”
- humor21 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is often derived from its quirky bugs and features, such as amusing glitches and the comical animations of creatures. Players find the game's lighthearted take on survival mechanics, reminiscent of Minecraft but with a humorous twist, to be entertaining, despite some frustrations with gameplay. Overall, the game is described as funny and enjoyable, with a charmingly absurd aesthetic that adds to its appeal.
“Pretty fun and funny game, especially with the faces of the creatures.”
“Very funny, and worth the money!”
“The little things: I just wanted to point out that the death animation for other dinos is funny and amazing, as well as spawning by parachuting.”
- music13 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the relaxing and delightful soundtrack reminiscent of theme park ambiance, while others find it repetitive and lacking variety. The inclusion of holiday-themed music and sound effects has been criticized for detracting from the game's seriousness. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated for its charm, many players desire a broader range of music to enhance the gaming experience.
“Awesome soundtrack, a huge variety of crafting recipes, so many creatures to tame.”
“All of Ark Survival and Minecraft added together with a beautiful environment and delightful relaxing music and stimulating fight music in one game.”
“The moment I opened the game, I was greeted by some soft background music which immediately made me think of Trove. It features much of the same sounds, which got me interested in Trove itself. The character creation was a pleasant experience, and the creativity was awesome!”
“So I bought this game and I was so excited to play it - upon realizing that every single dinosaur had 'cute' Christmas hats, alongside the mandatory Christmas music, I couldn't bring myself to take it seriously whatsoever.”
“I don't mind the 'cute' feel of the game, but Christmas hats on dinosaurs and Christmas music in February?”
“The music and audio in general sound like it was taken from a royalty-free library.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers high replayability due to its random map generation, diverse activities like crafting, exploration, and various quests, making it enjoyable for both solo and multiplayer experiences. However, some players noted a lack of depth in quests and side activities, which could limit replay value for certain audiences. Despite these criticisms, many users still find the game engaging and fun, particularly when played with friends.
“The game also has infinite replayability and an amazing soundtrack which just adds to the list of goods.”
“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, lol.”
“This is a great game period - fun, high replayability, great with friends or solo.”
“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 games did; I would say wait until it's more playable.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to in-game creatures, such as the argentavi named Phoenix, highlighting the game's capacity to foster attachment. However, frustrations with bugs and user interface issues detract from the overall experience, leading to feelings of irritation and heartbreak. While PvP is generally discouraged, engaging in PvE with friends is noted as a more enjoyable and emotionally rewarding experience.
“I became emotionally dependent on an Argentavis named Phoenix.”
“Please fix this bug because it is irritating and heartbreaking.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is described as relaxing and immersive, appealing to fans of both Ark: Survival Evolved and Minecraft. Players appreciate the tranquil environment it offers, enhancing their overall gaming experience.
“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.”
