From the addictive gameplay to the beautiful visuals to the absolute abundance of features, PixelJunk Eden is the best game released on the PlayStation Network this year.
PixelJunk Eden is a vibrant platformer where you navigate through other-worldly gardens as a small creature called a "Grimp." Swing, climb, and jump through dynamic environments, growing gardens and collecting spectral energies along the way. With reimagined controls for PC, this version offers new features and challenges for both seasoned players and newcomers.
The game features beautiful visuals and a sublime soundtrack that create a relaxing atmosphere.
Gameplay is unique and engaging, allowing players to explore and collect while growing plants in a vibrant world.
The game offers a casual yet challenging experience, making it enjoyable for both short bursts and longer sessions.
Navigating between gardens can be frustrating, and the time limit adds unnecessary pressure to the gameplay.
The game has technical issues, such as resolution problems and inconsistent controller support, particularly on PC.
Some players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, leading to boredom over time.
music
265 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
46%
3%
The music in Pixeljunk Eden receives mixed reviews, with many praising its captivating and relaxing electronic soundtrack, which enhances the game's vibrant visuals and immersive atmosphere. While some players find the music hypnotic and integral to the experience, others criticize it as repetitive or unappealing. Overall, the soundtrack is often highlighted as a standout feature that complements the game's artistic design, making it a notable aspect for fans of ambient and electronic music.
“The music paired with the visuals almost puts you in a trance.”
“Pixeljunk Eden is a captivating and innovative game idea that offers players of all ages a visually spectacular and musically rich experience.”
“The soundtrack is worth special mention, great electronic mix that fuels your desire to play the game.”
“Boring, controls suck, music sucks, game sucks.”
“The in-game music sounds like it was selected from a ringtone catalog; like bad house music.”
“The music is ambient trance, and gets dull after a while.”
gameplay
141 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
52%
4%
The gameplay of Pixeljunk Eden is characterized by its addictive, simple mechanics that blend platforming and exploration, offering a relaxing yet occasionally challenging experience. While many players appreciate the unique art style and engaging soundtrack, some criticize the repetitiveness and lack of depth in gameplay variety. Overall, it provides a visually stunning and immersive experience, appealing to fans of casual platformers and those seeking a chill gaming atmosphere.
“Very addictive puzzling gameplay, balanced nicely for incrementally increasing challenge.”
“The gameplay is beautifully simple: jump from platform to platform to collect energy, defeat enemies, and gather the main objective of the game: weird glowy things called spectra.”
“The game is a fun platforming adventure with many mechanics that continue to make the gameplay interesting throughout.”
“Horrible controls, boring gameplay, bad sound, not motivating at all.”
“I found it a bit low on gameplay variety; there's a lot of doing the exact same thing over and over, but at the same time that's what they were going for.”
“Incredibly repetitive gameplay.”
graphics
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
51%
3%
The graphics of Pixeljunk Eden are widely praised for their vibrant, unique art style and beautiful animations, creating a mesmerizing visual experience that complements the game's relaxing soundtrack. Many reviewers highlight the game's aesthetic appeal, noting that the visuals enhance the overall atmosphere, although some mention that the minimalist design can occasionally be disorienting. Overall, the combination of stunning graphics and engaging audio contributes significantly to the game's charm and immersive quality.
“One of the most beautiful and engaging audio and graphic experiences ever made.”
“With vibrant visuals complemented by the beautiful music and relaxing gameplay, this game is absolutely stunning.”
“The abstract visuals and incredible music combined with the fantastic gameplay create an unforgettable experience.”
“I was questioning if I should buy this game or not, as a few negative reviews pointed out some game-breaking bugs and graphical issues, and that the game was no longer supported.”
“Generally I'd say that the graphics aren't astonishing; it's more about the design of the game.”
“Because of Pixeljunk Eden's engrossing and vibrant art style, actually playing the game can be very troublesome, very often, not to mention slow.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
15%
15%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, enhanced by a soothing soundtrack and unique art style. Players appreciate the combination of calming visuals and music that create a trance-like experience, making it ideal for those who enjoy atmospheric platformers. However, some note that the occasional frustration from gameplay mechanics can disrupt the otherwise serene ambiance.
“The atmosphere of the game allows you to feel very relaxed, yet the challenge of completing the garden keeps the game exciting.”
“This game creates a hypnotic and relaxing atmosphere by combining a unique art style with a soothing soundtrack.”
“I really like the atmosphere created by the game - the music, the colors, the concept.”
“The atmosphere, art direction, and music were solid, but that's about it.”
“So if zoning out and jumping around a fairly pleasing atmosphere with some somewhat calm electronic background music is your thing, this game is for you.”
“The incredibly chill atmosphere is offset by the occasional frustration of missing a jump and spending ten to fifteen seconds falling to the bottom of the level.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
62%
25%
The game's story is largely absent, with many users noting that it lacks a traditional narrative or plot, reducing the experience to simply completing levels without any context. While some appreciate the laid-back nature of the gameplay, the absence of a storyline leaves players feeling disconnected and unengaged. Overall, the game is described as more focused on personal experience rather than a cohesive story.
“I'd say that this game's story is more about your own experience of playing it rather than anything else.”
“No real story line, but for a laid-back game that's not necessarily a bad thing.”
“Without a story, it's hard to get into this one.”
“No story to be seen or heard, just 'go through these n levels'.”
“The game has absolutely no story whatsoever.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game offers significant replayability, driven by a variety of achievements and the challenge of beating personal or others' high scores. Players appreciate the ease of controls and engaging level design, which encourages repeated playthroughs. Overall, it is considered a game that players are likely to return to after finishing.
“The variety of achievements creates a lot of replay value as you keep trying to best yourself.”
“There is a lot of replayability if you enjoy beating your own or other people's high scores.”
“The replay value of this game really blindsided me; there are few games that I can really play over and over again.”
“Replayability is definitely there, so don't think this will be a game you finish and never come back to.”
“Decent replay value.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews on the aspect of "grinding" highlight a mixed experience; while some find it tedious and repetitive due to the lack of variety in enemies and the need to collect multiple objects per level, others appreciate the game's relaxing nature and engaging gameplay. For players who enjoy grinding for achievements, the game offers a satisfying experience, particularly in titles like Pixeljunk Eden, where the grinding leads to tangible rewards. Overall, the grinding can be seen as both a drawback and a feature, depending on individual preferences.
“Tedious, boring, and frustrating.”
“It can be very tedious to navigate from one level to another.”
“There are a good number of levels to complete, but there's really not much variety in enemies and you are tasked with collecting five objects per level, which can become a bit tedious.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be tied to the act of nurturing and witnessing growth, as touching pollen clouds and flowers creates a vibrant, living environment. The experience evokes a sense of joy and satisfaction as players contribute to the blooming of abstract plants, fostering a connection to the game's world. Overall, the gameplay encourages a gentle exploration of beauty and transformation, resonating with players on an emotional level.
“Touching floating pollen clouds causes nearby un-blossomed flowers to begin to bloom, creating a world full of abstract plants swaying in the breeze.”
“Various floating pollen clouds are scattered through the gardens, and touching them causes the closest un-blossomed flower to begin to bloom.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users report significant stability issues, particularly with controller detection, as many are unable to get their controllers recognized despite attempting various troubleshooting methods.
“Controllers are not detected, no matter what troubleshooting steps I try to follow.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I experience constant lag and disconnections during gameplay.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as vibrant and uplifting, contributing to an overall ecstatic experience. Reviewers appreciate the colorful presentation and engaging soundtrack, which enhance the game's joyful atmosphere.