Pizza Express

92%
Game Brain Score Based on 133 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Pizza Express Game Cover
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Pizza Express is a fast-paced restaurant simulation where you'll join the laborious Gastone and his wreckless friend Lucky in a tasty adventure which will bring you from zero to hero. Manage every aspect of your pizzeria and turn it into the best eatery in town!

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

92%
Audience ScoreBased on 133 reviews
story12 positive mentions
monetization17 negative mentions
  • Engaging gameplay with a good balance of management and pizza-making elements, allowing for customization and strategic decision-making.
  • Charming retro graphics and catchy music that evoke nostalgia, enhancing the overall experience.
  • Offers a surprisingly deep story with quirky characters, making it more than just a simple cooking simulation.
  • Controls can be awkward, particularly the mandatory use of the mouse, which may lead to repetitive strain injuries.
  • The tutorial is lengthy and tedious, making it difficult for players to get into the game quickly.
  • Some players find the game confusing and overwhelming, especially with the amount of information presented at the start.
  • story50 mentions

    The game's story is described as quirky, wholesome, and engaging, featuring a cast of lovable characters and a branching narrative that can be influenced by player choices, including pizza customization. While some players appreciate the humor and charm, others note that the story can be lengthy and is skippable, with mixed opinions on its depth and complexity. Overall, it provides a fun backdrop to the gameplay, making it a notable aspect of the experience.

    • “There's a fully involved story with quirky characters.”
    • “The story is weirdly funny and has a unique charm to it.”
    • “There's a branching storyline with many different characters to meet and choices to make.”
    • “If you plan on following the story at all, don't - longest dialogue transitions of my life.”
    • “For the story, don't expect something philosophical or complex really, it's just a simple linear story, but it still has a decent amount of surprises to keep you engaged until the end.”
    • “The tutorials make my eyes bleed, the music makes me wanna die, and the story is a little silly, but you can skip/modify those things so it becomes bearable.”
  • gameplay31 mentions

    The gameplay in this pizzeria management game is a mix of fast-paced, addictive mechanics that involve creating menus, managing ingredients, and serving customers efficiently. While the initial learning curve can be steep due to the abundance of information, players find the experience rewarding once they grasp the mechanics. The game offers a nostalgic feel with customizable elements and a humorous storyline, though some may find the gameplay repetitive over time.

    • “You get to manage the pizzeria, which includes creating the menu, choosing the quality of the ingredients, expanding the restaurant, advertising, furnishing, organizing the kitchen, etc. The game does throw a lot of information at you in the first hour or two, and it gets difficult to enjoy the game while you're learning all the mechanics, but once you get comfortable with the mechanics, it's definitely a rewarding experience.”
    • “The core gameplay consists of creating your own menu and then trying to serve pizzas to your clients on time.”
    • “The gameplay is so addicting, and the little chats with NPCs are very well scripted and enjoyable.”
    • “The music is not my taste, the gameplay feels like clicking buttons, and the text is not easy on the eyes.”
    • “As for the gameplay, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who doesn't like to deal with stress, as you need to deliver the orders as fast as you can to receive the best possible grade. Although you're free to develop your own menu with the desired names and ingredient combinations, it's advisable to remember them, as checking it often consumes time.”
    • “The soundtrack is very good, but the gameplay can become a bit repetitive by the end of the game, yet it never is too much.”
  • music30 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its catchy and nostalgic chiptune style, often likening it to classic 8-bit soundtracks. While some players find the music enjoyable and a highlight of the experience, others note that certain tracks can be repetitive and grating. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to the atmosphere despite some criticisms of its repetitiveness.

    • “Loved the music choices.”
    • “The soundtrack is pretty great too!”
    • “What won my heart was the fantastic soundtrack.”
    • “The music ranges from slightly grating to quite inspired.”
    • “The music drives you up the f***ing wall!”
    • “The tutorials make my eyes bleed, the music makes me wanna die, and the story is a little silly, but you can skip/modify those things so it becomes bearable.”
  • graphics19 mentions

    The graphics of the game evoke a strong sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of classic DOS and NES titles, with a charming pixel art style that some may find appealing despite its simplicity. While not visually stunning compared to modern standards, the graphics contribute to the game's unique atmosphere and overall enjoyment, blending well with its gameplay mechanics and thematic elements. Overall, the aesthetic may not resonate with everyone, but it successfully captures a retro vibe that many players appreciate.

    • “I love the art style so much because it reminds me of the good old days when I was playing DOS/Win3x games on my dad's 386 PC back when I was a kid.”
    • “The graphics might not be impressive like other games, but their vibe feels like a rainy night drinking hot chocolate at home.”
    • “The graphics are quite enjoyable; they reminded me of Pizza Tycoon, the old MS-DOS game from back in the day.”
    • “Graphically, Pizza Express does not stray too far from most indie games, using a very NES coat of paint.”
    • “Especially with this art style that, while holding nostalgic value, should have been consigned to the flames long ago.”
    • “While it may not be the most aesthetically pleasing game to some, art styles are a subjective issue after all.”
  • monetization17 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game allows players to fully manage their pizzeria, including menu creation, ingredient quality, advertising, and restaurant expansion. While players initially face a steep learning curve due to the extensive management options, they ultimately enjoy a rewarding experience with complete control over business decisions, including customizable advertising strategies that vary in cost and effectiveness. Some players find advertising to be less impactful, leading them to prioritize other management elements.

    • “You will also manage advertising opportunities with radio, internet, flyers, etc. but on my second playthrough, I found advertising to not really be needed and since most choices were expensive, I ignored it for the most part.”
    • “Advertising feels useless?”
    • “You can also buy a wide variety of advertisements with different prices, different levels of effectiveness, different times of day, and targeted at different demographics.”
  • humor9 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its quirky charm and entertaining storyline, featuring hilarious characters and funny dialogue that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the lighthearted and endearing tone, likening it to classic games while enjoying its colorful 8-bit graphics and catchy soundtrack. Overall, the game is described as a delightful and amusing restaurant management sim that is easy to learn and fun to play.

    • “The story is weirdly funny and has a unique charm to it.”
    • “The customization is insane and the story and the characters are hilarious; you should definitely buy it.”
    • “A simple idea (making pizzas) made fresh with the addition of cute characters, funny dialogue, colorful 8-bit era graphics, and catchy (if a tad repetitive) music.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring hundreds of hours to achieve 100% completion. Additionally, the slow-paced dialogue and tutorial system contribute to the overall frustration, making the experience feel drawn out and monotonous.

    • “It's the most tedious, dire experience.”
    • “Probably have to invest hundreds of hours of grinding to get it to 100%.”
    • “The dialogue is quite tedious; it only displays about a half a sentence at a time, which makes the tutorials take forever.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is solid, with users reporting no performance issues at max settings on 1080p. However, gameplay elements like customer patience can impact performance during specific tasks, such as pizza-making.

    • “The story is based on performance and dialogue options, which adds depth to the gameplay.”
    • “I can run the game on max settings at 1080p with no performance issues.”
    • “The staple customer patience, similar to Diner Dash, will naturally affect the performance of your pizza-making.”
    • “The story is heavily based on performance and dialogue options, which can lead to frustrating experiences when optimization is lacking.”
    • “While I can run the game on max settings at 1080p without issues, the overall optimization still feels inconsistent.”
    • “The staple customer patience, similar to Diner Dash, significantly affects the performance of your pizza-making, making optimization crucial for gameplay.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a wholesome and thoughtfully crafted story, complemented by simple yet endearing characters. Players express excitement for the narrative's progression, highlighting the developers' genuine enjoyment in creating the experience.

    • “The story is wholesome and well thought out; I honestly can't wait to see how it progresses.”
    • “The characters are also pretty wholesome, but they're simple and come from natural game developers having fun with their concept here.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability, allowing players to revisit the main scenario multiple times and explore various choices, while also providing opportunities to test their speed and skills.

    • “It has plenty of replay value if you want to test your speed, which is an important measurement of your abilities in Pizza Express.”
    • “Replayable several times with the main scenario, offering more than a few choices.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    The atmosphere in Pizza Express is enhanced through various upgrades such as disco lights, music, and decorations, which not only elevate the restaurant's chic factor but also positively impact customer satisfaction and reviews. Players are encouraged to invest in these features to create a more inviting environment that encourages patrons to stay longer and boosts overall profitability.

    • “The management aspect of Pizza Express is pretty simple; each day begins with the opportunity to upgrade your restaurant with additional tables, change the hours of service, or improve the atmosphere with disco lights, music, air conditioning, etc. These upgrades enhance the restaurant's chic factor, helping you gain customers and improve your restaurant's status while also increasing your profit if you pay attention.”
    • “You'll want to upgrade your parlor with decorations and features (arcade? music? disco ball? Wi-Fi? high chairs?), which can improve your parlor's reviews (atmosphere) and make customers willing to wait longer (which you will definitely want).”
    • “The management aspect of Pizza Express is pretty simple; each day begins with the opportunity to upgrade your restaurant with additional tables, change the hours of service, or improve the atmosphere with disco lights, music, air conditioning, etc. However, these upgrades feel superficial and do not significantly enhance the overall experience.”
    • “You'll want to upgrade your parlor with decorations and features (arcade? music? disco ball? wifi? high chairs?), which can improve your parlor's reviews (atmosphere) and make customers willing to wait longer. Unfortunately, despite these upgrades, the atmosphere still feels lackluster and fails to create an engaging environment.”
    • “The atmosphere in the game is underwhelming; despite the options to add various features, it lacks a cohesive feel that would make the restaurant truly inviting.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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