The Way of the Pixelated Fist
- April 27, 2015
- Blaze Epic
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"The Way of the Pixelated Fist" is a parkour and martial arts-inspired cinematic platformer, where players control Dag in his journey through a hidden village's 36 Chambers. With tight platforming controls and an intuitive fighting system, players will face puzzles, stealth challenges, and various martial artists in this spiritual successor to Jump/Boxer. The game features a variety of platforming and combat mechanics to create a fluid and engaging experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features good controls and animations, providing a decent gameplay experience.
- It has a unique blend of platforming and beat-em-up elements, which some players found enjoyable.
- The retro aesthetic and music create a nostalgic atmosphere that appeals to fans of classic games.
- The combat system is clunky and overly simplistic, making battles feel tedious and unchallenging.
- The level design is confusing and repetitive, leading to frustration and a lack of direction.
- Technical issues such as bugs, poor resolution options, and lack of customization options significantly detract from the overall experience.
- graphics10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a retro pixel art style reminiscent of outdated 8-bit titles, which some players find charming while others criticize for lacking modern resolution options and graphical tweaks. The colorful palette evokes nostalgia, drawing comparisons to classic Sega games, but the minimalist design may feel repetitive and uninspired to those familiar with the genre. Overall, while the visuals create a relaxed atmosphere, they may not appeal to everyone due to their dated aesthetic and lack of innovation.
“The color palette resembles past Sega Master System games, but the minimalist approach taken in its graphic design creates a relaxed mood that evokes Nifflas classics such as 'Knytt'.”
“This aesthetic approach submerges the game in a distant halo of unreality.”
“Music and visuals feel good, and I am happy to have paid a couple of quid for it.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
“Its graphic style suggests old 8-bit titles, but its soundtrack has a modern drum’n’bass tempo with a floating line of melancholic keyboards that looks at Thom Yorke’s solo works.”
- music9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's music is generally praised for setting the right mood and enhancing the overall experience, featuring a modern drum’n’bass tempo and melancholic keyboards. However, players have noted the lack of proper audio controls, making it difficult to turn off the background music. While the soundtrack is considered a significant improvement, some players desire more variety, particularly for boss themes.
“The music is great for setting the right mood, although I would like a different theme for the bosses.”
“Its graphic style suggests old 8-bit titles, but its soundtrack has a modern drum’n’bass tempo with a floating line of melancholic keyboards that looks at Thom Yorke’s solo works.”
“The soundtrack is really a step up too... 3 things that are nice when the game is about platforming.”
“Bewilderingly, the game doesn't include proper audio controls, so you can't turn off the annoying background music. You'll need to alt+tab out and stop the music using the Windows sound mixer.”
“The music changes when going from inside to outside locations, but the sampling is very short and loops constantly.”
“Its graphic style suggests old 8-bit titles, but its soundtrack has a modern drum and bass tempo with a floating line of melancholic keyboards that resembles Thom Yorke's solo works.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of creativity and frustration; while some appreciate the unique atmosphere reminiscent of jet set radio and kung fu films, many criticize the repetitive mechanics and lack of innovation across levels. The fighting system is noted as slightly broken, allowing for easy exploitation of moves, and the fragmented visual style has sparked controversy. Overall, the gameplay experience is seen as inconsistent, with a blend of potential and shortcomings.
“I also thought the letterbox style gameplay window in the beginning was creative.”
“Every set of chambers completely changes the focus of the gameplay.”
“Has great gameplay with a slightly broken fighting system; if you just spam down kick, you can beat any of the basic enemies with 10 hits.”
“I enjoyed the atmosphere of the game, which feels like a mix of Jet Set Radio and a kung fu flick, but the gameplay fell flat.”
“I have played all 7, and they are all ripoffs of each other, showing no creativity, and just recycling enemies, gameplay, mechanics, and graphics.”
“The use of 3D mechanics in a 2D world is terribly done.”
- story6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely criticized for being virtually non-existent, with players noting a lack of exposition and meaningful interactions with NPCs that would typically provide guidance and plot development. Many feel that the absence of a compelling narrative detracts significantly from the overall experience.
“The story is non-existent.”
“Maybe I am missing something, but this game has very little exposition and story, so I doubt I am missing a plot trigger.”
“I seem to remember friendly NPCs in these games that would strike up conversations and tell you where to go or provide plot details... well, those were in earlier games. Damn right they were in earlier games!”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that Gamemaker Studio is often associated with the creation of low-effort, retro-style games that are perceived as cash grabs, suggesting a trend of monetization strategies that prioritize profit over quality.
“Gamemaker Studio is most commonly used to make retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its vibrant blend of styles reminiscent of Jet Set Radio and kung fu films, creating an engaging environment, though some players feel the gameplay does not live up to this appealing setting.
“I enjoyed the atmosphere of the game, which feels like a mix of Jet Set Radio and a kung fu flick.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, citing poor level design that makes progression tedious and difficult, particularly due to inconveniently placed objectives and excessive travel distances.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which makes the gameplay feel monotonous.”
“The level design forces you to grind for resources, and it quickly becomes frustrating.”
- stability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates strong stability, particularly noted for its smooth performance on Linux systems when run through Wine.
“Runs great on my Linux box via Wine.”
