showcase - Mr. Dave Pizza

Pompom is A Challenging, Colorful Hamster Platformer

The recently released pixel platformer Pompom: The Great Space Rescue ran across my desk as a showcase opportunity through my friends at Indie Game Collective. It's a precision platformer, sort of, with a feature I've never seen before this involving time slowing AND improvised platform placement. You can play with a controller, or you can play it with a mouse (or hamster actually, since that is Pompom's main character you play as.) The game balances innovative gameplay, a moderate learning curve, and generous leniency to keep your gameplay flowing. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, at the level of some other top precision platformers like Celeste. From the pleasant pixel art to the rewarding gameplay, this game earns every slice in the Mr. Dave Pizza pie. So, let me do my duty and share with you some information about this excellent game. Also, I made a cam appearance for the first time on this game's video--with my favorite hat! Not sure why, just felt like doing it.

Comments Off

April 10, 2022

INDIE GAMES / NINTENDO SWITCH

Moonlighter is a Much Better Game Than I Thought

The game Moonlighter is a combination rogue-lite dungeon-crawler mixed with trade simulation and story-rich RPG elements. This timeless, beautifully rendered pixel top-down was released by Digital Sun in 2018, and is available on most platforms.

Comments Off

March 10, 2022

NINTENDO SWITCH

Inked: A Tale of Love Is a New Hand-Drawn Game (Nintendo Switch)

Well, here I am, back to keep things fresh here in the pizzeria arcade (this is a lie.) I have the privilege of receiving a review copy for what was originally a PC game, now out on Switch, Xbox, and Playstation. Today I tested out the Switch version on the handheld mode and made my way through the first couple of chapters to see how well the transition has been (plus promote it to new players!) I've seen sketch-style game graphics before, but I was curious to see what this was all about. The developer reached out to my friends at Indie Game Collective, and many of us got to try this ourselves to our utmost delight. So, in the honor of storytelling, as is this beautiful mind-sharpening narrative, I'll be taking a look at the new puzzle game Inked: A Tale of Love.

Comments Off

February 23, 2022

VISUAL NOVELS

Fayburrow is a Free Cozy Student Made Interactive Fiction

Today, I plunged headfirst into the free games pile new releases over on Steam store. On my arrival, I discovered a cozy little visual novel among the listings called Fayburrow, and I decided to take a look at it. Fayburrow is a free game created by the self-named "Fayburrow Troupe" at VIA University College in Denmark. It just hit the Steam store today. What was first intrigue, turned into a fascination with the conjunction of such delightful graphics with a genre I have not covered in far too long! So, after downloading, I fired it up and took it for a spin at the courtesy of the game's student makers and you dear reader. Let's take a look at Fayburrow.

Comments Off

February 3, 2022

INDIE GAMES / NINTENDO SWITCH

Playing “Make The Burger” Because It Looked Cool, and it Kinda Was

Welcome to my post about Make the Burger. This game's release date on Nintendo Switch occurred this week, although it has a presence on Steam and ItchIO as well. This is a casual food truck sim with catchy and fun pixel environments and a line-up of hungry and paying illustrated customers. Your entire success is dependent on your ability to remember ingredient symbols and who ordered them. Take orders from customers to cook the burgers they want as accurately and quickly as possible. Upgrade your establishment each day by using funds to purchase new ingredients, furniture, and various tools of the trade. Each session starts at the beginning and it's up to you to play as casually or seriously as you'd like.

Comments Off

January 30, 2022

INDIE GAMES

Is Pizza Express the Predecessor to Good Pizza, Great Pizza?

My hunger for low-res grounded pixel games lately opened me up to a stellar sale on a game called Pizza Express. Pizza Express is an indie pixel-graphic pizzeria simulator about a fast-paced solo restaurant run by animal friends Gastone the cat and Lucky the rabbit--and also you. The game is fairly simple but incorporates playful dialogue and gameplay that is quirky in the best indie-adhering ways. It is very similar to the game Good Pizza, Great Pizza, but is older and definitely a bit more grassroots. I enjoyed it very much, so I've decided to bring this review of it together for your reference. Please enjoy.

Comments Off

January 28, 2022

INDIE GAMES

Necrow Co. is a Fun Little Platformer

If this headline doesn't raise an eyebrow, then stick with two, because this article is tapping into some unexplored territory with the game Necrow Co. by creator Zahran Worell. The game Necrow Co. is a 2D pixel platformer, playable with either a controller or keyboard. It's a light narrative about a crow who starts work for a company of reapers, featuring a cozy skeleton psychopomp grim dispatching you to a national park filled with spookies, squishies, and don't-touchies (terms coined on our end.) Abilities are basic: move left and right, jump, and shoot a sort-of crow song wave that disables mobs. Necrow Co. is a charming adventure, and despite the grim theme, fairly soft on the player. Let's take a look.

Comments Off

January 23, 2022

INDIE GAMES

What Lies in the Multiverse is a New Game With One VERY Interesting Feature

We've got a big event going on right now for THE BIG ADVENTURE. Many demos, many great indies. I set my eyes on What Lies in the Multiverse first. It's a collaboration between Studio Voyager, IguanaBee, and Untold Tales. Everything you'll see in this game has a silvery thread of classic games like Fez, Owlboy, etc. But it's a little more than technicolor flashing pixel animations, it's dealing with a really awesome powerful mechanic. Changing universes. That's right, when you click RT you change universes in this game, and, honestly, it's unique, it's a seldom-used trope, but a particularly amusing one, because when you play a game like this, you can drop out real quick and drop back in as if you were putting on a new hat.

Comments Off

January 22, 2022

INDIE GAMES

Soul Delivery is Absolutely Stunning

Alright, folks, I am compelled to write about this. Last night I posted a video of a game on itch.io called Soul Delivery. Yes, it is true, the graphics in this game are so stunning, it's enough to short circuit. Though, until now, I've never even heard of it. I don't know who the dev is, and I don't know anything more than what's covered on the itch.io page. But, since there's a demand on this, let's just take a look at it right now, and I'll polish this up later once I've had a little more time with it.

Comments Off

January 21, 2022