Providing a unique take on the typical brawler, PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe, created by Q Games, has a pleasant art style and an intriguing blend of beat’em up with clean’em up gameplay. Unfortunately, there is a multiplayer requirement which restricts the overall fun factor and playability.
Honestly, I feel bad for PixelJunk Scrappers because it is a fun game and the devs made good by offering both online and local co-op with crossplay support (also available on Switch). It just sucks that literally no one is playing online. Playing solo, I was only able to access the first few stages in Area 1. In order to gain access to subsequent areas, the player needs to complete a set number of challenges. Unless you are a beast of solo player, you will not be able to progress because completing challenges usually requires a friend or two to help. This is what happened to me and you can see for yourself with my embedded stream.
Like the Moogle that helps carry your chalice in Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Scrappers has a little Roomba-like droid that follows you to help collect garbage. While it does a decent job, it cannot replace the co-op teamwork of a human partner or two. It is a considerate way to make the solo restricted gameplay more tolerable but simply doesn’t fill those shoes.
At its heart, this is a brawler. Meaning, you will walk to the right and punch everything in the face. The gimmick comes from doubling your duty as a garbage man. Leading the way is a garbage truck and the player needs to keep pace with it, tossing garbage into its dumpster in between all the face punching. The more garbage you dispose, the more points are rewarded. The more points, the more things you can unlock. When playing solo, your Roomba can also alley-oop you trash to make gameplay a little more exciting.
While I was unable to try out the multiplayer aspect since literally no one was playing, I can easily see how this can be an entertaining romp in twenty-minute intervals. The visual style is creative, the gameplay is more than just mindlessly punching things, and the overall concept is thoughtful. It is just a bummer the gameplay wasn’t balanced for solo play but if you can convince a few friends to clean up these streets with you, literally, then PixelJunk Scrappers could easily offer a weekend of fun. If not, you might want to check out TMNT Shredder’s Revenge instead.
SCORE: 5/10
Also Try: the Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun Retro Brawler Bundle
Better Than: the Final Fantasy Chronicles remaster on PS4 and Switch
Wait For It: the upcoming Double Dragon compilation
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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