Published by Ratalaika Games, Red Pippy is an endearing little 8-bit platformer about a bird learning to fly. This one-hour, casual romp doesn’t have much replay value but the low-cost, low stress, and each Achievements justifies the asking price.
As I cleared the last stage and watched the brief ending sequence, the word “pleasant” kept popping into my mind. The larger, retro 8-bit sprites – pleasant. The chiptune soundtrack – pleasant. The pacing, control scheme, and difficulty – pleasant. This is a simple “reach the goal” platformer that doesn’t frustrate and just wants to put a simple smile on your face.
All the stereotypical hazards and enemies are here, trying to prevent you from reaching the goal: spinning saw blades, an occasional moving platform, spikes, etc. The game’s gimmick, however, comes from giving Pippy a temporary ability for each batch of stages. For example, at one point, tapping a button will reverse gravity, or you need to navigate water by flicking the analog stick left and right which is sort of like Flappy Bird in reverse. While the variety is appreciated, it is sort of confusing because you can only use that ability during those specific stages. For example, towards the end, I was having difficulty with a specific jump so I thought, oh I just need to reverse gravity or use the rocket boost, but that ability doesn’t work on those stages. So it is a little misleading. The only ability that remains consistent is being able to slowly descend while holding the jump button.
The challenge is never difficult although you will probably die a handful of times which is no big deal since each stage is usually around 30 seconds long. However, the biggest cause of death usually isn’t the player’s fault; it comes from the camera that doesn’t keep up. At times, the camera simply doesn’t move fast enough, causing blind jumps that make you accidentally land on enemies or spikes. There are also a few boss battles, which is a nice change of pace, but they also were created with intentionally low difficulty. Since there is no timer, no score, no collectables, and no leaderboards of any kind, there is no replay value once all stages have been cleared.
Red Pippy isn’t anything special, it isn’t anything you have not played a million times before, but it still comes recommended for its appreciated simplicity. It isn’t perfect, it isn’t action packed, but it is pleasant through and through.
SCORE: 6/10
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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