Indie games based on nostalgia for games of yesteryear is nothing new, especially when it comes to platformers. Titles such as Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight, GalaxyTrail’s Freedom Planet and Playtonic’s Yooka-Laylee harken back to all different types of platformers primarily released during the late 90s. However, several games have aimed to go for homages to more specific titles than just a specific era. One such title is Pizza Tower, released by indie company Tour de Pizza back in January.
Pizza Tower has players step into the role of Peppino, a down-on-his-luck pizza chef who must ascend the foreboding Pizza Tower to save his failing pizzeria from being obliterated. In a similar vein to Nintendo’s Wario Land series, players control Peppino through vast, fast-paced levels in search of the tower’s hidden treasures. Peppino’s move set in-game is relatively small compared to other platforming icons, but the focus on speed keeps gameplay feeling fresh throughout every level of the campaign.
The main draw of Pizza Tower for me personally was the aesthetic. The game’s art style takes heavy inspiration from 90’s cartoons with this unique squash-and-stretch style that brings to mind Nickelodeon shows from that era such as Rocko’s Modern Life and the early seasons of SpongeBob. Pizza Tower maintains that off-kilter vibe from the first level to the last. There’s a clear love and respect for not only that era of entertainment but for more modern media as well. One of the game’s later levels is essentially a love letter to the recent trend of mascot horror, right down to the heavy use of jump scares and unnerving usages of classic children’s entertainment venues to create a drastically spookier atmosphere.
However, despite my enjoyment of the art style, what kept me going with Pizza Tower was its fast-paced gameplay. Its heavy Wario inspiration shines through in Peppino’s small but strong move set primarily consisting of wrestling-inspired moves meant to help speed through stages. My initial enjoyment of it was hampered by the lack of an ability to map certain commands – such as Peppino’s Super Jump and Ground Pound – to different buttons on a controller. Recent updates have remedied this issue thankfully and made sustaining combos a much easier process.
Last but not least is the game’s soundtrack. The soundtrack is a mix of funk and break-beat not unlike the works of Hideki Naganuma in games like Jet Set Radio and Sonic Rush. It especially amps up during boss fights and during the escape – or Pizza Time – segments of each level. Every track composed by newcomers Mr. Sauceman and ClascyJitto fits each of the levels perfectly and provides some truly memorable tunes. Special shout-outs go to tracks like The Death I Deservioli, which plays during Lap 2 of the escape segments, and What’s On The Kids’ Menu for standing out in some of the game’s earlier worlds.
With a challenging yet satisfying gameplay loop, graphics and music that provide a dazzling love letter to a bygone era of media and an endearing cast of characters, Pizza Tower is a solid early title for 2023 that stands out against the slew of gritty, realistic games no doubt set to release at some point this year. I wholeheartedly give it a 10 out of 10. I strongly recommend if you’re looking for a fun, frantic 2D platformer to play this year.
Pizza Tower is currently available on Windows operating systems via Steam.
