Adventures of Pip

Adventures of Pip for PC, X360 and etc. is a retro-styled, two-dimensional platformer game, which comes with an unusual plot and a non-conventional character development system. Adventures of Pip was created by TicToc – a California-based, independent studio. Thanks to its success on Kickstarter, the game came out for many systems, including the PC.

Plot

In terms of the plot, Adventures of Pip mingles elements of fantasy and advanced technology together. The player is taken to the Pixel Kingdom, where life as such is driven by incessantly flowing bits. However, the world is endangered by the evil Queen DeRezzia, who has kidnapped the beautiful princess and conquered the lands with help of her warriors. Pip, the game's protagonist is the only one capable of stopping the Queen, for he has possessed an incredible ability to absorb pixels from the bodies of the defeated enemies.

Mechanics

Mechanics-wise, Adventures of Pip for PC, X360 and etc. borrows a lot from the classic side-scrollers, such as Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong Country or The Legend of Zelda. Thus the player explores subsequent levels, solves puzzles and fights crowds of enemies. What is original about this game however, lies in its unusual character development system. Initially, the protagonist is made of one pixel only and he traverses a complex, 32-bit world. Thanks to his ability though, Pip grows larger alongside progression, at one point becoming a powerful. 8 or 16-bit warrior that is capable of dealing with more and more powerful enemies and increasingly difficult challenges.

The three forms the protagonist goes through are also connected to a slightly different play style that each of the protagonist's evolution stages involves. As a single pixel, Pip can perform only simple movements, but as an 8-bit figure, he has useful skills, such as jumping, wall-running or attacking. Once Pip reaches his final, 16-bit form, he gains access to the full spectrum of actions – at this point, Pip wields a sword and is sufficiently strong to both move and destroy heavy blocks made of stone. Importantly however, Pip can also switch between these forms.

Technical aspects

The visuals present in Adventures of Pip for PC, X360 and etc. constitute a blatant reference to the aforementioned classics, offering pixelated, retro-styled graphics. The creators brought a large portion of diversity to the virtual environment, and the experience is complemented by a soundtrack created by Jake Kaufman – orchestral music gets blended with the old-school chiptune here.

Last updated on 09 March 2015