Much like Supergiant’s other titles, Pyre’s biggest strength is the sheer quality of its presentation and distinct art direction. The backgrounds constantly burst with flair and color, and every single character is excellently designed. Visually it’s wonderful to look at, and the great music is a standout too.
Though as a game it’s quite a bit different, an odd cross between a text heavy visual novel and sports. Where you, the Reader, meet a group of characters who strive to free everyone from their prison by tossing a ball around in a series of matches against other teams. And by everyone that’s meant literally, each character will eventually have a chance to escape through final Liberation Rites, with the goal of slowly getting every last person out one by one.
Narratively this structure works in its favor, as most of the time is spent strengthening and learning more about your party members, so that when you do eventually set them free it feels more bittersweet. This also extends to your opponents, who all have their own stories for why they were sent to the Downside and what they want to reclaim. With each new match, they get stronger but also more sympathetic too. Losing a match never ends the game either, but continues on with the closer chance at freedom given to the opposing team instead.
It does result in a lengthier game than it probably could’ve been though, as the gameplay doesn’t really change much from start to finish. You complete a few rites (traveling to each one), tackle the Liberation Rite and release a party member, then repeat with a new phase until the end. While the matches gradually ramp up in difficulty to keep it interesting, I definitely felt the repetition after a while.
But overall the unique concept works very well. It’s an exceedingly polished game same as all the others from this dev, set in an interesting world with memorable characters, a gorgeous style, and a great soundtrack.
Though as a game it’s quite a bit different, an odd cross between a text heavy visual novel and sports. Where you, the Reader, meet a group of characters who strive to free everyone from their prison by tossing a ball around in a series of matches against other teams. And by everyone that’s meant literally, each character will eventually have a chance to escape through final Liberation Rites, with the goal of slowly getting every last person out one by one.
Narratively this structure works in its favor, as most of the time is spent strengthening and learning more about your party members, so that when you do eventually set them free it feels more bittersweet. This also extends to your opponents, who all have their own stories for why they were sent to the Downside and what they want to reclaim. With each new match, they get stronger but also more sympathetic too. Losing a match never ends the game either, but continues on with the closer chance at freedom given to the opposing team instead.
It does result in a lengthier game than it probably could’ve been though, as the gameplay doesn’t really change much from start to finish. You complete a few rites (traveling to each one), tackle the Liberation Rite and release a party member, then repeat with a new phase until the end. While the matches gradually ramp up in difficulty to keep it interesting, I definitely felt the repetition after a while.
But overall the unique concept works very well. It’s an exceedingly polished game same as all the others from this dev, set in an interesting world with memorable characters, a gorgeous style, and a great soundtrack.
Nancyfly
1 year ago