This review contains spoilers
This figurative side dish to Pizza Tower featuring everyone's favourite lunatic donning yellow could've arrived in the form of a humble reskin...but it is so much more than that.
As phrased by the devs as a pseudo new game+, going through the Tower is relatively the same; the levels are the same, the bosses are the same, the collectibles are still the same.
Instead, where the real grooves start to show is in the brand new playable character itself - the public menace, the Noise - and how he shapes the game's foundations around himself rather than the other way around.
In comparison to Peppino, he's a lot more slippery and frantic, but with an emphasis on vertical/aerial movement, which both suits his personality as a character while building upon the basic moveset you've been given in the base game and twisting it into something that feels fresh and fun to play.
You can chain together some truly insane movements to almost fly through some sections.
There is a good amount of levels that include small gameplay changes that, at times, make them feel like refreshed or alternative versions of those levels; But what is really cool is that all of these changes, in one way or another, always serve to emphasize and showcase the Noise's personality.
Behind the deceivingly goofy and clumsy facade, he's an absolute belligerent asshole with an inflated ego, a taste for mischief...and disregard for honour or dignity towards anyone that stands in his way.
He yawns whenever anyone tries to be intimidating, and disrespects everyone around him any chance he gets.
In boss fights, he throws bombs from a distance instead of fists. He cheats in Vigilante's duel, scares Fake Pep in the chase sequence, and literally nukes Pizzahead in the final brawl atop the Tower.
He is simply a selfish, crazed maniac that flips like a switch between silly, endearing frolicking and psychotic outbursts.
Even The Crumbling Tower of Pizza goes on to cement this in stone by relaying the crescendo of the finale into a dramatic, guns ablazing power fantasy trip down the tower.
Whereas originally you escape with all the characters you met along the way in a triumphant, upbeat stride that I can only describe as being ecstatically accented by the song 'Bye Bye There!', the Noise's escape is a callous breakbeat of a slipaway; Led by somber, beckoning guitar wails and 80s synths duets (capstoned with a delightful Pizza Mayhem leitmotif), you only escape with three of your pals (Noisette, Noisey and the bucket - YES, A BUCKET) while kicking everyone else off the track.
My one complaint about this DLC is something that could very well be a nitpick, but I was disappointed by the Doise bossfight since I genuinely thought they'd reverse the roles and we'd get to fight Peppino.
The story behind the Doise is neat, but, I just think Pep would've been a really cool bossfight with a new moveset that we as the players are familiar with, but in different perspective mirrored at us.
Despite my complaint, it's very obvious even from the outset that a huge amount of effort went into this DLC even though it's completely free, and once again speaks to the love and care that the devs have towards this game.
Frankly I have nothing but respect for the devs, my hat goes off to them.
Looking forward to seeing where they go next in their creative pursuits.
As phrased by the devs as a pseudo new game+, going through the Tower is relatively the same; the levels are the same, the bosses are the same, the collectibles are still the same.
Instead, where the real grooves start to show is in the brand new playable character itself - the public menace, the Noise - and how he shapes the game's foundations around himself rather than the other way around.
In comparison to Peppino, he's a lot more slippery and frantic, but with an emphasis on vertical/aerial movement, which both suits his personality as a character while building upon the basic moveset you've been given in the base game and twisting it into something that feels fresh and fun to play.
You can chain together some truly insane movements to almost fly through some sections.
There is a good amount of levels that include small gameplay changes that, at times, make them feel like refreshed or alternative versions of those levels; But what is really cool is that all of these changes, in one way or another, always serve to emphasize and showcase the Noise's personality.
Behind the deceivingly goofy and clumsy facade, he's an absolute belligerent asshole with an inflated ego, a taste for mischief...and disregard for honour or dignity towards anyone that stands in his way.
He yawns whenever anyone tries to be intimidating, and disrespects everyone around him any chance he gets.
In boss fights, he throws bombs from a distance instead of fists. He cheats in Vigilante's duel, scares Fake Pep in the chase sequence, and literally nukes Pizzahead in the final brawl atop the Tower.
He is simply a selfish, crazed maniac that flips like a switch between silly, endearing frolicking and psychotic outbursts.
Even The Crumbling Tower of Pizza goes on to cement this in stone by relaying the crescendo of the finale into a dramatic, guns ablazing power fantasy trip down the tower.
Whereas originally you escape with all the characters you met along the way in a triumphant, upbeat stride that I can only describe as being ecstatically accented by the song 'Bye Bye There!', the Noise's escape is a callous breakbeat of a slipaway; Led by somber, beckoning guitar wails and 80s synths duets (capstoned with a delightful Pizza Mayhem leitmotif), you only escape with three of your pals (Noisette, Noisey and the bucket - YES, A BUCKET) while kicking everyone else off the track.
My one complaint about this DLC is something that could very well be a nitpick, but I was disappointed by the Doise bossfight since I genuinely thought they'd reverse the roles and we'd get to fight Peppino.
The story behind the Doise is neat, but, I just think Pep would've been a really cool bossfight with a new moveset that we as the players are familiar with, but in different perspective mirrored at us.
Despite my complaint, it's very obvious even from the outset that a huge amount of effort went into this DLC even though it's completely free, and once again speaks to the love and care that the devs have towards this game.
Frankly I have nothing but respect for the devs, my hat goes off to them.
Looking forward to seeing where they go next in their creative pursuits.