[h2]And so, Techbane, after playing for a good few hours, felt the overwhelming urge to go to the store page and gush about Pit People with a positive review.[/h2]
Well. Sort of, I guess? There's a lot to like here, it's just that the way it's all presented--
[h2]I SAID, after sampling the delectable splendor on display, mmyes, the product of so much bear blood, sweat, and tears, Techbane went to the store page and left a POSITIVE REVIEW.[/h2]
It's kind of amazing but I don't know what the hell is going on half the time, and it'd have been so simple to--
[h1]OOPS!!! BUTTERFINGERS!![/h1]
In all seriousness, I've never played anything else quite like Pit People. It's like a hex-based strategy... party game, almost, full of co-op and PvP features alike, though I'm bound and determined to play this solo. And strategy games aren't even my thing, but the sort of devil-may-care way the systems are designed actually makes it appeal to me significantly more. The way the systems are PRESENTED, on the other hand...
It's great (and pretty funny) to hear Stamper narrating again, the plot is exactly as unserious as you'd expect from a Behemoth production if not moreso, the main hub theme is already ingrained in my brain almost as firmly as Battleblock's title theme, and the art is as eclectic as ever, But every time I'm trying to figure out what is expected of me or how any of these systems work, it's about a coin toss as to whether it'll all fall apart upon observation. There's either an enormous unmissable arrow pointing directly at the thing you need to interact with, or an at-best complete vaguery, with no middle ground.
I need to purchase a net before heading out. Okay, where and how do I do that, and why is it letting me head out anyway if I don't have the mandatory thing to proceed with this phase of the alleged tutorial? A bunch of caution signs just appeared on the battlefield, I can intuit that I probably don't want to be standing on them but what on the field is causing them, and are they or are they not on the tiles that my units are standing on, because I can't see what's on those tiles when my units are on them!? The default "Bald" equip for this character's head has 0 stats attached, but leaves me with 10 ATK and 5% DEF. I switch to a light helmet equip, a different armor category that exists specifically to grant bonus light defense without becoming weak to mallets, and my ATK drops to 9... and my DEF drops to 0%.
Does selling a unit also sell their equipment? How do I unequip a unit that isn't in my party? Why does the game bother including a glossary when it's barely organized, 80% of what's in it is useless, and information the game HAS at some point presented to me and I would like to consult (like the differences between the categories of ranged weapons) isn't even stored there???
The art is great, but it makes areas like the hub extremely visually busy and impractical - you need to scroll the screen by hovering over one side of it or the other and wait for your character to run over there to pan over to the other available options when there's only like five options to begin with. It's mesmerizing to watch the titular Pit hop and jive around, but come ON.
All this being said, having picked it up for sub-$10 as a curiosity, sure, I'd recommend it under those conditions. Whenever I'm able to figure out what the hell I'm doing, it's great fun. Capturing units makes for an interesting strategic element, albeit more often based on what that unit has equipped than the unit themselves. Units with more than one target being forced to choose randomly does incentivize optimal positioning if you're trying to focus down a particular enemy. And even if it's basically impossible to be invested in the stakes of this insane story and all the side quests, I'm absolutely along for whatever nonsense it decides to serve me.
