Pixel Darts: From Pub to Glory

Very realistic game. My average is just as bad as in real life. But it’s fun!

It's fun... if you know how to play it. I lost the first round.

((First off: This is my first Steam review. I’m more the type who sinks thousands of hours into one game, not the other way around. So far, I’ve mostly played big, well-known games that already had plenty of reviews, and nothing from the indie scene. This review is in two languages: 1. English, 2. German)) To be honest, expectations for a darts game aren’t very high, which is why this one impressed me all the more—it really blew me away! From the very first minute, the retro arcade charm grabs you and doesn’t let go. From the start screen (including the pub menu) to your own locker room and on to the first major tournament—you can see the attention to detail at every turn. The 90s-inspired design runs consistently throughout and never fails to put a big smile on your face. There’s a huge selection of opponents, and—what I like best—each one comes with a short backstory as well as tailored mini-dialogues and comments during the matches. (It reminds me of “Super Punch-Out!!” on the SNES, which I used to play a lot as a kid.) But the real game-changer is the underlying gameplay mechanic: Momentum is everything! It’s not just a matter of moving the mouse to any spot on the board and repeatedly clicking. The result of each throw varies depending on your current skill profile stats and the darts you’re using—just like in a real game of darts. Your timing and concentration are crucial here, and no two throws are exactly alike (Pro tip: Pay attention to your mouse DPI setting ;). Add to that the ingenious “Momentum” feature—it’s the clever bridge between simulation and reality. Depending on your success, the Momentum bar builds up (and down) from “Cold” to “Hot” and directly influences the throw result and your performance. If you’re in the zone and the bar is full, the screen bursts into flames and you’re “On Fire!”. Paired with the sounds, juicy effects, and the announcer’s (or referee’s—whatever you call that person in darts) calls, this is where the arcade and retro vibe really kicks in. The Career and Story modes tell a heartwarming story as you gradually get more familiar with the gameplay. Not an easy feat, given a seemingly mundane topic like darts. What captivates me the most, though, is the Arcade mode with its global high scores and leaderboards. Even in the demo version, I was hooked by the battle for first place—which I currently still hold :D Even if you only have a little time, you can jump right into worldwide battles and high-stakes competitions. (In addition to classic 501 matches, all the other well-known modes are available, such as Cricket and Shanghai.) Combined with all the juicy effects, a steady learning curve, and the prospect of hitting a high score, this game is seriously addictive. Bottom line: A definite recommendation! A must-have for anyone who enjoys arcade and retro games, darts, or simulations in general! If you weren’t already, you’ll definitely be “On Fire!” after playing this gem ;) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ((Vorab: Dies ist meine erste Steam-Rezension. Bin eher der Typ, der tausende Stunden in ein Game versenkt, und nicht andersherum. Bisher waren es eher große/bekannte Games, welche schon etliche Rezensionen hatten, und nichts aus dem Indie-Sektor. Rezension ist in zwei Sprachen: 1. Englisch, 2. Deutsch)) Ehrlicherweise sind die Erwartungen bei einem Darts-Game überschaubar, umso mehr hat mich dieses hier beeindruckt und regelrecht geflashed! Ab der ersten Minute begrüßt einen der Arcade-Retro-Charme und lässt einen nicht mehr los. Angefangen vom Startbildschirm (inkl. Getränke-Karte) über den eigenen Locker-Room bis hin zum ersten größeren Turnier - man merkt zu jedem Zeitpunkt die Liebe zum Detail. Das Design im Charme der 90er-Jahre zieht sich konsequent durch und zaubert immer wieder ein breites Lächeln auf die Lippen. Es gibt eine riesige Auswahl an Gegnern und - was mir am besten gefällt - zu jedem gibt es eine kurze Hintergrund-Story sowie darauf abgestimmte Mini-Dialoge und Kommentare während der Partien. (Erinnert mich an "Super Punch-out" auf dem SNES, was ich als Kind oft gezoggt habe.) Aber der eigentliche Hammer ist die zugrunde liegende Game-Mechanik: Momentum ist alles! Man geht nicht nur mit der Maus auf irgend einen Punkt auf der Scheibe und drückt immer wieder einfach ab. Je nach aktuell geskillten Profilwerten und verwendeten Pfeilen variiert auch das Wurfergebnis - wie bei einer echten Darts-Partie. Das eigene Timing und die Konzentration sind hierbei ausschlaggebend und kein Wurf ist per se wie der andere (Pro-Tipp: Achtet auf eure DPI-Einstellung bei der Maus ;). Dazu kommt das geniale Feature des "Momentums" - das ist die clevere Brücke zur Simulation bzw. Realität. Je nach Gelingen, baut sich die Momentum-Bar auf (und ab) von "Cold" zu "Hot" und hat direkten Einfluss auf das Wurfergebnis und die Performance. Bist du im Flow und die Bar ist voll, so fängt der Screen Feuer und man ist "On Fire!". Gepaart mit den Sounds, juicigen Effekten und Ausrufen des Ansagers (oder Schiedsrichter oder wie auch immer man den beim Darts nennt) kicked spätestens hier das Arcade- und Retro-Feeling richtig rein. Der Career- und Story-Modus erzählt eine herzerwärmende Geschichte, während man sich mehr und mehr mit dem Spielprinzip vertraut macht. Gar nicht so einfach, bei einem banalen Thema wie Darts. Was mich zudem am meisten fesselt, ist der Arcade-Modus mit globalen Highscore- und Leaderboards. Schon in der Demo-Version hat mich der Kampf um Platz 1 gecatched, den ich momentan noch inne habe :D Auch wenn man mal nur wenig Zeit hat, kann man sich hier auf weltweite Battles und Verfolgungsjagden einlassen. (Neben den klassischen 501er-Partien sind auch alle übrigen bekannten Modi am Start, wie bspw. Cricket oder Shanghai.) In Verbindung mit all den juicigen Effekten, einer ständigen Lernkurve und der Aussicht auf den Highscore hat das Game ein richtiges Suchtpotenzial. Ergo: Ganz klare Empfehlung! Für alle, die Arcade- und Retro-Games, Darts oder Simulationen im Allgemeinen etwas abgewinnen können, ein Muss! Wenn das bisher noch nicht der Fall war, dann bist du auf jeden Fall nach dem Zoggen dieser Perle auch "On Fire!" ;)

Surprisingly addictive. Great vibe, great humour, great darts. Pixel Darts: From Pub to Glory is one of those games you launch for five minutes and end up playing for an hour. Tight controls, fun progression, and loads of charm. Solid game. Easy recommend.

What a cracking little darts game! No gimmicks here, just a straight up game of darts where you can play 301, 501, 701, Cricket, Shanghai or Bermuda. There are different venues to play in, loads of distinct characters to play with varying skill levels and plenty of darts with different stats to choose from. The game has a straightforward tutorial to get you started and have a practise, with the option to play with mouse or controller. Basically flick up to throw, and the speed and how well you can keep your aim straight dictates the flight of the dart. I found controller a little more forgiving than mouse, but both work well. Navigating the screens with pad can be a little frustrating at times, and it isn't always obvious or logical how to move the focus to a certain element of the screen, but this is only a minor niggle. Steam Deck also works well here, with the touchscreen making navigating the various screens even easier. However there doesn't appear to be any cloud save support as yet, so your career mode or league saves are only local to each device as it stands. Players and darts have various stats with: Steady Hand, Focus, Aero, Nerve Control & Recovery. I won't go into detail here (there are tooltips in game for how these affect your throw), but they seem well thought out and add a good amount of variation from amateur to pro and in certain situations (such as when throwing for the match). I played a bunch of the demo before this, and the game does manage to give a good representation of actually throwing darts. I found myself warming up in a game and starting to find a bit of rhythm to my throw and grouping better at times, and then when playing a better opponent feeling the pressure a bit more and starting to fight against my own throw. The game has 3 modes aside from the tutorial : Career, League & Arcade. Arcade allows you to just jump straight into a single match of any of the game types. It also has a 'World Tour' which is a series of 6 matches in different venues against different opponents. Arcade mode has local and global leaderboards, so you can compare your scores and compete with others. League mode is as it suggests, allowing you to set up a round-robin league between 8 and 24 npc players. Career mode starts you off as an amateur player with some basic stats, a tournament calendar to follow, money to be won which you can spend on new and better darts, and upgrade the stats of your player as you advance towards being a pro player. From what I have played of this so far, it seems quite fun and gives you goals to progress through. It has a cast of characters you interact with outside of the players you play against with amusing dialog and adds a fun vibe to the game outside of just throwing darts.

Although the game looks like a simple arcade like dart game it is surprisingly in-depth and challenging, and the controls are actually well adapted. The career mode has a cool story and you can set up your own league using various dart games and rules. I highly recommend this game to all dart enthusiasts.

"Trebles for show, doubles for dough"

Honestly, I'm really enjoying playing this. I'm only playing the career mode as I like a story to go with my gameplay, and so far it's a pretty decent story. The gameplay is definitely arcadey and certainly not easy, but that might be a skill issue on my part. Regardless, I'm enjoying the game and will keep playing for now, hoping to eventually reach the pro ranks. Well worth checking out if you want a well done darts game.

Ich habe lange nach einem Darts-Spiel mit einem guten Karrieremodus gesucht. Dieses Spiel kommt meinen Vorstellungen bisher am nächsten. Persönlich würde ich mir noch ein detaillierteres Feedback wünschen, damit man genau nachvollziehen kann, warum ein Wurf nicht getroffen hat (war er zu schnell, nicht gerade genug etc.). Auch im Trainingsmodus wären gezielte Übungen toll – wie zum Beispiel ein Modus, um die Doppelfelder zu trainieren. Ansonsten bin ich aber sehr zufrieden. Danke für die tolle Arbeit!

This game deserves waaaay more love than it gets! It’s fun, addictive, has a great soundtrack and an awesome vibe, and shows TONS of potential. Mr. Dev, you’ve done a fantastic job! I’m keeping my fingers crossed and can’t wait to see what you cook for us in the future! You have my [strike]sword[/strike] support.