Pixel Gladiator

[h1]Pixel Gladiator[/h1] Fun tower defence game with many other genres added in it, all of them in perfect harmony. With lots of weapons and armory, imaginative enemies and bosses, Pixel Gladiator will entertain you for hours. If you won't get frustrated by the bosses' incredible strongness. 7/10 [b]Pros about the game[/b]: +Very simple layout, you will be in arena in 2 seconds +Lots and lots of weapons, you can try different ones every round +Smooth, reliable controls. +Pixelated graphics beat 3D on this game, their art style looks amazing. [b]Cons about the game[/b] -Unfair, overpowered bosses. When I died to the first boss for the 6th time and the arena started over, playing the game turned into working, not playing. This is a major Con. The rounds with normal enemies are perfection though. -Only 3 arenas. They're enough for now, but can't stand much playing. [b]Personal opinion[/b] I have never played any tower defence before, and when I first played this game, I loved it. So, if you are looking for a piece of a timekiller and are ready to work to kill the bosses (and fun), I would definitely recommend it! [u]This review was written for curator group Trump Giveaways.[/u]

So I beat this game in 80 minutes. Here's the kicker though. I was on the final boss for thirty minutes. Not multiple tries. Just one try. He's the easiest boss in any game ever. But he just has too much life. As for the game itself. It's meh. It's similar to Kingdoms. But without most of what makes Kingdoms good. It's simple. It's cheap. It has three levels and only the first level was any fun. So content wise it was extremely lacking. Achievements are a piece of cake to get if you really want a game to 100%. And yes it has trading cards. But I FINISHED the game and not a single card drop. I only died twice in the entire game. It's extremely easy. But because of the content though I would not recommend. I know it's only three dollars and in Early Access. But no news since November (And even then it was just advertising it and trying to get a steam award(?!)), and many one dollar games give you more enjoyment and content. Even many Flash games give you more content and I have enjoyed for much longer periods of times(Epic War4/5, Crush the Castle, and Achievement Unlocked 2 are only a few examples). The game is okay but the lack of content makes it not worth it. If you want a game like this go get "Kingdoms" for a much more polished finished take on this TD genre.

Was going to give the game a twirl or two based on the above average pixel art and the positive ratio in the reviews but the game is way too choppy at 23 frames per second to be enjoyable to play with this set of eyes I was given to perceive the world and all the cool games in it so... Don't bother unless you love a true 'CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE'. Don't work so hot when you got to actively interact with the image I find.

Taking several elements from many games and mashing them together is not always successful. In this game, however, it is quite a good thing. This is a very entertaining tower defense game and the level of customization really makes it enjoyable. It requires quite a bit of grinding on the same levels a few times if you desire to get advanced skills/towers but that is to be expected.

[h1] Build defenses and protect your base from alien creatures. There's not much strategy going on and game lack some more depth. Visuals and audio are mediocre. Not recommended. [/h1]

Pixel Gladiator is a blend of shootemup and tower defense. It is currently in early access but the game is fun and looks complete feature-wise. There is a statement on the Steam store page though saying that content may still be added to the game! Gameplay: Your character has a base with a reactor in the center to protect. Enemies come in waves from both sides (left/right) and you need to kill them before they reach the reactor. The reactor also serves as an upgrade shop where you can buy weapons and gadjets, available only in between waves. The left and right sides of the base can be built with wall defenses that mount turrets. Both of these can be upgraded. Enemies come in two height sizes. The top turrets can not shoot the smaller enemies while the bottom ones shoot both. Not sure if there are flying enemies as I did not manage to survive a big number of waves (yet :P) but I imagine it would only make sense to introduce them later on and them being unreachable with the bottom turrets. There are also boss enemies that appear who are much larger and require different strategies. The first one, that I reached and managed to kill, was a huge wormlike creature (Dune comes to mind) that was moving allover the place. I had to shoot it while avoiding contact and the base turrets did not target it. From what I have seen so far, what makes the game difficult or easy depends on what you choose to upgrade and when. As in how you spend your money and when. My initial strategy of building defenses on one side of the map and handling the other side myself proved very effective until I started getting overrun on the side I was handling myself. At that moment I realized I should not have bought those rocket boots yet! :) When you think the game is easy, it proves you wrong by showing you that you underestimated it and you need to plan your upgrades better. Controls are classic WASD for movement and spacebar for things like entering the upgrade shop or building/upgrading defenses. Graphics: The game opts in for retro style graphics, which works very well and what is certainly worth mentioning is that it takes a whooping 9MB of drive space! Music/Sound Design: The music is electronic and fits the theme/mood perfectly. It is also reminiscenet of the 8bit era! The sound effects are also in this style as you would probably expect. Pros: -Great blend of shootemup and tower defense. -Simple controls -Great sound -Upgrades! -Game may look very easy at some points but will punish you once you stop planning carefully! -9MB size. Something that can be run anywhere, even your very slow, out of space, netbook! Neutral: -Retro style graphics are not everyone's cup of tea. -Game is still in Early Access but is fully playable and I did not encounter any bugs. Cons: -The tower defense part looks rather simple. Maybe more options are available later on, I can't be sure as I have not even reached the second boss yet. If not, it should be considered as something to be implemented before it comes out of Early Access. Still the game is not easy or simple due to the lack of more turret options etc. It is much fun as it is. Conclusion: A fun little game! And little is not an understatement here as it's only 9MB heh! If you like retro style games, shootemups, tower defense games or any combination of these, you should try it! Score: Gameplay: 8/10 Graphics: 7/10 Music/Sound: 9/10 Concept/Story: 7/10 More game reviews @ https://cassus.org/

[quote][b]This review was made possible by[url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/indiepromo] IndiePromo. [/url] [/b] [i]I received a reviewing copy of this game for free. However, my review is honest.[/i] [/quote] [i]Skip to the bottom for my Final Thoughts[/i] Pixel Gladiator is a pixel art futuristic endless shooter/tower defense game developed by Durbek and published by Xitilion. [h1]Graphics[/h1] Pixel Gladiator, as the name implies, is a pixel art gladiatorial game. You are pitted against an endless horde of aliens on an abandoned planet. The character model looks pretty decent and the background of the map is very nice however the aliens all the same models for each type of alien with a different colour for each difficulty. There are a few bosses scattered throughout your playthrough, however, like the aliens, there is only one unique model with a few coloured variants. [h1]Audio & Soundtrack[/h1] The soundtrack for Pixel Gladiator is pretty well done and compliments the futuristic theme of the game, however, there are very few tracks in the soundtrack and the main menu screen music is very lacking. The sound effects are decent overall, however, the sound your character makes when you get hit is pretty awkward. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] Pixel Gladiator is an endless horde shooter/tower defense game and it does a pretty decent job at that. There are only really 2 different game modes, endless survival mode and 3 separate level modes, however, I mostly played the endless mode because I do enjoy my fair share of endless shooters. My first playthrough of the endless mode was rather difficult as I was getting used to the controls and the upgrade system however on my second run I was able to 100% upgrade everything that I could and spent the rest of the time improving my score. [h1]Storyline[/h1] Pixel Gladiator puts you in the shoes of a contestant on one of the universes most popular game shows that pits its participants against an endless onslaught of aliens. You play an unnamed character and as for the exposition, the only story you get is in the game's description on Steam which is pretty disappointing. [h1]Final Thoughts[/h1] Overall Pixel Gladiator is a pretty decent game however it could only really hold my interest for an hour. I would recommend Pixel Gladiator for those who enjoy endless shooters and want a few hours of enjoyment for only a few bucks. Rating: Graphics: 7.0/10 Audio: 6.5/10 Gameplay: 6.5/10 Storyline: 6.0/10 Overall: 6.5/10 [quote]Like the review? Consider checking out and following[b][url=http://store.steampowered.com/curator/31837076/] My Curator Page [/url][/b] for more! [/quote]

Honestly this game feels much more like a tech demo or proof of concept and that it should be in early access at best. The controls are occasionally unresponsive, especially in the mech (which admitedly could be to simulate its size and weight, but doesn't come accross that way very well). Some of the enemies are buggy, glitching into walls and such (No, not talking about the magic flying worms). There is virtually nothing in the way of tactics or strategy, as the upgrades are all very simple linear things with no real choice to them. There is never any trade-off to consider. The controls are completely unexplained, as are several of the features in game. There is no real way to tell how good anything is or what may or may not be worth investing in, cutting out what little decision making there might have been in the game. The graphics... well, you can see the screenshots yourself. They're basic, very basic. Not bad really, but they don't seem to capture the pixel feel many other modern pixel games have. They're functional and that is about all that can be said of them. Finally, the gameplay itself. It just isn't particularly fun. The most powerful gun in the game is terribly dull to use since it has 1 shot and a reload time of about 5 seconds. There is very little feedback on things like the gun being reloaded or not, enemies being injured (They flash when hit, but with no idea how much damage anything might do, it's impossible to keep any sort of track of health) The idea is kind of cool, trying to defend against the oncoming hoard for fun and profit, but it just seems more like a chore than anything else, especially as the base defenses are strong enough to do the job for you without intervention, and you're left to hop around some magic flying worms while they clean up, and then eventually die to a boss with unavoidable attacks. All in all it is a mildly interesting game that has a cool sounding concept but not a particularly impressive execution. It might be entertaining as a free flash game, but I personally can't justify even the $2.50 I picked it up at on sale.

From what I have experienced with having gotten my hands on this game through a coupon from another game, being introduced to the whole 'badge crafting' system on Steam as it were, Pixel Gladiator proved to be a somewhat pleasant surprise for a title that I had virtually never heard of before and was quite fun to play, if a little short on content! Going more in-depth into what Pixel Gladiator is all about though, this 2D survival shooter-styled game focuses on you playing the role of a futuristic soldier or warrior participating as a 'gladiator' in what is deemed to be the 'entertainment of the future' as the goal is to survive for as long as possible whilst also succeeding against the odds by ensuring you not only kill any and all mutant monstrosities sent to destroy the generator located at the centre of your base (assuming you do not get killed by their projectiles and overwhelming forces first!) but also making as good a spectacle as possible by killing only when within the range of the cameras that are situated on both sides of the base! Indeed, earning rewards in this game works a little differently compared to most as it will only count if you deal the final death blow whilst in view of a camera, as the rewards given by the spectators won't count if they can not see it or if it is too far out of sight, hence it being a balancing act by ensuring you kill the many monsters right as they are within range but also making sure that you don't put yourself in a bad situation where the forces are too overwhelming and topple both your base and it's defenses. Of course, the game does allow you to balance out the odds against the mutants by slowly building up your arsenal, starting with a pistol that then extends to an assault rifle, a flamethrower, a grenade launcher and finally a fully-fledged rocket launcher, each of them having two firing modes (one with left click and the alternative with right click) that are useful in their own ways that may prove better in certain waves than the next tier of weaponry, alongside many upgrades for walls to add defensive measures to such as turrets and traps among others that'll help aid you as the waves gradually become more tougher and dangerous to survive as bigger foes get thrown into the mix as the small monsters become more plentiful too! As far as what game modes are on offer here, Pixel Gladiator has two that you can dip your toes into, the first of which is Survival that is the classic 'go-to' for seeing just how far you can push your skills and knowledge of the game's mechanics to your limits before, inevitably, you succumb to the mutant monstrosities whilst the second consists of three Arenas that can be described less as typical 'challenges' of survival but more so formulating a specific strategy to deal with threats that are tough but each have a specific weakness to them that, with the right weapons, defenses and strategy, can be easily overcome! On that note, this game does have an impressive variety of monsters for you to face off against, some who purely focus on the generator whilst others aim just for you and make it as difficult as possible for you to eliminate the mutants who are intent on destroying your base as having your generator blown up is the same as you dying to the monsters, which is all the more tricky when you have a score of bosses that are faced against every 10 waves, as these are the mutants that will prove the most challenging to overcome for an unprepared player but also the most rewarding by means of dropping an 'equippable item' once slain that give your gladiator a permanent upgrade to his performance in one of several ways until he inevitably dies. Considering all of the action this game offers for those looking for a skill-based 2D shooter that focuses on survival first and foremost, I'd safely say that Pixel Gladiator does do a pretty good job at just that! Although I should note a couple of flaws with this game, mainly that (alongside the lack of arenas that function differently for encouraging different gameplay styles) it feels rather short as the three Arenas are fairly quick to clear if you have any reasonable skill with these sorts of games or can figure out the best approach to dealing with the monsters rather quickly as it's the Survival mode that is the main 'meat' for this game here, and even then I would argue it lacks depth in certain areas for longer-term gameplay that further optimizes strategy, a key example being the ability to upgrade your gun (be it by modifying it to outright increase stats or some other method of upgrading them) but others include the ability to improve your character through skills or 'profession paths' to enforce meaningful choice and other arenas that have their own defense upgrades to diversify gameplay even further! Otherwise, I would recommend getting this game when you can, seeing as it's a decent enough action shooter indie that does the job well enough and offers a respectable survival mode that, although lacking in some areas, still offers solid shooting gameplay that promotes good reflexes and quick thinking! TLDR Version: • A good 2D shooter set in the distant future within the premise of being a 'gladiator' facing off against mutants and other monstrosities for fame and money (+) • Pixel Gladiator offers two game modes, one serving as a traditional wave-based Survival mode and the other centering around three Arenas that test the player's ability to adapt to certain strategies to overcome the odds (+) • The game has decent pixel graphics where the player, monsters and environment are concerned however it excels in the projectiles of weapons and pure gory explosions wrecked upon the mutants (+) • A fair selection of weapons that have meaningful uses and multiple firing modes whilst also presenting a variety of upgrades to the base for more defensive purposes alongside equippable items dropped by bosses (+) • The content on offer for this game is unfortunately lacking and lacks depth for proper long-term gameplay for more skilled players (-) • Pixel Gladiator can be surprisingly challenging at times and may prove too much for those unfamiliar with the genre (-) • Not enough focus is put on different areas for surviving against the monsters almost all waves, even randomized, will end up going through the same strategy without vastly different arenas demanding different approaches to gameplay (-)

[quote][b]S U M M A R Y[/b][/quote] [u][b]Pixel Gladiator[/b][/u] is a side-scrolling, run and gun, tower defense game that also has some base-building elements to it, making for an odd combination which actually meshes together pretty well. That being said, I don't recommend the game at its base price because it isn't particularly well-designed, doesn't have much content at all, and feels more like it's in Early Access rather than being a full release. [hr][/hr] [quote][b]A C H I E V E M E N T S[/b][/quote] The game has 10 achievements which can all be acquired through normal gameplay; however, you could easily get all of them in less than one hour if you actively hunt for them. [hr][/hr] [quote][b]R E V I E W[/b][/quote] [h3]Gameplay[/h3] The game has two modes: Survival, which is an endless horde mode, and Arena, which has three levels with 10 waves and a boss each and is more akin to a "story" mode (albeit without a story). Both modes have you kill waves of enemies whose solitary goal is to destroy the reactor (or you in the case of flying enemies). These enemies drop money when killed, but only if you do so when they are within a certain radius of the cameras on the map so the viewers can see the kills. Although this interesting money mechanic is thematic to the premise of the game, it restricts the parts of the map that you can fight in, unless you want to sacrifice valuable money, which only serves to limit the gameplay in general. Moreover, in later waves (particularly in Survival), you eventually get inundated with so much money that it doesn't matter where you fight which invalidates the mechanic altogether. There are a number of weapons, companions, consumables, and even a mech that you can purchase, but many of these are not balanced well at all. You can also spend your money building a wall on each side of the reactor and upgrading them with more health, turrets, and even a moat of flames in front of them, which is where the base-building aspect comes in. Survival has random events and seemingly randomized enemies, both of which have a surprising amount of variety to them, and there's even a small pool of passive upgrades that are dropped after unique but rare waves. In contrast, the three Arena levels have none of this and restrict what you can purchase and build near your reactor which seems like it could have made for an interesting story mode if it was expanded on further. Between all of this, I feel as if the game has the potential to be so much more but just wasn't harnessed at all. [h3]Graphics[/h3] The graphics use nicely-drawn pixel art but they aren't animated very well. Some of the animations look like they're missing a frame or two which ends up making them look choppy when in motion. That being said, the graphics are simple and are good enough. [h3]Sound[/h3] The music is composed of five synthwave songs which aren't terrible but aren't memorable either. Some of the sound effects can be quite loud so I recommend turning their volume down. [h3]Story[/h3] The story is non-existent while the premise of the game is not explained in the game itself and can only be found in the developer's description on the store page. I think this is quite lazy and developers should at least put this description on a screen or two prior to the title screen. That being said, the premise is quite neat as you play a gladiator on a TV show that is broadcast across the universe (although this makes me wonder why you have a base to defend since the game could've been a lot more engaging if you didn't have to protect it). The trailer video shows a crowd cheering for you whenever you get a kill but this doesn't seem to be in the game which is unfortunate because it would have added a nice touch if it was implemented properly. [h3]Miscellaneous[/h3] You can't re-bind your controls which I think is a transgression in this day and age, especially since the jump command is bound to the "Up" button. [h3]Conclusion[/h3] Overall, I don't think that the core of the game is designed very well and the game would've been better if it were either a run and gun platformer with individual levels or had a much bigger focus on the base-building aspect. As it currently stands, it feels like a low-effort or Early Access game with a lot of unrealized potential that isn't worth its base price. But if you are still keen on getting this game then get it when it regularly goes on sale for [u][url=https://steamdb.info/app/542400/]90% off at 0.49 USD[/url][/u].