Pixel Noir

the game keeps you wanting more the devs are FUN if you find a bug theyll kill it fast

There is a lot of things I like about this game and again I wish there was a neutral rating to give, but I will be settling for a positive one instead, but only by the smallest of margins. The game has great visuals, fun story, interesting characters and exciting battles as some examples of what is good about this game. However, at the end of the game, the very last chapter, I came across a huge, and I mean HUGE amount of bugs. Some so big, they made the game almost unplayable for me. As the game is right now, I cannot fully recommend it. Whoever you are, reading this short little review, wait a year after this was posted and then check the game out, hopefully your experience will be much more enjoyable than mine. If there were no bugs in this game it would've been a solid 7,5/10, with the bugs however, it goes down to 5,5/10. Hope the devs finish polishing this diamond in the rough.

Only at the beginning, but the game is really promising. It has a nice retro-game vibe to it, a really interesting story till now (though a bit classic) and the different systems are all interesting in their own way. I recommend this one :)

Really like the concept of the game, I love the thematic use of the noir detective stuff within the game and I really like the story. Sadly when you're playing a game the gameplay needs it to be good for the experience to be enjoyable. It takes too long to get interesting, the beginning is a bit slow and uninteresting because of lack of ability and the later game is boring because you're doing the exact same thing over and over and leveling up doesn't feel like it does anything as the enemies are just meat shields which just get better health and defence each chapter. The abilities are helpful but only if you have enough items to regen the PP of this game or you're okay with constantly running back to a healing area. The issue is that if you have the regen items you're not going to be having fun as the only good weapons are bought, the upgrading system is super cool as well which is a shame because the weapons are simply "this one has better base stats than that one". Also the amount of glitches is insane and either ruin the experience whilst playing or make it so you can't get past a cutscene because a party member won't load into the area they're needed to be in, such a shame

This game has been on my radar for over a decade, back when the original Kickstarter campaign launched. Around that time I was playing old RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Parasite Eve for the first time - which is extremely apt considering the fact that playing Pixel Noir today makes me want to replay Chrono Trigger and Parasite Eve! Let's get into the review: I just beat Pixel Noir with nearly 23 hours clocked on my save file. I scoured every nook and cranny of Pinnacle City for hidden items, made an effort to complete every side-quest, and grinded for cash (and EXP) whenever a shiny piece of gear caught my eye at a new shop or black market vendor. If you beeline your way through the main storyline, you could probably beat this game much faster. Hopefully, you'll become invested in Pinnacle City enough to want to talk to every NPC you come across and dip into every alleyway you pass just to see what awaits you. I enjoyed every minute of my time with this game and I'm eagerly looking forward to a New Game+ playthrough after posting this review! [ Graphics, & Music ] The pixel art in Pixel Noir is beautiful, from the characters to the environments. Player characters, NPCs, and enemies are well-animated and pretty to look at. Environments feature realistic lighting and there's so much attention to detail in every room's furnishings. Empty cans roll along the street, cars drive past you, and NPCs have a variety of behaviors. All of this makes Pinnacle City feel like a real city that's lived in. The game's music is delightfully nostalgic and immediately impressed me with the title theme and the music used during the prologue chapters. Many of the game's songs grew on me over time and each track captures the nature of each city district well: in the later stages of the game you can tell where you are just by listening to the music. While Pixel Noir doesn't really have a battle theme, each zone has a "battle version" of its normal tune that's more intense and energetic (if you've played Astral Chain, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about). [ Writing & Worldbuilding ] Pixel Noir's writing was the best part of the game for me. The cast of characters is excellent and each character's writing is consistent. The Detective actually does things that you would expect a real detective to do. The prologue chapters do a great job with establishing your protagonist's backstory and introducing your starting party. The plot itself is interesting enough to keep you invested and feels right for a detective noir story. The best (or worst) part of any RPG is the NPC dialogue, and this is where Pixel Noir shines. NPC lines are worldbuilding flavor text at worst, and interesting or humorous at best. I don't remember the last time I played an RPG where the NPCs were so interesting to talk to that I made an effort to speak to everyone throughout the entire game. While the grand majority of RPGs out there will have NPCs say 1 or 2 lines of dialogue to you with zero input from your character, the Detective in Pixel Noir will engage in a short 3-5 line conversation on occasion. This serves to flesh out the Detective as a character while keeping him from feeling like an aloof wanderer with social anxiety: he's an alert participant in this world and will absolutely speak up if somebody says something bizarre. Combined with the detailed artwork in Pixel Noir, the NPC dialogue makes Pinnacle City feel truly alive. There's also choices to be made in Pixel Noir. Sometimes your choices matter, sometimes they don't. Not knowing whether or not you're making a critical or meaningless decision is important, because the possibility that your choice *could* have consequences gives it an uncertain weight. In a roleplaying sense, you're shaping who you want the Detective to be through these decisions regardless of their impact on the world. [ Gameplay: Exploration, Growth & Combat ] Exploring Pinnacle City is a good time. There's all sorts of goodies to find in the bowels of the city, plenty of NPCs to talk to, a good amount of side quests to discover, and many bad guys to fight. Shops are all over the place and if you pass by a building with its lights on, you can probably go in and buy something. There's a handy map of the city that has points of interest and alleyways marked to make navigation easy. It shows you where you are and will point you in the direction of most quests (granted that the destination is known to the detective). Character growth feels good. Starting out as a lone detective fighting street punks 1-on-1 feels as dangerous as it sounds. Leveling up feels good and the EXP curve feels right. Making money isn't too difficult and only requires a bit of grinding and/or side-questing to get that item you want to buy. There's treasure all over the place with plenty of consumables and gear upgrades to find. Customizing guns and melee weapons is fun. By the end of the game, my detective became the fastest member of my party who could take out a small group of thugs alone. Basically, it's what I would expect from an old RPG: you're super weak in the beginning, but you can put in the time and effort to become godlike by the end of the game. The only aspect of character growth that I didn't like is using Skill Points: some skills feel reasonable to upgrade, while others give you mediocre damage increases and make your skills cost too much in addition to adding more inputs (I wish I could de-level my Suplex!) Combat is fun but flawed. I like that the timed hit mechanic and various inputs for skills force me to pay attention to what I'm doing. Unfortunately, I think that the ATB system makes combat feel a bit too frantic since I'm used to characters performing their actions one-by-one instead of all at once. Skill balance feels a bit all over the place though, with some skills feeling overtuned, some in the right place, and some feel too weak to use. I like that there are no random encounters and enemies appear on the field, and you get used to enemies jumping out of alleyways: so you know where to pick fights or avoid them. If your level is high enough, enemies in low-level areas will run away from you and you can insta-kill them. There are enough good aspects to combat that it kept me engaged throughout my playthrough, but this area of the game could definitely use some improvement and polish. TL;DR: Pixel Noir is a flawed masterpiece that deserves more attention. If the past year of updates are any indication, the developers are dedicated to improving this game until it's the best it can be and I'm looking forward to seeing this game become either a cult classic or an indie hit.

Juxtaposed with Shadowrun(original) this is better. I felt more involved in the story. Story involvement requires the basics FYI; music, ambience, script, and scenes. The action is slow. One gamebreaker that got patched regarding entering and exiting locations to fast. Small, affordable, and clever game. (Lovecraft-esque)

Pixel Noir is a neat game but definitely one that'll chew you up if you're unfamiliar with this type of game. It doesn't hold your hand and whilst that itself is not bad, it does become a negative when camera bug causes issues with combat and random street battles become a tedious event that just forces you to waste time or valuable resources you were saving for a much harder fight later on. I won't lie, i don't think i'm going to beat this game. The focus on min maxing your resources, ability points and cash is stressful, and it's a stress that's not made any better by the game's choice to continuously throw enemies during open world segment, these guys are relentless with how fast and far they will chase you. Just when i began to get the hang of it all and could effectively manage my party and the combat scenarios, the game decides to bug out on me and my camera stays behind far from everyone in combat. The camera focuses mostly on you during combat, this essentially means that not being able to see most of the enemy i'm fighting at that moment, meant that i couldn't accurately time the combat QTE. The QTE is another thing, it is fun and interesting but that only last for like 1-2 hours before it gets boring. It becomes very tedious to time *EVERYTHING* in combat. I get the reasoning for it, i just think it's not something that is fun to do for hours on end. Overall, i don't think Pixel Noir is a *bad* game, but its definitely one with some flaws that when combined with annoying bugs can make for a non fun experience. I'd say watch some gameplay videos first and maybe give it a try for 1-1.30 hours before the refund block kicks in and you can't back out. For that reason, I'm out.

Pixel Noir is a narrative-driven detective role-playing game created and published by SWDTech Games. The game blends elements of classic Japanese-style RPG design with the atmosphere of crime noir fiction, creating an experience that mixes investigation, turn-based combat, and character progression within a dark urban setting. With its retro pixel art presentation and heavy emphasis on storytelling, the title attempts to combine the nostalgia of old-school RPG mechanics with the mood and narrative style of detective thrillers. The result is a game that feels both familiar and unusual, balancing traditional RPG gameplay with a mystery-focused storyline. The story unfolds in Pinnacle City, a sprawling metropolis filled with corruption, gang warfare, and hidden dangers lurking behind the neon lights. The protagonist is a former police detective whose life was shattered after a traumatic incident that left his partner dead and his own reputation destroyed. After spending years in prison under suspicious circumstances, he returns to the city as a private investigator trying to rebuild his life. However, the city he once served has changed dramatically. Criminal organizations have expanded their influence, the police force is riddled with corruption, and strange supernatural occurrences begin to appear beneath the surface of everyday crime. As the detective begins taking cases, he slowly uncovers clues that hint at a larger conspiracy threatening the entire city. Gameplay alternates between investigative exploration and turn-based combat. When exploring the streets of Pinnacle City, players gather information by speaking with residents, interrogating suspects, and examining crime scenes for evidence. The city is divided into multiple districts, each with its own unique atmosphere and collection of characters. Side quests and optional investigations provide additional context for the world, revealing the struggles of citizens living in a place where crime and power often go hand in hand. These investigative segments encourage players to explore thoroughly, as hidden clues and optional dialogue often expand the narrative and provide insight into the deeper mysteries of the city. Combat occurs when the detective and his allies confront criminals, corrupt officials, and supernatural threats. Battles follow a classic turn-based RPG format where players select attacks and abilities from a menu while managing the strengths and weaknesses of their party members. What distinguishes the system is the inclusion of timing mechanics that allow players to strengthen attacks or reduce incoming damage by pressing buttons at the right moment. This interactive element keeps battles engaging, requiring attention and reflexes rather than simply selecting commands and waiting for results. As the story progresses, additional party members join the investigation. Each character brings unique abilities, personalities, and combat styles that influence how battles unfold. Some specialize in heavy attacks, while others focus on support abilities or defensive tactics. Characters gain experience points through combat and completed missions, allowing players to unlock new skills and improve attributes over time. Equipment upgrades and ability customization further deepen the progression system, encouraging players to experiment with different party combinations and strategies. The world of Pixel Noir is one of the game’s most compelling features. Pinnacle City is portrayed as a gritty, morally ambiguous environment where nearly every character has their own secrets and motivations. The narrative draws heavily from classic noir storytelling, emphasizing themes of betrayal, redemption, and the blurred line between justice and revenge. Dialogue often carries a cynical tone that reflects the detective’s hardened outlook on life, while the cases he investigates reveal the darker side of human nature. Visually, the game uses detailed pixel art to bring this world to life. The city is depicted through carefully crafted environments such as rain-soaked alleyways, dimly lit bars, abandoned warehouses, and bustling city streets. Lighting effects and color palettes help establish a moody atmosphere that fits the noir aesthetic. Although the visuals are intentionally retro, they remain expressive and rich with detail, giving the environments personality and depth while maintaining the nostalgic charm associated with classic RPGs. The soundtrack complements the setting with music influenced by jazz and atmospheric noir compositions. Soft piano melodies and moody instrumental tracks accompany exploration sequences, reinforcing the feeling of wandering through a dangerous city after dark. During combat encounters, the music shifts to more energetic rhythms that reflect the tension of battle. These audio elements contribute significantly to the game’s immersive tone, making the city feel alive even when the player is simply walking through its streets. Despite its strong atmosphere and intriguing premise, the game does have a few shortcomings. The pacing of the narrative can feel uneven at times, with certain sections of the story progressing slowly before suddenly introducing major revelations. Combat, while enjoyable, may begin to feel repetitive during extended play sessions, particularly when facing similar enemy types across multiple encounters. Technical issues have also been reported by some players, occasionally interrupting the flow of the experience. Nevertheless, Pixel Noir remains an ambitious indie RPG that stands out because of its unique combination of detective storytelling and classic RPG mechanics. Few games attempt to merge the investigative elements of crime fiction with traditional turn-based combat, and the result feels refreshingly different from many standard role-playing adventures. The game’s focus on narrative depth, character development, and atmosphere helps it maintain a strong identity despite its imperfections. Overall, Pixel Noir offers a memorable journey through a crime-ridden city where every clue leads to deeper mysteries. Its blend of noir narrative, retro aesthetics, and RPG progression systems creates an experience that appeals both to fans of detective stories and players who enjoy classic role-playing games. While it may not achieve the polish of larger RPG productions, it succeeds in delivering a distinctive and atmospheric adventure that leaves a lasting impression. Rating: 8/10

Frustratingly buggy at times but really good. Story didn't go where I expected and perhaps in true noir fashion there were threads left open, but characterization and worldbuilding were good and cool. Great if you like this sort of game.

I really wanted to enjoy the game, but it is a buggy mess. Lots of ladder issues, clipping issues and characters getting stuck. I tried to stick with it, but in what I believe to be the final chapter, every cutscene is leading to a black screen crash. So I will probably never get to see the ending/s. I wouldn't recommend unless on a heavy discount and you can put up with loading it back up several times after continuous crashes.