Pixelot

[h1]The Premise[/h1] [h3]This review contains no spoilers.[/h3] [b]Pixelot[/b] is a top-down, turn-based RPG set in a fantasy world. Players impersonate a mysterious hero, awakened from a timeless slumber, and tasked with stopping the resurrection of evil which looms all over the land. Initially alone, but soon surrounded by valiant companions from all paths of life, players will have to overcome armies, dungeons and enigmas in order to find the six Crystals of legend. [h1]Quick Sum-Up[/h1] [table] [tr] [th]🟩 [b]The Pros[/b][/th] [th]🟥 [b]The Cons[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] 1. Excellent roster of companion classes and enemy types. 2. Good overall gameplay variety. 3. Rather simplistic but well-designed combat system. 4. Remarkable content amount for the proposed price. [/td] [td] 1. Balance issues in late-game with specific companions. 2. Some quality of life features are missing. 3. Dated graphics for a 2021 release, even for an Indie. [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [th]🟨 [b]Bugs & Other Issues[/b][/th] [th]🔧 [b]PC Specs[/b][/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] - Rare crashes during combat, if specific companions are used. [/td] [td] - Ryzen 3900X - RTX 2080Ti - 32GB RAM - NvME SSD - 1440p Display [/td] [/tr] [/table] https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442361332 [h1]In-Depth Analysis[/h1] [h3]Pros[/h3] [b]1.[/b] The variety of usable classes, and subsequently party combinations, that one can have in Pixelot is truly excellent. Most companions acquired throughout the adventure will have their own skill roster, with unique effects, rules and even mechanics sometimes. They also come equipped with unique gear, which can however be used on any other character, further widening the build possibilities. [b]2.[/b] Exploration, puzzle-solving, quests and combat blend together with the right pacing, in a consistent manner. Action intensive sections will often be separated by dialogues, exploration-oriented segments or other diversions, in order to not make the gameplay loop become too stale. [b]3.[/b] Pixelot's combat proposes a turn-based system that is more simplistic, if compared to most other titles of this genre. However, it's well executed and has enough variety and strategic depth to result interesting. Its best highlight consists in adapting one's party composition to face diverse enemies or bosses, which sometimes require specific elements or skill-sets to overcome. [b]4.[/b] The price-to-content ratio is very good. It took me 25 hours to complete the adventure while fulfilling most secondary quests or activities. Even then, there is a good chunk of post-endgame content for some more hours of fun. The budget price of 12,50€ is quite a bargain for this much content, reasonably good quality too. [h3]Cons[/h3] [b]1.[/b] [b]Note: Scaling was fixed in a later update. Some balance issues remain.[/b] Certain companions acquired later on, due to scaling unbalance, end up being seriously overpowered. For instance, my best character until then had less than 1000 Power (attack value), one of these newly acquired ones had a staggering 3000+, which resulted in tremendous damage. Just an example, there are diverse similar cases. As consequence, late-game balance is disrupted. [b]2.[/b] Some features expected from the genre are missing. For instance, fights lack a turn order interface that tells in which order enemies and allies will act, which is a staple of turn-based RPGs in general. Shops don't have bulk-buy options, making large quantity purchase a click-fest. Sorting of equipment and characters in the team feels also clunky and disorganized, without sorting options. [b]3.[/b] As it's self-evident, the graphics of this game do not belong to this generation in the least. The level of detail, effects and general complexity would have been barely sufficient twenty years ago for a GameBoy Advance title... nowadays, it just proves ancient. Even for a low-budget indie, the level is just abysmal in this department. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442361610 [h1]Gameplay Breakdown[/h1] [b]Exploration[/b] Is performed in real-time, with a top-down view. The world is divided in square shaped areas across five large maps, that comprise cities, dungeons and also filler spaces in-between. Once a significant location is discovered, fast-travel becomes available to and from it, at any time out of a dungeon, while in the open. Each area has a main course, plus various secondary areas, generally small in size, often used to hide reward chests that may contain useful items, cash or quest-related stuff. While exploring, random enemy encounters and also fixed ones may happen in most maps. [b]Combat[/b] Plays out in a turn-based fashion, where the Speed (SPD) stat is used to determine turn order. Each combatant has its own turn order, based on that stat, and some enemies may be fast enough, to attack multiple times in a row. Both allies and foes possess a roster of abilities that doesn't cost anything to use, however most of them have a cooldown period. Higher tier abilities are unlocked with level progression, some of them can only be used under specific conditions (like statuses) or after using lesser ones in a specific sequence (Ability Combo). After each fight, the party is completely healed and resuscitated if need be, its components can be switched at any time one sees fit out of combat. In case of total defeat, checkpoints are saved before and after every battle. Certain bosses or special enemy parties will require specific compositions and tactics, such as focusing on a specific element or type of attack to succeed an otherwise impossible fight. This is particularly true with some bosses, and level / equip grinding will never be as important as actually good composition. [b]Party Managemment[/b] Is done with a specific menu, where players can customize the individual equipment of each companion, upgrade it with Smithing materials if possible, and also assign the four main party members that will enter the battlefield when a fight starts. This menu is not particularly handy or well organized, as it lacks any type of fine sorting, and becomes a fidgety affair when dozens of heroes, weapons and trinkets accumulate over time. [b]Quests[/b] Are generally acquired from NPCs found in cities. Most of them are stand-alone fetch quests that require defeating specific enemies a number of times, or finding a special item. Some others, more rare, are chain-quests that will involve multiple NPCs over a long period of time. All quests have worthy rewards such as unique weapons, trinkets or large sums of money, so they're definitely worth doing. The main quest also will reward passive Crystals that confer strong bonuses to the entire party. [b]Puzzles[/b] Are rather uncommon, some repeat throughout the adventure while others are unique. Generally, they're about finding the correct layout of some mechanisms, or deduct the right movement order to overcome an environmental obstacle. Despite promising "complex puzzles" in its trailer, none of them proves very challenging, but instead rather basic. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2442360713 [h1]The Judgment: Good[/h1] [url=https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1989090445]Complete Ratings List here[/url] [i]It took me around 25 hours to complete Pixelot, while taking time to finish all side-activities I could find. For the proposed price of 12,50€, no replay value but definitely good quality, I can recommend buying for full price.[/i] [quote]Follow our Curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/27077521]Turn Based Tactics (TBT)[/url] to see more quality reviews.[/quote]

[h1]A nostalgic romp and homage to classic fantasy RPGs, [i]Pixelot[/i] stays shallow instead of diving deeper.[/h1] The iconic and influential [i]Final Fantasy VII[/i] was probably the first RPG I played, and the rich story and irresistible characters indelibly cemented the genre’s place in my heart. Even the music has had a profound lifelong impact on my tastes. [i]Pixelot[/i] is definitely a love letter to classic RPG fantasy video games, and in many ways it succeeds in capturing their charms. However, when it comes to the true hallmark of those games, the story and characters, [i]Pixelot[/i] falls short. It’s a pleasant experience, but I don’t think it will prove to be a very memorable one. [h1]Game Universe[/h1] Compared to the classic RPGs [i]Pixelot[/i] is emulating, its universe is probably the game’s weakest area. The story hits many of the plot beats one might expect in a classic fantasy RPG storyline (e.g., elemental crystals, Dark Lord), but it feels derivative, milquetoast, and generic since it doesn’t really have anything that makes its own stamp on the genre. The game suffers from an overabundance of recruitable characters. For example, at an estimated two-thirds of the way through the game, I have 25 characters. Characters that are required to be picked up as part of the storyline tend to get a little more development in terms of backstory, personality, and dialogue, but optional recruitable characters don’t seem to have any story dialogue or development beyond their recruitment. In my personal opinion, the punny dialogue is one of the universe’s stronger aspects, but for those who hate that style of humor this may not be their cup of tea. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2473868342 [h1]Gameplay and Mechanics[/h1] [i]Pixelot[/i]’s gameplay experience emulates classic fantasy RPGs while fixing many of the issues that were prevalent in those games. For example, the game auto-saves, preventing the player from losing progress, and all characters are restored to full health in between battles, so there is no need to stress over this. The player has 6 classes to choose from during initial character creation, although the player also recruits possible party members in those classes throughout the game. Besides choosing a class, there are also some character appearance customization options beyond what was available in most classic RPGs (e.g. skin tone). However, other than these initial choices, the initial character remains mostly a blank slate who isn’t required to be in the party and doesn’t seem to have any significant backstory or character development. Unfortunately, part of the feel that [i]Pixelot[/i] emulates well from classic turn-based RPGs is the repetitiveness that can sometimes occur during battles. The fact that the characters automatically gain new abilities and level up without player involvement in tailoring character builds in any way contributes to this feel of repetitiveness because there’s no sense of player investment in trying out new abilities as characters level up. Combat is a combination of random encounters and enemies the player can see coming on the map. The party size is 4 characters, and those characters can be switched at any time outside of combat. However, which characters are in the party has no influence on dialogue, as some characters tend to have something to say before boss battles regardless of being in your party or not. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2473870843 The ability to switch party members whenever can be both a pro and a con. On the pro side, it means the player doesn’t have to worry about backtracking very much if different characters would be better suited to the combat at hand. On the con side, this limits the need to strategize as much and also contributes to the gameplay experience feeling bland since choices don’t change the dialogue or puzzle solutions at all. Every single character recruited has a different class, with the exception of whichever character class was selected during the initial character creation process. For example, with 25 characters at 18 hours of playtime, I have 24 different character classes to choose from when putting together a party. There also seems to be no limit to the amount of equipment and items a player can have in their inventory (as of level 70), and each piece of equipment can be upgraded in the Smith section at any time as long as one has the needed raw materials (e.g., wood). While not having to worry about inventory capacity can be a positive, in [i]Pixelot’s[/i] case it progressively becomes more of an issue as the game proceeds due to the unwieldy menu interface. Ever-growing options of characters, equipment, and items coupled with no meaningful way to sort or view certain details at a glance makes decisions increasingly overwhelming. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2473889940 [h1]Art Style and Graphics[/h1] As is implied by the game’s title, the art style and graphics are retro pixel. While this successfully gives [i]Pixelot[/i] the surface aesthetics of ‘90s games, it ends up feeling more imitative of the style rather than evocative of the game universe’s sense of place, hindering the game’s immersiveness. After all, the pixelation of early video games was due to the limitations of technology at the time. Developers innovated within those constraints, and the graphics produced often represented the pinnacle of what was then possible. Today, retro pixel is an artistic choice and statement that can fail to make an impression if the artist doesn’t imbue something of their own into it. [h1]Sound and Music[/h1] As a retro style game, [i]Pixelot[/i] doesn’t have any voice acting. The music for the game is enjoyable but isn’t going to have most listeners seeking the tunes outside the game. This is one area where I would say the game isn’t particularly aiming to emulate classic RPGs like [i]Final Fantasy[/i] which are renowned for their soundtracks. There are even a couple of places where the music doesn’t really fit the mood of the scene. For example, the music playing during the haunted library made me think of a beach. The sound effects tend to be fitting but unremarkable. [h1]Achievements[/h1] [i]Pixelot[/i] has 46 achievements, the majority of which seem to be ones that the player will automatically achieve in the course of a playthrough, although there are a few that seem like they have the potential to be missable. During my playthrough I discovered that some of the achievements were bugged. The developer was notified and released patches to address all of the bugged achievements I had found, but as of the time of review I haven’t completed my initial playthrough, so there may be further bugged achievements. [h1]Performance[/h1] In addition to the bugged achievements mentioned above, there is at least one sidequest that was bugged for me. According to the Discussions for the game, this particular sidequest (involving Romo, Julie, and flowers) seems to work for some players but not others (like myself). As of the time of this review, the developer is still actively working on debugging (most recent patch/update was released April 26, 2021). None of the bugs that I have encountered so far were game breaking. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2473909928 [h1]Verdict[/h1] At $14.99 at the time of review and an estimated 25 hours of playtime on an initial playthrough, [i]Pixelot[/i] has ample content and sentimental charms for players desiring a nostalgic trip down memory lane. However, players who consider strong, highly developed storytelling and narrative to be essential elements of RPGs may find this game lacking. [quote]Visit SaveOrQuit.com for detailed game reviews, posted daily![/quote]

It's hard to recommend this game. There are so many things that I didn't like. - Practically non-existent story apart from saving the world and slaying the next random enemy. Side quests aren't better; they're mostly composed of "fetch" and "kill x monsters" quests. - Embarrassing script that ranges from annoying (forced puns) to cringeworthy (party members using terms like "bro", "dude" or "chill" - I'm not sure if only Garrett was to blame, but that doesn't matter in the end). - Too many party members, most of them are empty husks that don't contribute anything to the story, and many of them are relatively useless in combat. - Most battles are a slog when the player doesn't overlevel the party and doesn't constantly switch those party members in that have the best multi-target elemental skills needed for the enemies currently fought. But of course, you can't simply spam these skills, since all skills have cooldowns (instead of an MP system), and some enemies like these aggravating mimics just disable all party members' skills apart from the most basic attack. - Speaking of slog: no auto-run! You need to hold the Space key in order to run. Another method is to run to an NPC and talk to him/her while holding the Space key, which enables auto-run, but only until the next interaction or battle. - I didn't discover a comfortable way to play the game with only keyboard or only mouse, so I had to use both, constantly switching between them. Imagine someone searching for online p*rn who needs one hand on the keyboard and one hand on the mouse, while one of these hands would be needed elsewhere. Controls are clunky in general. You can only face or walk in one direction at a time. Thus, my preferred JRPG exploration walking style (hugging the walls - checking for secret passages - while still moving forward) was banned from the dance floor. - Boring equipment upgrade system where the results aren't worth the efforts. Enemies mostly drop useless stuff, and the player gets exactly one drop per battle, regardless of the (number of) enemies fought. I've never seen such a stupid drop mechanic in a JRPG before. - Item management is super tedious, not just because items have to be bought and sold one copy at a time. Since items are displayed only by icons in the item section inside the menu, it's quicker to check for new items by checking the party members' equipment section. That is when you know what you're looking for, which might not be the case, because item drops use abbreviated terms on the battle victory screen. You might find the "Sea B." helmet dropped by an enemy somewhere in your inventory, or you might not. Also, there doesn't seem to be a way to toggle between party members, which means have fun checking each party member manually. - Dungeon design and mapping are serviceable in the game's best moments, some locations/treasures are even relatively well hidden (e.g. The Secret Sands), but otherwise everything is bland and uninspired, and many dungeons defy common sense and only exist for the player's sake (like that one convoluted town library), which is a prime example of bad world-building. Some puzzles like ice-sliding are implemented, but veteran players have seen better versions of them in dozens of games. And unfortunately, random encounters aren't disabled during all puzzle segments. - While there doesn't seem to be any permanently missable content (quests, items) per se, in at least one instance the player has to obtain all treasures during the first visit of a location (like in the magma dungeon), because "pathfinding" mechanics aren't reset upon the dungeon's completion, thus cutting off access to most of the dungeon upon a second visit. - There isn't any opportunity to manually save the game, so the player has to rely on the auto-save and hope that nothing goes wrong (at least I didn't encounter any game-breaking bugs that would have rendered my save file useless). Why the h*ll? This is a single player offline JRPG, for Final Fantasy's sake! Not only was I constantly afraid of losing my progress, I didn't dare to try anything "funny", since the discovery of any bug could have made me end up with an unusable save file. - The developer is mostly unresponsive on Steam and doesn't even fix simple bugs. Especially frustrating are the broken achievements. As of writing this review, one Steam achievement ("Promote 10 units") simply didn't trigger for me (even though the corresponding in-game achievement triggered), and one Steam achievement ("Defender"), which requires to use the skill "Protect" to protect allies in battle, can't be obtained, because the corresponding in-game achievement doesn't register protecting allies in battle. If you can look past all these issues, at least the game features a decent amount of content, but like Spock used to say: The need for many hours of mediocre entertainment doesn't necessarily outweigh the need for a few hours of quality entertainment. I'm sure he should have said that in "Star Trek: Discovery". "Pixelot" is essentially to "Dragon Quest" what "Star Trek: Discovery" is to, well, all of Star Trek: A flawed reimagination of a classic that will leave old and new fans alike baffled and angry (except for some positive reviewers that are now friends with the developer on Steam).

[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] [i]Pixelot[/i] is a casual RPG with turn-based battles, by the name of the game alone, you can imagine that the graphics are all in pixel art. The story is pretty simple and straight forward: Pixelot is in danger and the dark lord rules. You need to obtain the 6 elemental stones in order to defeat the darkness. The game is pretty fun and does not involve grinding, which is nice. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] You will begin the game with character creation, choosing from 6 classes. You have a party of 4 active in the field for any fight. You can have more team members in total, but only 4 active at a time. The combat is turn-based, and aside from the visible enemies that you see on screen, there will also be some random encounters. I would prefer if there's an option to turn off random encounters. There will be many weapons and armour to be found and you can also get materials to upgrade items. During the battle you have different options each turn, such as using different attacks, casting magic spells, or using items. If you do not do well in battle, you can escape by losing some gold. The battles are not tough overall, so the game is set up more casually. After winning a battle, you will gain experience and level up, etc. You will also fully heal after each battle. As expected even from a simplified RPG game, you will enter some towns to spend your money, or do some quests for random NPCs when not engaged in combat. [h1]Graphics[/h1] The graphics are in pixel art, and is quite nice to see. [h1]Music & Sounds[/h1] The music is very well done and pleasant to listen to. [h1]Controls[/h1] The game can only be played with a mouse and keyboard at the moment of the review. The developer is working on a patch to add controller support going forward. This type of game is one I would prefer to play with a controller. [h1]Gameplay Video[/h1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Hei-cmXuWA&t [h1]Pricing[/h1] The full price is €12.49/$14.99 which is a little bit steep. There is a nice launch sale of 30% off, so now is a good time to get it if you are interested. [h1]Verdict[/h1] [i]Pixelot[/i] is a fun and still casual RPG that keeps moving along. The fights are not very tough so you will progress through fairly easily. It kept me interested because everything kept progressing. The levels are not too long and you should be able to get through the boss fights without grinding. Overall it's definitely a nice game. I would recommend it to players who want to have a casual RPG experience with turn-based combat. I would rate it 7/10. [quote]I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.[/quote]

Pixel turn based RPG + combat system + 30+ recruitable characters = Adventure in this old school style RPG with simple but progressive gameplay. Collect loot, level up, upgrade EQ and more. [h1][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35180752-3-point-play/] Follow our curator for similar games [/url][/h1]

Ok finally it is on steam. I have played and followed Pixelot for years. I am currenting doing a lets play on my channel and I am having a blast. I love retro rpg and pixel graphics. This itches both perfectly. I would take this in my top 10 games of all time for sure. The graphics and jrpg gameplay, turn based battles, aoe attacks and best of all amazing character selection. The one thing I wish I could change was to have had 6 party members instead of 4 and just adjust the difficulty but that is only because I love so many classes. I cannot recommend this game enough I own it on iOS and bought it the day it released. If you like old school/retro jrpg games with massive depth and character choices you will soon join the molten core of the amazing Pixelot.

My son is having a blast! The story is simple and doesn't get in the way of the light exploration and puzzles coupled with a static turn-based combat system emphasising combo skills and elemental attacks. Add in cute 8bit visuals and an engaging soundtrack for a great casual RPG. Gear management and crafting are both easy to understand and use. Only negatives are (being picky here): -"Save and exit" option, right now the game auto-saves and you have to alt+tab to shut the game down. - Full keyboard control and/or full mouse control would be handy for azerty users and anyone suffering accessibility issues. - a few too many forced fights against "trash mobs"

A very casual RPG, but not bad. If you are looking for a basic story, cute art style, little quips here and there, a MASSIVE cast of playable characters and a simple yet fun combat system I definitely recommend it! For such a small team, there is quite a bit of content too!

I can't recommend this game at its current state for its current price. There are quite a few bugs including one that deleted one of my best items (prisma cloak) grinding for the late game is difficult and annoying, and the controller controls are buggy. That being said, if/when this game either goes on sale or gets updated, buy it!

I’ve been playing this game for 3 years of development, breaks, and updates. This is hands down one of my favorite experiences I’ve ever had with an indie game. I’ve chatted with the creator throughout all of it, and we’ve both seen and heard of the changes we’ve had in our life throughout that time. A fun game from a great creator, full of colorful characters with different abilities, and tons of different tactics to be able to play through this game multiple times with different strategies.