Pyre

Pyre is a game i didn't think much of when i first bought it, but the moment i stepped foot into the game's world i knew i was in for something special. And i had that confirmed when i realised that Supergiant developed this game. They managed to weave the seemingly impossible and combine two genres i'm usually not a fan of (visual novels and sports like games) and create one of the most unique, finely crafted, GORGEOUS and fun experiences i've had in a long time. I love so many ranges of indie games but this has become easily one of my top 5 favorite games of all time. The story and characters i adore, the soundtrack is INCREDIBLE (and Darren Korb has the voice of an angel), this is one of the most jaw droppingly beautiful games i've ever seen. There is truly so so much i could go on about but i'll save the gushing and just say please try this game out. Especially for the price. It's a crying shame that this game got so little attention compared to their other work. And i will continue to sing this game's praises for as long as i can (along with their other works) and i will continue to support them in any way i can. This game is not for everyone in terms of gameplay but that's ok, i'm happy as long as more people get to try an absolutely incredible experience. And if anyone at Supergiant reads this, thank you for your work. Your art and music is always something i and many more eagerly look forward to. You've been an artistic inspiration for so many people and your passion for what you do is so inspiring to all, As an aspiring game dev, artist and hopefully someday composer, there's so much i can learn from you. This may be just gushing but that's because i have nothing but positive things to say and this game along with Hades have become so special to me. TLDR: Please try this game out, it knocks it out of the park on so many fronts and it's very affordable. And if you haven't yet, please do try out Super Giants other works and support them. I cannot recommend it enough.

Майже текстова RPG/візуальна новела, де замість боїв ми "б'ємося" проти інших команд в оригінальній, умовно спортивній бойовій механіці. Сюжет цікавий, персонажі - класні, графіка - мила. Але чомусь не відчувається зв’язку з ігровим світом, де на першому місці стоїть змагання за м’яч. При цьому сама механіка змагань зроблена дуже добре - відчувається почерк досвідченого ігрового дизайнера. Просто вона виглядає і сприймається чужорідною в цьому світі. Не виникає бажання покращувати свої ігрові навички, розбираючись у цій грі. Тому, хоч і було цікаво дізнатися, що буде далі з персонажами, я вирішив кинути гру. Були б це покрокові бої, із задоволенням пройшов би до кінця. Але якщо ви думаєте, що ігрова механіка бойового матчу вас не відштовхне, то це доволі мила й приємна візуальна новела, в якій ваші рішення, поразки та перемоги формують фінал історії.

At the time of posting this I haven't played Hades 2, but of the rest of them, THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SUPERGIANT GAME. And that is huge praise because these devs are absolute masters. Everything about this game flows together and creates an addicting loop like no other. The gameplay is super satisfying and tense and as Supergiant loves to do (and I love to experience) you are given amazing tools for how you can upgrade and develop your team into absolute monsters, but are also highly encouraged to vary your team up. In fact, the variation of party members is incorporated perfectly into the story and makes the way you play and who you choose all the more meaningful. The music is beautiful, the art is stellar, the writing is full of mystery, intrigue, and sadness, it is an emotional and gripping game through and through. I love it and if you've played anything else by these devs, you should play Pyre.

역시 액션보다는 스토리텔링에 가까운 게임을 만드는 회사

Il mio gioco preferito della Supergiant, meglio anche di Hades per quanto riguarda la storia. Se adorate giochi con un'ottima grafica, una musica fenomenale, un gameplay coinvolgente e una storia appassionante, comprate tutti i loro giochi!

Pyre is the 3rd title from indie powerhouse Supergiant games. I have been a huge fan of this studio and played all of their games as each one came out. Now after I've played all 5 of their games, Pyre remains the hardest to explain and the most unique of their games by far. The setting is somewhat similar to their first game, Bastion; It's bright, colorful, and brimming with unique fantasy designs. This world turns out to be a sort of purgatory, with characters being trapped here for varying, unknown amounts of time. In order to get out of this strange place the characters play a sort of sport match to decide who gets out, and the player is tasked with being a sort of sports sim manager for the team. Each victory brings a single character closer to freedom, but the player has to choose who goes free, and as the game progresses, many more implications are made clear about this choice. If one half of the game is a sports sim, the other half of the gameplay structure can only be described as Oregon trail. In the Oregon Trail parts of the game, the player will move the team around the world, traveling to the site of each match, making decisions on the way, practicing match skills, reading dialog or lore, and performing mini games. Once they arrive there is a match to be played. The player controls the whole team in the match as well as manages the character stats and training. If the player loses the match, the game continues though, giving it a realistic relatable feeling if you have been on a sports team before. Your team will talk about the loss and it kinda becomes a part of the story. The other teams will treat you different based on a prior win or loss. The game is hard to say much more about without just straight up spoiling specific moments or big twists. Pyre is more than the sum of it's parts, in my opinion. If it where just a sports game, fine that's cool. Or if it was just a narrative story, the story is actually pretty cool on it's own, but it would feel thin. Having both, plus so many other tiny elements, (like learning the economy, the level up/mentorship system, the lore collecting, and the twist to the setting and goals of the game) makes Pyre feel very special to me. It's a hard game to get people to try cause kinda lacks a clear elevator pitch. The characters will endear themselves to you in a way I was not expecting, and the story is very earnest and deep. But if you like adventure stories, especially including political, religious, mythical, and redemption elements, I urge you to keep an open mind and try Pyre.

Худшая игра Supergiant с точки зрения геймплея. Сюжет все еще хорош, музыка прекрасна, арт отличный. Геймплей абсолютно скучный и нечестный по отношению к игроку, т.к. даже на нормальной сложности соперники выполняют пасы комбинированные с перемещением и перками со скоростью которая просто недоступна игроку без задрачивания часов тренировок. Если на карте есть возможность абуза - комп будет ее использовать по максимуму, в то время как вы исполнить то же самое не сможете. С командой Мэнли на арене в виде палубы корабля потратил где-то часа полтора просто чтобы понять как противостоять червяку который на спринте долетает с бешеной скоростью до сферы, тут же прыгает через разлом и влетает в костер не контрясь ни прыжком ни атаками, в то время как смоляк телепортами успевает подкрасться к выходу от вашего костра, что делает устранение и его и червя одновременно просто нереальным. Спринты с прыжками бродяг которые почему-то так же проходят сквозь всю оборону, бабки колдуньи которые умудряются двигаться и передавать пасы совершая я бы сказал по ~4-5 действий в секунду, при этом на легкой сложности враги тупы как пробки и чаще стоят на месте или теряются, но все еще исполняют те же приколы, просто реже. Плюс тупейшая механика болезни удаления которая заставляет тебя играть теми, кого тебе запланировала игра. Первым болезнь получила лунная девочка и я думал что это ок, я действительно играл ей часто. Но в следующий раз удалены оказались [spoiler]Вольфред и Бертруда [/spoiler], которыми я не пользовался в последних четырех обрядах [spoiler] и как минимум хотел взять бабку на следующий, но хрен тебе, игра решила что бабке пора "заболеть". [/spoiler] Короче это игра которая просто играет сама в себя с читами, что естественно не доставляет никакого удовольствия от прохождения и только мешает погрузиться хотя бы в сюжет. При этом сам сюжет приятный, игра хороша во всем кроме геймплея. С одной стороны после прохождения хотелось бы пройти ее еще раз чтобы узнать а могло ли все пойти не так, но нет, переигрывать это повторно я не выдержу.

Lore detallado con mitologia interesante, una banda sonora muy bien trabajada y personajes con personalidades bien caracterizadas. El gameplay es original y bastante entretenido, yo lo jugue en la dificultad mas alta disponible al principio y hubo un par de contrincantes que resultaron verdaderamente un desafio. El como es llevada la historia puede ser un tanto tedioso debido a la alta cantidad de dialogos que tiene el juego, personalmente no me gusta mucho pero entiendo que el genero al que pertenece se desarrolla asi comunmente. Plantea tomas de desiciones interesantes y te te atrapa con el como procedera la historia ya que este parece variar bastante dependiendo del resultado en los enfrentamientos, los cuales son muchos. Personalmente quitaria la opcion de reiniciar los enfrentamientos ya que le daria mas emocion al tener que ganar para lograr los resultados deseados. En sintesis, disfrute mucho el gameplay, esta muy bien pensado y es divertido el dominar todas las formas que tnes de jugar con cada personaje, resulto tedioso en los momentos de mucho texto y personalmente no termine aprendiendo mucho del lore ya que para hacerlo se debe leer una gran cantidad de texto (opcional) para enterarte. Los personajes son entrañables y te encariñas facilmente con ellos. Divertido para pasar el tiempo. Recomiendo jugarlo con Dualshock4

This game may be Supergiant's best work in many ways, and it's criminal how vastly underrated it is compared to their other games. Take Hades, for example. I love Hades, don't get me wrong - but Hades is built on a backbone of pre-existing mythology, using genre conventions of familiar and well-worn game design principles. Pyre, on the other hand, feels like a truly unique blend of gameplay, story structure, and world design that I honestly can't find many points of comparison to. Everything about it manages to feel fresh and interesting, and while the overarching premise of Hades is constant repetition, Pyre is all about change. There is always something new to be seen; some new gameplay curveball to be thrown your way, and a series of long-lasting and impactful decisions for you to make. I could go on about the beautiful visuals, incredible music, and compelling writing, of course, but those are all things one tends to expect from a Supergiant game. What I think makes it truly stand out from the others of its kind, though, is how the game engages with choice and consequence. Pyre is absolutely littered with choices, both big and small, both minor and meaningful, that not only change what happens in a given moment, but also how the game will progress from that point forward, and what will happen in the end. And though there are plenty of opportunities to fail, there are no fail states; no game overs. Each action you take still moves the story along and blends seamlessly in with the rest of your journey. It's the only Supergiant game that engages with choice in this way, and compels you to play it multiple times as a result. The gameplay does take a bit of getting used to, especially if you aren't familiar with sports game mechanics. But it has a surprising amount of depth and leads to very dramatic and tense moments. I can't say how well it fits the description of 'fantasy basketball' as described by other reviewers, mostly because I've never played a basketball game, but most basketball I'm aware of doesn't involve shooting magic at your opponents, flying, or exploding yourself in an attempt to take others with you. In short, the gameplay is fun, once you get the hang of it. If you're a fan of Supergiant, or just enjoy creative, innovative experiences, then you owe it to yourself to give this game a shot. And hey, since they've started making sequels now, maybe one day Pyre will get the follow-up it so desperately deserves.