Pyre

Pyre is a very unique game. As someone who's obsessed with both of the Hades games, I recently decided to finally play the Supergiant games that came before them. I've heard several times that Pyre is the odd one out in Supergiant's catalogue because of how different it is from their other titles, which proved to be correct. The gameplay is nothing like Hades and nothing like Bastion or Transistor either (from what I've seen and heard). Pyre combines a very dialogue-heavy and reading-heavy story with sports-like gameplay, which starts out as being weirdly compelling to end up being incredibly fitting for the story the game tells. And I mean it when I say "sports-like." You play in teams, you juggle a ball, there's a scoreboard and everything. The game obviously puts its own spin on it and it's awesome. Apart from just being unique, the gameplay is also super fun! And if you really like the gameplay, there's even a Versus mode outside of the story with lots of customization available, if you just wanna enjoy the gameplay with no story strings attached. The unique nature of the gameplay is only furthered by Pyre not having a "game over" state at all, the story keeps going no matter what. I really liked how the game handled that aspect, especially when it came to defining what "victory" and "failure" even mean for you in this game. The story and world-building of this game are great. There is so much lore packed within this game that I'm excited to piece together better on a subsequent playthrough, but the image it painted for me on my first run was enough to fully draw me in. The lore backdrop also serves to emphasize the characters in the game, which are all super cool, both when it comes to your companions and when it comes to your adversaries. The game takes its time with characterizing everyone you meet, especially those who oppose you. It shows there is much more to them than what appears at first glance, and I became increasingly curious in how their stories would end as much as I did with my own companions. This should go without saying, as it is a Supergiant game, but the presentation of this game is perfect. The art is incredible and so is the music. They both serve to elevate the atmosphere of this game's world and story to great lengths. The music sometimes even dynamically changes depending on the circumstance, most often when it comes to the lyrics. And pretty much every location and character in the game have their own distinct theme song. It's just super cool, Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett show off time and time again, and it's always amazing to witness. Part of me wishes this game was longer, but the way it tells such a rich and dense story in a short amount of time is great. Also, there's a lot that can play out differently or things that you might miss out on depending on how your playthrough goes, so I'm excited to play it again for that reason as well. All in all, Pyre is a special experience. I don't really have anything negative to say about it. It's very different from anything I've ever played and I love it. And as is the norm for Supergiant, the end credits are peak.

Overall Impression: A-. Astonishing game. The music is wonderful. The gameplay is tight and fun. The story is original, touching, and will linger with you. Go in as blind as possible and enjoy. The game is made to be replayed, and it is one of the few that I have happily taken up the invitation to play again and again just to get as much of the full story as I could.

I think this might sneakily be Supergiant's best game to date (including Hades). The characters in this game are incredible, and the choice you have to make between keeping your favorite characters on your team versus giving them their happy ending was always gut-wrenching. The voice acting is superb, and it easily has the best soundtrack of any Supergiant game. I can see folks being put off by the gameplay, though. It's very bizarre. I've heard it called "Wizard Soccer", and I don't think that's unfair. Personally, I enjoyed it, but it can be a hard sell to someone looking at it and saying "I don't know if this is for me"

(Played 18 hours on PS, platinumed) While it may appeal to a different and smaller audience than their latter effort "Hades", I argue this is better. Supergiant is talented enough to make you care deeply about whole teams of characters in <15 minutes. On top of the excellent character building, what makes this better than Hades is the team-based tactical decision making that is both fun, challenging, and consequential. Specifically, the game lets you know early that a victory will carve consequences towards the rest of your teammates or your opponents, who may deserve a win more than you. In other words, would your decision-making change if you knew your star player would disappear if you won the game with 7 more games to go this season? And, each game could let your teammates leave purgatory. Ranks as the most underrated game in the last 10 years to me.

in the best ways, this felt like a video game version of my favorite fantasy novel. I can see how pyre built from transistor, and to hades, but everything I love about supergiant is still here: beautifully-rendered art, compelling narrative choices, and innovative gameplay. also, a bunch of little guys, one being mostly an eyeball snake. 10/10 unionize your workplace.

More a visual novel than a game. Demands replay for presenting choice so well, but Pyre's slow burn provides little drive to actually play twice. Perhaps an expression of life? Worth experiencing.

Fantastic gem of a game, one of a kind. The actual gameplay of the rites is in that perfect easy to learn, hard to master zone. On top of that, the fact that you can lose and the story just continues is amazing. I played on hard mode and when I lost to a team it just made the narrative more interesting. I wish more games tried that because I didn't feel the need to savescum at all. Though I will say is that at times this feels more like a visual novel with a really great minigame. If I could change anything it would emphasize the gameplay more and also shorten a lot of the dialogue. The characters are very well written but I felt at times that I was forcing myself to read through it rather than wanting to. Also they should have allowed for some sort of fast travel or a way to speed up time when wagoning because that's just dead time. But yeah, fantastic game if you don't mind reading and taking your time through it.

Pyre is a beautiful game with an amazing soundtrack. The setting and storytelling are —as with all Supergiant games— excellent. But, the game did outstay its welcome a bit, for me. The rites didn't excite me enough for a 13 hour campaign. For me, an 8 hour campaign would have been much better. I am still glad I finished the game though, as the ending was good and left me satisfied.