Pyre

A certified Supergiant classic!

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.

Fantastico juego, toda una joyita

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.

Шедевр на все времена

This game is for anyone who really, and I mean truly, live their own story. And I mean that. As someone who was drawn in by the premise, and was even lightly spoiled by an early twist, did not know what he was getting himself into, and I mean that in a great way. The game's campaign is short and sweet. It doesn't overstay its welcome, and knows how to get to the point, while giving you time to properly interact with everything. And I mean it. There is no state in which the game ends early, to my knowledge. No matter how well, or poorly you do, The story marches on. It's up to your actions and performance on whether this story is one of victory, or tragedy. And ultimately, how you go about the many major choices this game gives you is up to you. The game never admonishes you for your choice, or says you must go in a certain direction. The story of Pyre goes as you make it, for better or for worse. [spoiler]I was very surprised to see that the game appeared prepared, no matter who's left behind with you during the game. While certain characters won't be around until after a few more rites have passed, With the right work, you can make it so anyone you want can go home as early as you need, as it's based on how much you've leveled them up. Some have a higher level to clear than others, Which generally means you don't have TOTALLY free reign, it still ultimately feels very natural, and doesn't get in the way of much. Plus, with the fact that loss can mean one less friend gets to go home, the stakes feel INCREDIBLY high.[/spoiler] Going in, it's really clear to understand that this is a sport's game. it doesn't feel like one in terms of vibe and tone,but it is. It's 3 on 3 basketball, to describe it broadly. But very fun. With enough practice, you can control all three characters fairly well together, though I do think the CPU has an advantage on you that makes it far better at doing so than you could REALLY hope to achieve, as their reaction time appears to be more instantaneous than yours can be. But ultimately, overall, the AI provides a good level of challenge. I recommend the normal mode, as that's what I selected, and it ended up being balanced enough to not feel unfair on my first playthrough. The other part is that it's very much a visual novel. So get ready to read. Thankfully, the major names and concepts have a guide, which is activated by cursoring over key words. So even if you have to put this game down and come back, it's able to casually remind you of who certain people are, what's going on, etcetera, without being obtuse about it. In addition, all of the characters are very well-written. Your allies are loveable and sympathetic, your enemies range in terms of how despicable they are, [spoiler]and some among them are even people you wouldn't be opposed to seeing go home.[/spoiler] It makes the story nuanced enough and exciting overall. You'll find something, or someone, to love in this game. If you can, go in blind from here. It's a game that'll sit with you, and importantly, feel like your own. It's an unforgettable experience, and I wish I could play more games like this, as it honestly outdoes a lot of "choices matter" type games you'll see.

Très qualitatif, on en voudrait un peu plus !