‘Pitiri 1977′ Review – Enter A Strange New (Old) World
Games often rely on delving the player into unusual worlds only accessible through visual mediums. Recently, however, gaming has become more about rebuilding reality in the virtual world rather than realising fantastical creations. Pitiri 1977 attempts to reinvigorate the realm of fantasy with an adventure that will have you smiling at its oddities.
Pitiri 1977 is a combination of a number of different genres. At times it can be considered a simple platformer, but it is so much more than that. Mixing elements of action and adventure manages to keep gamers from playing the first level and switching off, not to mention the strange and twisted story.
The game begins like so many others: a family member is captured and it is your duty to find and rescue them. However, the real heart of Pitiri 1977 lies in the way the story is told. For a fair amount of the game, you will never be truly comfortable thinking that you understand the whole story. Huge chunks of storyline are left out – whether intentionally or not, it doesn’t matter – leaving the player to put the pieces together while traversing eccentric levels.
With a simple control system (arrow keys to move, S and D to use abilities and jump respectively) players of all ages with have no trouble picking up this little title. Mastering the controls, however, can be something of a challenge. Unfortunately, a lot of Pitiri 1977 feels unfinished. Caught somewhere between a student project and a developer title that has been rushed, players who take it on will sometimes feel as though they are flowing freely through levels, while at other times – and, unfortunately, this is a more common feeling – they will be frustrated by the amateur gameplay system that flaunts an unnatural physics engine and far too many bugs.
Visuals, however, are a standout. When you first jump into Pitiri 1977 you may get the feeling that this is going to be something like a Machinarium-type experience. On the contrary, it feels far more like A Boy and His Blob – a good thing for any game. The artwork is swish, if a little flawed by the underwhelming animations, and each level offers a new visual spectacle to behold. The soundtrack, while at times feeling a little out of place (it is clear that the developers wanted to create a quasi-1977 world, and all the stylings that come with it), is for the most part entertaining and adds another element to an entrancing game world.
Pitiri 1977 is easy to pickup, feels like a familiar platformer with the added excellence of special abilities to progress through each level, and is visually appealing is almost every way – especially the fantastic cutscenes. Unfortunately, there are far more cons than pros in the guts of the game. While the storyline is off-the-wall and exciting at first, it soon becomes white noise as the artists throw everything they can visually to keep you interested. The game itself feels far from complete, with objects appearing in unnecessarily random places, a severe lack of useful checkpoints, and just generally poor level design. It’s disappointing, because, with a few more months in production, this game could have been a true standout.
When all is said and done, Pitiri 1977 is a fun little title to pick-up-and-play over a weekend. It’s not going to keep you coming back once you’ve finished, and players who put the game down early will likely never feel the need to complete it. However, there is enough promise in this title to say that ILIKESCIFI Games, the developers, will soon be blowing you away with subsequent releases.
You can find out more about Pitiri 1977 at ILIKESCIFI Games’ website, and purchase a copy for £5.99 (it’s only sale for £3.99 at the moment!) here.
Review summary Pros:
Easy to pick up; stunning visuals; unique gameplay features
Cons:
A host of typos; poor level design; feels incomplete
Rating: 60%
