If you have been gaming for several years, you know what the jump from 8-bit to 16-bit was all about. Adventures of Pip walks you through that transition in a game. Pip lives in a world where your social status depends on your resolution. He starts out as a single pixel, but over time, he will gain the ability to evolve to 8-bit and 16-bit forms.
Each evolution has its own pros and cons, though. Single-pixel Pip is lightweight and can fit in smaller areas. 8-bit Pip is more agile but is too big to fit in some areas. 16-bit Pip is the strongest, but he is slower and not as agile. As you progress through this platformer, you will use each evolution to progress, defeat enemies, and solve small puzzles.
This is a much better game than what originally expected. When I first learned about Adventures of Pip, I thought it looked like every other indie game out there that has a retro look and feel. I soon realized that was not the case. The evolutions of Pip make for a brand new style of game that always has you thinking on your toes. While you can simply hold down a button to “de-evolve,” you must find an enemy that gives you the power to evovle. This means you cannot just evolve at will. I often found myself asking which version of Pip would be best at this particular intersection. Like Mutant Mudds and Mighty Switch Force, this game finds a way to bring new life to the platforming genre.
The 32-bit world of Pip looks great! This does not surprise me, though, as some of the team members also worked on games like Boy and His Blob, Shovel Knight, and Shantae. The environments pop and feel immersive, even though they are obviously a retro-style video game. Each evolution of Pip looks good, too, accurately representing its resolution style.
They are continuing to work on the game, so even the two builds we played were not the final one. Currently, they are trying to balance the difficulty, which is incredibly important. The first build was very easy, but the second one definitely felt more difficult. They have a big desire to ramp up the challenge over time, instead of hitting a wall all the sudden.
Adventures of Pip is definitely one to watch. There is no release date yet, but they hope to have it ready to launch on Wii U this year. For more information, check out their Kickstarter page and watch our gameplay footage, also from PAX East 2015.