Gameplay
In Pid you control a little boy Kurt who suddenly finds himself on a strange planet inhabited of robots. While looking for a way back home he quickly learns that strange things are happening with the planet that might put the inhabitants in danger. The story on Pid however is not the game’s strongest point, and it’s just there just to say it has one.
Gameplay wise Pid is a traditional 2D platformer defined by Beam, a gravity manipulating tool. that turns Kurt from a helpless, stranded child into a boy capable of saving a planet. Kurt’s special ability t comes by way of gravity wells that the orb creates on command and help him climb and avoid obstacles. Planting a gravity well on the ground will allow Kurt to be lifted upward. Throwing gravity wells on vertical walls will send Kurt away from the wall horizontally. Tossing a gravity well on the ceiling pushes Kurt downward.
There many dangers that Kurt has to avoid coming in the shape of traps, cctv’s, and of course enemies which are usually robots that throw missiles at you which when they explode don’t produce explosions and big fires, just confetti. There are lots of spikes, which are cool to beam enemies into, but too often serve merely as a frustrating obstacle for the game’s protagonist.
Color also plays an important role in Pid as enemies which are colored red can be affected by your gravity tool, but those who are colored blue can;t. The same goes for floors, ceilings. But gravity can affect many other items in the environment – platforms, boxes and the like – to assist you in certain sticky situations. The Beam however is not Kurt’s only weapon. There is a full array of tools that will help him combat his foes. Blue bombs will damage enemies instantaneously, while red bombs use a timer that lets you place them more strategically. Firecracker-like items allow Kurt to jump extremely high and stay out of harm’s way. Smoke bombs will keep Kurt obscured from the probing view of flashlights and spotlights. Kurt can also find vests that allow him to withstand more damage.
All these items can be obtained by defeated enemies or must be traced as they are hidden in various places. There is also a third option as you cn purchase them with in-game currency which increases ars you collect stars.
In terms of difficulty everything seems to be going ok in the beginning but as the game progresses everything becomes chaotic and more complex. There are times where you will die numerous time in your effort of trying to find the right exit for a stage and even if you finally make it then there will be a very unique and powerful boss waiting.
The battles may be special and amazing, about are also tough and sometimes might even take you more than an hour to defeat each of the six bosses in total.The combat (destroying enemies) is mostly based on using the environment to your advantage. One battle demands that Kurt land on a tiny spot unless he wants to suffer the ordeal of enduring a barrage of deadly projectiles; another bids him to climb the shoulders of a boss while avoiding the missiles flying about. What might annoy you is that when Kurt dies he starts from a faraway checkpoint after a reboot, which might discourage you after many failured attempts.
Controlwise Pid is good but it could have been even better as at sometimes it feels a bit slow. The game will take you around eight to 15 hours to complete depending on how familiar you’ll become with the gameplay. If you finish the game then an even harder mode awaits you.
Conclusion
All in one Pid is a very beautiful platformer and you can really tell that it was created with great passion and devotion. The game takes someone who likes to get lost in that kind of strange, stylized atmosphere, and liking both puzzle games and platformers.
To make things even better Might and Delight has introduced an easier way to play through its beautiful, challenging platfomer Pid with the all-new Easy Mode. Complementing the game’s Normal and Hard modes, Easy Mode paves the way with redesigned levels, much shorter boss fights, and less-crowded environments to aid in navigation.
“In Pid‘s Easy Mode we have redesigned nearly all levels and maybe most importantly made all the boss fights shorter and more simple,” Might & Delight writes on the Steam announcement. “We have studied the reviews and playthroughs on YouTube thoroughly to determine how we can create a version of the game that can be enjoyed by everyone. We have also reworked small parts of Normal Mode and the difficulty spikes that people encountered!”
At the end of the day Pid might not be up there with the likes of Bastion, Limbo and Braid but Might and Delight are on the way of creating one jem like that. The developer deserves credit for their creativeness as we’ve never fought against an air balloon that wants to rob you by holding a green pistol in its hands.
Pid is now available for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE, as well as PSN, Steam, Rain Digital Games, and GOG in North America for $9.99. Pid can also be bought via the official Website at www.pidgame.com.
Gameconnect Rating: 7.4
