Pizza Tower: Reasons to Play

In the wide video game genre of indie platformers, there is one that stands out from the rest; Pizza Tower. But you may be wondering, what could possibly be so special about this game? Here’s some reasons from personal experience on why this game is so fun and unique.

For starters, the game itself stands out from most other platformers, starting with the almost nonsensical plot involving a timid and anxiety-filled Italian chef named Peppino Spaghetti and a floating, evil pizza named Pizzaface threatening to destroy Peppino’s restaurant. The goal of the game is to destroy the tower containing the cannon Pizzaface plans to use to destroy Peppino’s business. The pure absurdity of the plot, noticeable as soon as you’re introduced to the game, is sure to make any player curious as to what will happen as they progress. 

Additionally, the art style of this game is also very unique, being quite similar to those of old cartoons such as Courage the Cowardly Dog, and it has a massive moveset for you to play around with as well as a simple run and jump, such as the ability to grab and punch enemies, run so quick you can run up walls and bulldoze through anything that dares to stand in your way, and super-jump that converts all of your horizontal speed into vertical distance.

The gameplay also puts a massive emphasis on speed and learning each level’s layout in order to gather as many collectibles as you can while blazing through each of them and gain a better score each time. Ultimately, the game determines your rank depending on how you performed. However, it also accounts for beginner gamers who may not be as experienced with fast-paced gameplay like that, as the conditions to progress the game itself are quite lenient. Each level contains 5 relatively easy to find “Toppins” that you can collect, and if you collect enough from each level, you’re able to buy a gate to the area’s boss - which you must fight in order to progress to the next area (with the bosses being just as enjoyable as the levels). 

The levels themselves are just full of fun ideas and executions, and each one you enter is one surprise to the next. One level you’re placed into ancient ruins filled with cheese, the next you’re placed in the middle of a warzone armed with nothing but your speed and a shotgun. Despite the many differences between levels, almost every level shares a feature which alone makes this game stand out from most other platformers: the John Pillar.

At the end of each level, you encounter a sentient pillar with a frowning face, and your job is to destroy it. However, as soon as you do, alarms begin to blare and you notice a timer emerge from the bottom of your screen. 

Your goal now is to make a mad dash to the gate that you entered the level from before the timer reaches the dreaded zero, with the level even changing up some of the layouts during this section. Despite the panic-inducing music playing during this section however, the timer for this section again is quite lenient, being around double the time experienced gamers would normally need to reach the end.

However, to challenge players who think the timer’s too easy, you’re also given the option to redo the entire escape section for a massive amount of points. The catch is, however, that it does not refill the timer, suddenly turning the timer into a genuine threat that could end your entire run through the level. This “Lap 2” option for each level is one of the requirements for obtaining the fabled P-rank for each level, with the other four being getting enough points for an S Rank, finding every secret area, finding the special treasure, and keeping up a combo the whole level by constantly obliterating anything that stands in your way. 

These extra challenges make sure that experienced gamers feel like they are getting a good challenge out of the game, while the easier conditions make sure beginners are also having fun. Paired with the clever and funny ideas each level has, this game, in my humble opinion, is simply amazing and definitely worth a try.