Pix'n Love Rush (PSP Minis)

In an indie market where every other game is a nostalgic throwback, Pix’n Love is not much different from its flock. The simple pixel visuals paired with bleeping and blooping bit-music can enchant any aficionado of the old eighties glory ages. Retro-themed backgrounds and basic, monotone color uses all refer to older systems, such as classic Atari consoles or Pong machines. The gameplay matches this oldschool feeling with a simple mechanic of running to catch items and shooting bad guys, while avoiding obstacles. The premise is fairly straight forward, but Pix’n Love Rush offers some fairly challenging gameplay.

Who's a cute little collection of pixels? Yes, you are; yes, you are.

In Classic Rush, the goal is to complete level after level by collecting coins and destroying bats, while protecting other creatures and avoiding pitfalls and combo breakers. This can be done in either a 5 minute spurt or in an infinite mode halted only by death. By flawlessly collecting coins and completing levels, a combo meter fills from times 2, 5 to 10, as long as things keep going swimmingly. In addition, there’s a bonus available for completing a level perfectly, so there is merit in honing skills in this fast paced action game. Unfortunately, chaining a combo together also changes the background to some confusing color schemes, which make it hard to discern objects and doesn’t agree with the pacing of the game.

As levels follow themselves up in rapid, short but challenging succession, getting the hang of things might take a while. As an added twist, the sequence in which levels are generated is randomized, leaving playthroughs to be more unique and less reliable on trial and error.

No, Pix'n Love Rush Virtual Boy is not a good theme. Virtual Boy = Eye pain.

Cursed Rush is a simpler but more intense version where the aim is simply to reach the end of the level by jumping on platforms, without falling into the abyss. Divided in 5 categories from Hard to Hardcorest, this sounds much easier than it actually is and this mode will require some devious trial and error. Much in the fashion of vintage titles, the simplicity of this gameplay is associated with an elevated difficulty only mastered through practice. It can be a little frustrating, but never to a high degree and no more than any other title.

Lastly, On-Off Rush offers a different type of game with the collection of moons and sun in a night and daytime structure. By bouncing off day-changing blocks, the goal is to only collect an item in its appropriate schedule. This can be done either in a simple Arcade setting or even in a Puzzle mode, where the goal is to quickly decipher how to get all items collected. In both instances though, it’s a race against time and performing precise jumps is key to a high score. Bouncing off day-changers need to be done accurately in order to gain the swiftest solution possible, which can be a nice challenge.

Pix'n Love Rush Mario Land theme however is pure genius. Still a bit hard to watch though.

But in general, it’s questionable what the longevity of Pix’n Love Rush truly is. While its simple mechanics work as a very effective means to portray the strengths of core gameplay, there is some repetition to be found in the game. Once a pattern or level is recognized, it’s debatable how long a mode stays fun to play. Yes, Pix’n Love Rush is a decent and enticing challenge, but it can also be deciphered quickly and there isn’t much incentive to progress past a better high score. This is most apparent in Cursed Rush, where clearing a stage sees the end of gameplay, as there’s no getting past 100 percent.

So, what to think of the game? In all, the bite-sized fast pace is enough to warrant a purchase for any fan of ancient games like SonSon and people that are into simple games with deeper waters. People that need more variety in their games might also pick it up, but should question how much trial and error is part of the fun process for them. Pix’n Love Rush might be difficult, but never aggravating, so it shouldn’t be dismissed on that factor. But as far as the amount of time it remains fun, it can be anywhere between 3 and 300 hours, which makes it a game that will need to be purchased on its basic appeal. If it looks good, go for it; if not, it will still be an enjoyable experience, but perhaps not that long.

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Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed. (@Daavpuke)