Techotic

Pixel Junk Monsters is the latest downloadable PlayStation network title which hit the EU store last week. I’ve been playing the game for the last few hours – it is totally god damn addictive. I’m pretty sure that if Nicotine was a game, this would be it. Read on for the review.

The Download

Pixel Junk Monsters is a 60mb download; not too small, but definitely not big. They’ve done a great job getting the game down to this kind of file size. I was expecting at least 80mb. It took the best of 7 minutes to download the game on a 10mbit connection – not too bad considering it usually takes me a several years to download anything from the PlaySlowMotion store.

Setup

It took just a few seconds for the game to install once downloaded, so I went ahead and launched the game. I was welcomed with a screen setup… thing. It allows you to reposition the visible screen so that the game looks how it was meant to look. This is definitely a more than welcome option; you simply can’t get too many customization options.

Graphics

Once you’re done setting up the screen and all of that stuff, you’re welcomed to the world of Pixel Junk Monsters with a friendly splash screen where you can choose whether to play solo or with a friend. The graphics are flat and friendly. They look very pretty and are a nice break from overwhelming 3D graphics from the likes of Uncharted. Enemies all look like little evil critters; they’re very lovable. You play some kind of little turtle thing that seems to be wearing a Jason mask. Cute, but it’d be nice if I actually knew what the hell it was. The maps are also nicely shaded and very colourful which definitely adds to the pick up and play appeal this game offers.

Audio

Pixel Junk Monsters has full Dolby Digital Support, but it isn’t really put to use beyond cute little noises every now and then. The soundtrack to the game is nice and soothing for a while, but it does get a bit too repetitive later on. The music fits the game which is what is important.

Gameplay

This is where the game shines, as you would hope. It’s really fun to play. The aim is to protect your castle thing that is inhabited by weird little creatures. Waves of enemies are thrown at you, and it is your job to kill them before they reach the castle. If they reach the castle, they kill mercilessly. If all of the little creatures in the castle die then the level ends and you have to start again from the beginning. That’s basically how the game works. Levels start off quite easy, but they get very challenging towards the end; I had to replay a couple of stages a dozen of times but it remained fun despite me getting owned by the cute fuckers.

To kill the enemies, you build structures. For example, you can build cannon which will hit a group of enemies, or an archer thing which will hit just single enemies. There are also specific types of structures, such as ones which can only hit ground units and ones which can only hit air-born units. To build all of these things, you need money. You collect the money off the carcass of your foe or by finding them inside random bushes. You can also upgrade structures so they have increased range and firepower by dancing next to them. (I don’t get it either, but whatever, it’s cute).

To top things off there is also an online leader board so you can see how good you’re doing compared to everyone else. It adds greatly to the replay value of the game as you are constantly trying to do better; trust me, it is addictive.

Final Thoughts

In the UK the game costs just under £4 – for that reason alone I cannot say more than enough good things about this title. It is a fun, quirky game that will provide hours of entertainment for you and your friends. There are plenty of stages, weapons and enemies that will keep you coming back for more. If you’re going to buy any game off the PSN store any time soon, make it this one.

Techotic rating: 8/10 – excellent value for money with plenty of fun things to do.

Pixel Junk Monsters is available now from the PSN store. A free demo is also available on the Japanese store.