TLDR: 7.5/10
Ohhh jeez, where do I start with Pyre..

I expected this to be rather easy. I enjoyed previous Super Giant Games a lot (Transistor slightly more), so pre-purchased this without a shadow of a doubt along with Soundtrack. Frankly I was not completely sold on the whole sports-gameplay idea, but trusted SGG's judgement.

So what's the catch? The catch is I didn't fall in love with this one instantly as with the Transistor or Bastion.
Not before the first 3 hours of playthrough that is..


Let's start with the good stuff, the things I enjoyed from the get-go:
#1 Music Darren Korb strikes again. Not a single time the music felt out of place, distracting or monotonous, on the contrary it only improved the experience by immersing me deeper into the atmosphere and story. The SGG staple - the songs - are here yet again and as touching as ever.
#2 Art Vivid and beautiful as in previous titles. Just check the screenshots or reviews! And it all is animated just as masterfully.
#3 Story and Chars The settings feels unique and interesting with whole lot of lore to it (way more than in previous titles). There is a whole range of different characters that fit the picture nicely. Rarely do they feel too cliche, come to thing of it, some of them are, but the devs went extra mile to ensure they are not just a one dimensional cardboard cut-outs. Some got to me, turning seemingly trivial choices into a struggle.
#4 Support This is not a game related, but SGG-related rather. Massive kudos to you guys for quick forum replies and more importantly swift and relentless bug-squashing. Seriously though, as a software development person, I can confirm that handling customer issues is most difficult task, exhausting even which eats so much time. The <24h patches on an error some random player happen to stumble on felt really good.


So what are the cons (actually just one):
#1 Gameplay Not the mechanics themselves (matches are ok and kinda unique), but the gameplay volumes. For me it felt little less than a game, but more of a tale (a book) that sometimes gets interrupted by some interactive, gameplay pieces.
Imagine Bastion where Hub (+cutscene) sequences and combat sequences where swapped around. This creates an interesting predicament: until you get invested in the story (which at start you know nothing of) you simply sit there waiting for the rites to start; but should you click through the dialogues, chances are you won't care much for the story. Though game does it's best to get you involved, after all it is its strongest suit.

So yeah, that's my main gripe with Pyre (then again I never was a "visual novel" genre fan).


Would I recommend this? Yes! It's great, fun and touching at (many) times.
Do I find it the best in SGG's current arsenal? Nah, I still like Transistor more :) But hey Pyre is times longer (20H on one playthrough) and has a happier ending (at least I got that).

PS: suggest raising game's difficulty to the maximum. After all, freedom is a privilege one has to earn.

[i]TLDR: 7.5/10[/i] Ohhh jeez, where do I start with Pyre.. I expected this to be rather easy. I enjoyed previous Super Giant Games a lot (Transistor slightly more), so pre-purchased this without a shadow of a doubt along with Soundtrack. Frankly I was not completely sold on the whole sports-gameplay idea, but trusted SGG's judgement. So what's the catch? The catch is I didn't fall in love with this one instantly as with the Transistor or Bastion. Not before the first 3 hours of playthrough that is.. Let's start with the good stuff, the things I enjoyed from the get-go: [b]#1 Music[/b] Darren Korb strikes again. Not a single time the music felt out of place, distracting or monotonous, on the contrary it only improved the experience by immersing me deeper into the atmosphere and story. The SGG staple - the songs - are here yet again and as touching as ever. [b]#2 Art[/b] Vivid and beautiful as in previous titles. Just check the screenshots or reviews! And it all is animated just as masterfully. [b]#3 Story and Chars[/b] The settings feels unique and interesting with whole lot of lore to it (way more than in previous titles). There is a whole range of different characters that fit the picture nicely. Rarely do they feel too cliche, come to thing of it, some of them are, but the devs went extra mile to ensure they are not just a one dimensional cardboard cut-outs. Some got to me, turning seemingly trivial choices into a struggle. [b]#4 Support[/b] This is not a game related, but SGG-related rather. Massive kudos to you guys for quick forum replies and more importantly swift and relentless bug-squashing. Seriously though, as a software development person, I can confirm that handling customer issues is most difficult task, exhausting even which eats so much time. The <24h patches on an error some random player happen to stumble on felt really good. So what are the cons (actually just one): [b]#1 Gameplay[/b] Not the mechanics themselves (matches are ok and kinda unique), but the gameplay volumes. For me it felt little less than a game, but more of a tale (a book) that sometimes gets interrupted by some interactive, gameplay pieces. Imagine Bastion where Hub (+cutscene) sequences and combat sequences where swapped around. This creates an interesting predicament: until you get invested in the story (which at start you know nothing of) you simply sit there waiting for the rites to start; but should you click through the dialogues, chances are you won't care much for the story. Though game does it's best to get you involved, after all it is its strongest suit. So yeah, that's my main gripe with Pyre (then again I never was a "visual novel" genre fan). [u]Would I recommend this?[/u] [b]Yes![/b] It's great, fun and touching at (many) times. [u]Do I find it the best in SGG's current arsenal?[/u] Nah, I still like Transistor more :) But hey Pyre is times longer (20H on one playthrough) and has a happier ending (at least I got that). PS: suggest raising game's difficulty to the maximum. After all, freedom is a privilege one has to earn.