Positive
+ Bizarre, often hilarious situations
+ Simple, unique gameplay approach
+ Solutions rarely make sense at alls
Negative
- Solutions rarely make sense at all
- Looping soundtrack might break your mind o_o
When a game actually starts with ‘it is highly recommended to take breaks while playing this game’ and the following warning reads ‘longer sessions can damage your brain and gameplay experience’, you know McPixel isn’t a game that takes itself seriously. In fact, it never attempts, AT ALL. It is rare that such a liberal game appears, both in its appearance, approach and execution. None of this is bad, in this case. Just be warn <_<.
McPixel is an old school, 2D, point-and-click, 8-bit looking indie game ‘stuck in the Stone Age’, but with a lot of charm. What are more charming are its ideas. There is no story or direction in McPixel. Know only that your main objective is to stop the bomb in the area from exploding in the 20 seconds you have, in any way you can. That means even having you killed. There is only one solution, and that solution can be as bizarre as throwing yourself in a volcano, to simply stopping a fire. The game has absolutely ZERO LOGIC at times, making even the most logical conclusions worthless, and it may require trial and error, moving through the 6 levels in each section. This unpredictability makes McPixel surprisingly refreshing and pleasant, and quite humorous if you can appreciate its crudeness.
Your objective is to always save the day but stopping the bomb. Failing to do so offers some funny scenes, leading to the destruction of the location, in 8-bit visuals. It is to say the game looks disgusting, but this visual style is actually fitting. Characters are simplistically designed, and the locations are plain, but not generic with plenty of varied and unique environments for each level. Soundtrack consists of one tune, and this is the thing that may actually damage your brain. It is indeed a catchy tune, but being played over and over and over and over and over again through your whole play session can be seriously overblown.
There are some bonus levels when you complete levels in succession, which make even less sense. Like I can be quite questionable what could make less sense. Nonetheless, in the short sessions that you may play McPixel, you may either find an entertainingly mindless and humorous game, or a plain human disaster of a ‘game’. Only you can decide which of the two it is, it’s an open question and an open answer!