PixelJunk Monsters review

The game is one of balance. Somehow maintaining that key equilibrium against a relentless foe, limited funds and costly weaponry. While the first few levels start out slowly; teaching the core principles, its when the variables kick in and the waves of opponents become more formidable that the real challenge begins. It is here that you will either rise to the challenge or roll around the floor in disgust and despair.PixelJunk Monsters takes no prisoners and most of the learning you will receive is done on the job, otherwise known as the hard way. You certainly remember such lessons and slowly begin to see the light amidst the carnage and dwindling cash reserves. Through experience and constant attempts you will build up a portfolio of the next wave and be prepared to switch positions and armaments. Gamestyle avoided the need for a pen and paper, but for some this might well be a vital ingredient to success. Each level sees you protecting an encampment of locals who are short on intelligence and rely on your defensive capabilities. These rednecks are not only short in the brain department, but also in number. Quite simply you cannot continue a level when they have all been killed, which brings the element of sacrifice into play as you focus on the next goal. Losing one or two of the blighters is no travesty, if it means you reaching a new stage on the map.Each camp has a series of set paths leading to it through woods or other natural boundaries. It is here that you can spend your money and transform trees into various defensive positions. These come in a variety of shapes and sizes; each with their own speciality and favourite target. For instance a fast moving wave will be able to dodge cannon fire with ease, whereas ground forces will not be affected by anti-air firepower and vice versa. Crossroads and corners work best as the opposition wave will slow down and the resulting traffic jam and carnage will work to your favour. Even a few seconds delay can allow you to quickly transfer positions and reach a satisfactory conclusion.You can unlock more powerful options through collecting of gems, which will often appear when opponents are defeated. Normally you will face ten waves per level and it is a case of somehow juggling everything and managing to reach the end. It would be all too easy if you were able to build and maintain a variety of positions throughout the level, but life is never so straightforward. The brilliant touch is that you can quickly cash in on your purchases, tear down a defensive position and quickly pocket those valuable gold coins, before dashing around towards the end of the level. Here you can purchase a new piece of weaponry and use it on the current wave, which is often needed as attrition is a constant theme of PixelJunk Monsters. A recipe for disaster is if you find yourself sitting back and resting, there is no time for reflection or enjoyment in PixelJunk, as it is war.Visually PixelJunk Monsters is cheap and cheerful in a SNES retrospective kind of way. Everything is decidedly chunky, with the lack of detail or options deriding the platform that this release finds itself upon. One could argue that this is simply a glorified flash title that does not benefit from the high definition era, but any shortcomings are trampled by the experience itself.The only real criticism we can throw at this game is that it will only appeal to strategy fans and even then, only the most battle hardened and determined. The pacing of PixelJunk Monsters is almost perfect with enough life in the experience to confirm that this is one of the wisest purchases currently available on the PlayStation Store Network.