Pix'n Love Rush

In theory, this could be a super short review. As it stands, it's not going to be long, but this is one very simple experience we're talking about here. Basically you run around for a limited amount of time, do something very simple (typically involving collecting as many of the positive pickups as you can, avoiding the negative ones, shooting bad guys and not shooting good guys - or some variant thereof), while running and jumping on platforms in various configurations.

Confused?

Welcome to Pix'n Love Rush, the latest PlayStation minis experience from Pix'n Love, the people that brought you one of the very best books ever released about Nintendo and, perhaps, videogames themselves (seriously - check it out here). These guys proclaim a love, nay, passion for archaeology of videogames - something which comes across in Rush. Each level is very obviously yet very classily an homage to a classic videogame. Be it Tetris or the Super Mario Game & Watch, the references fly thick and fast, should you be good enough that you can pay attention to anything but the manic gameplay going on in the foreground.

Rush, you see, is hard. Extremely hard. Sure, you can play for a couple of minutes regardless of your skill level and sure, you'll get to see some of what the game has got to offer. But if you want to get onto the leaderboards, even in last place, you're going to need to dedicate serious time to it and you'll need to have some pretty damn good talent to build on in the first place. A combination of skill, hand-eye co-ordination and rote learning is required, as you attempt to nail everything you should without blasting anything you shouldn't, lest your precious combo crash down around you like so much torn-out hair.

Instead of using words to explain any further, check out this video that someone on the internet prepared earlier:



Get the general idea? Good.

In addition to having a bunch of variants on the core "run around in a simple world and do simple things, to the beat of one mad-as-hell drummer in a world that hates you" theme, Rush is one good-looking game. Yes, it uses limited pixels to visually entertain you but, like any real artist, what's used here is more than enough. It's gorgeous, quite simply, and a retro homage that anyone should be able to appreciate. It also sounds awesome, with loads of chiptune tracks that heavily reference classic tunes from games gone by. If you have so much as a single retro bone in your body, the presentation alone is worth the (ultra-low) price point (it's about $4).

Even though it's seriously hard and something only a few will really get the most out of, at the low price it still comes very highly recommended. It's fun, polished and packed with hidden depth for those with the old-school skill to reach it's upper echelons. If you're the type that likes Pac-Man Championship Edition or yearns for the days of impossibly hard arcade games, you need this game. If you think you'll get a giddy thrill when the game's visuals change to look like a Gameboy, a Virtual Boy or the sounds switch to something clearly inspired by Tetris, Pix'n Love Rush is a must-buy.

"A polished, hardcore, and very mini experience."

8.9 Great