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Pid is Might and delights "Nod to old platforming adventure games' tasking players with guiding Kurt throughout his journey to get home from an unknown planet. Initial impressions of Pid are promising as the game is visually excellent. Graphics are simple, yet pleasing with its various environments and characters being very well designed and charming. The ambient soundtrack also complements the game well to round off a top quality presentation. Pid's other selling feature is the ability to generate gravitational light beams, providing a source of light but more importantly, the ability to float further or higher and manipulate surrounding objects throughout the increasingly hostile environments ranging from spike traps to killer automatons.
Pid quickly wears out its welcome however, becoming increasingly more frustrating and at times downright obnoxious, attributed mainly to poor balancing and iffy implementation of game ideas and mechanics. On paper, the gravitational light beams works, however poor implementation makes it awkward from start to finish and only gets worse when Pid becomes increasingly action orientated. In many cases the game mechanics working AGAINST the player.
On numerous occasions, Pid demands accurate use of Gravitational beams despite how difficult to achieve this without the slingshot. Kurt can only throw beams directly below or in forward in an arcing motion that would arc over objects when standing too close to them. Players have to angle kurt constantly at the right angle to make even the simplest throws. Although 2 beams can be active at any time, making a mistake on the second throw is frequently fatal as the first (correct) beam has to be undone to address the second (incorrect) one; Effectively removing the safety net and forcing players to try again from scratch anyway. Once players start riding the beam, there's little control except moving faster or slower in the same direction. Getting out of the beam requires numerous jumps to escape its gravitational pull so even jumping onto low ledges becomes annoyingly difficult and time consuming. That's even before contending with the numerous environmental hazards that turn puzzle solving increasingly luck based when rooms are filled with enemies that move and fire randomly.
Pid control issues reaches its Height of annoyance when boss fights are introduced. Considered as one of the highlights of Pid, these encounters will tests players patience as well as skill. Players have to first figure what needs to be done and repeat it numerous times to succeed. Its here that Pid shows how inadequate its control mechanics are to deal with the floods of enemies, spikes and projectiles and demanding accurate shots with the beam. To the developers credit however, they have addressed this issue by having an easy difficulty that reduces the amount of hits and makes the game less stressful. But with Pids Faults and low margin for error, it ultimately leaves the game unfairly difficult and unforgiving instead. players may want to consider just switching to easy setting at the start or doing so intermittently throughout.
[final thoughts]
On the Surface, Pid has the makings for a good indie game; it has pleasing aesthetics and has an interesting game mechanic. Scratch below the surface and Pid is sadly a bittersweet experience with its entertaining gameplay mixed with frustration throughout. I struggled to enjoy Pid and found myself unable to play the game for long periods of time and frequently taking large breaks away before coming back. I do remember having some fun , but I remember the game MORE for how irritating and frustrating the experience was. At 6.99, it does go some way to overlook some of the game's glaring problems and does have a substantial challenge mode and coop mode for those who want more game content. Additionally, there's a demo allowing players to experience the early sections locked on EASY difficulty. But there are far better options for indie puzzle/action games then Pid like limbo or the Swapper, give this game a miss or play it on easy, experience the story and move on.
4/10
Pid quickly wears out its welcome however, becoming increasingly more frustrating and at times downright obnoxious, attributed mainly to poor balancing and iffy implementation of game ideas and mechanics. On paper, the gravitational light beams works, however poor implementation makes it awkward from start to finish and only gets worse when Pid becomes increasingly action orientated. In many cases the game mechanics working AGAINST the player.
On numerous occasions, Pid demands accurate use of Gravitational beams despite how difficult to achieve this without the slingshot. Kurt can only throw beams directly below or in forward in an arcing motion that would arc over objects when standing too close to them. Players have to angle kurt constantly at the right angle to make even the simplest throws. Although 2 beams can be active at any time, making a mistake on the second throw is frequently fatal as the first (correct) beam has to be undone to address the second (incorrect) one; Effectively removing the safety net and forcing players to try again from scratch anyway. Once players start riding the beam, there's little control except moving faster or slower in the same direction. Getting out of the beam requires numerous jumps to escape its gravitational pull so even jumping onto low ledges becomes annoyingly difficult and time consuming. That's even before contending with the numerous environmental hazards that turn puzzle solving increasingly luck based when rooms are filled with enemies that move and fire randomly.
Pid control issues reaches its Height of annoyance when boss fights are introduced. Considered as one of the highlights of Pid, these encounters will tests players patience as well as skill. Players have to first figure what needs to be done and repeat it numerous times to succeed. Its here that Pid shows how inadequate its control mechanics are to deal with the floods of enemies, spikes and projectiles and demanding accurate shots with the beam. To the developers credit however, they have addressed this issue by having an easy difficulty that reduces the amount of hits and makes the game less stressful. But with Pids Faults and low margin for error, it ultimately leaves the game unfairly difficult and unforgiving instead. players may want to consider just switching to easy setting at the start or doing so intermittently throughout.
[final thoughts]
On the Surface, Pid has the makings for a good indie game; it has pleasing aesthetics and has an interesting game mechanic. Scratch below the surface and Pid is sadly a bittersweet experience with its entertaining gameplay mixed with frustration throughout. I struggled to enjoy Pid and found myself unable to play the game for long periods of time and frequently taking large breaks away before coming back. I do remember having some fun , but I remember the game MORE for how irritating and frustrating the experience was. At 6.99, it does go some way to overlook some of the game's glaring problems and does have a substantial challenge mode and coop mode for those who want more game content. Additionally, there's a demo allowing players to experience the early sections locked on EASY difficulty. But there are far better options for indie puzzle/action games then Pid like limbo or the Swapper, give this game a miss or play it on easy, experience the story and move on.
4/10
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Pid is Might and delights "Nod to old platforming adventure games' tasking players with guiding Kurt throughout his journey to get home from an unknown planet. Initial impressions of Pid are promising as the game is visually excellent. Graphics are simple, yet pleasing with its various environments and characters being very well designed and charming. The ambient soundtrack also complements the game well to round off a top quality presentation. Pid's other selling feature is the ability to generate gravitational light beams, providing a source of light but more importantly, the ability to float further or higher and manipulate surrounding objects throughout the increasingly hostile environments ranging from spike traps to killer automatons.
Pid quickly wears out its welcome however, becoming increasingly more frustrating and at times downright obnoxious, attributed mainly to poor balancing and iffy implementation of game ideas and mechanics. On paper, the gravitational light beams works, however poor implementation makes it awkward from start to finish and only gets worse when Pid becomes increasingly action orientated. In many cases the game mechanics working AGAINST the player.
On numerous occasions, Pid demands accurate use of Gravitational beams despite how difficult to achieve this without the slingshot. Kurt can only throw beams directly below or in forward in an arcing motion that would arc over objects when standing too close to them. Players have to angle kurt constantly at the right angle to make even the simplest throws. Although 2 beams can be active at any time, making a mistake on the second throw is frequently fatal as the first (correct) beam has to be undone to address the second (incorrect) one; Effectively removing the safety net and forcing players to try again from scratch anyway. Once players start riding the beam, there's little control except moving faster or slower in the same direction. Getting out of the beam requires numerous jumps to escape its gravitational pull so even jumping onto low ledges becomes annoyingly difficult and time consuming. That's even before contending with the numerous environmental hazards that turn puzzle solving increasingly luck based when rooms are filled with enemies that move and fire randomly.
Pid control issues reaches its Height of annoyance when boss fights are introduced. Considered as one of the highlights of Pid, these encounters will tests players patience as well as skill. Players have to first figure what needs to be done and repeat it numerous times to succeed. Its here that Pid shows how inadequate its control mechanics are to deal with the floods of enemies, spikes and projectiles and demanding accurate shots with the beam. To the developers credit however, they have addressed this issue by having an easy difficulty that reduces the amount of hits and makes the game less stressful. But with Pids Faults and low margin for error, it ultimately leaves the game unfairly difficult and unforgiving instead. players may want to consider just switching to easy setting at the start or doing so intermittently throughout.
[final thoughts]
On the Surface, Pid has the makings for a good indie game; it has pleasing aesthetics and has an interesting game mechanic. Scratch below the surface and Pid is sadly a bittersweet experience with its entertaining gameplay mixed with frustration throughout. I struggled to enjoy Pid and found myself unable to play the game for long periods of time and frequently taking large breaks away before coming back. I do remember having some fun , but I remember the game MORE for how irritating and frustrating the experience was. At 6.99, it does go some way to overlook some of the game's glaring problems and does have a substantial challenge mode and coop mode for those who want more game content. Additionally, there's a demo allowing players to experience the early sections locked on EASY difficulty. But there are far better options for indie puzzle/action games then Pid like limbo or the Swapper, give this game a miss or play it on easy, experience the story and move on.
4/10
Pid quickly wears out its welcome however, becoming increasingly more frustrating and at times downright obnoxious, attributed mainly to poor balancing and iffy implementation of game ideas and mechanics. On paper, the gravitational light beams works, however poor implementation makes it awkward from start to finish and only gets worse when Pid becomes increasingly action orientated. In many cases the game mechanics working AGAINST the player.
On numerous occasions, Pid demands accurate use of Gravitational beams despite how difficult to achieve this without the slingshot. Kurt can only throw beams directly below or in forward in an arcing motion that would arc over objects when standing too close to them. Players have to angle kurt constantly at the right angle to make even the simplest throws. Although 2 beams can be active at any time, making a mistake on the second throw is frequently fatal as the first (correct) beam has to be undone to address the second (incorrect) one; Effectively removing the safety net and forcing players to try again from scratch anyway. Once players start riding the beam, there's little control except moving faster or slower in the same direction. Getting out of the beam requires numerous jumps to escape its gravitational pull so even jumping onto low ledges becomes annoyingly difficult and time consuming. That's even before contending with the numerous environmental hazards that turn puzzle solving increasingly luck based when rooms are filled with enemies that move and fire randomly.
Pid control issues reaches its Height of annoyance when boss fights are introduced. Considered as one of the highlights of Pid, these encounters will tests players patience as well as skill. Players have to first figure what needs to be done and repeat it numerous times to succeed. Its here that Pid shows how inadequate its control mechanics are to deal with the floods of enemies, spikes and projectiles and demanding accurate shots with the beam. To the developers credit however, they have addressed this issue by having an easy difficulty that reduces the amount of hits and makes the game less stressful. But with Pids Faults and low margin for error, it ultimately leaves the game unfairly difficult and unforgiving instead. players may want to consider just switching to easy setting at the start or doing so intermittently throughout.
[final thoughts]
On the Surface, Pid has the makings for a good indie game; it has pleasing aesthetics and has an interesting game mechanic. Scratch below the surface and Pid is sadly a bittersweet experience with its entertaining gameplay mixed with frustration throughout. I struggled to enjoy Pid and found myself unable to play the game for long periods of time and frequently taking large breaks away before coming back. I do remember having some fun , but I remember the game MORE for how irritating and frustrating the experience was. At 6.99, it does go some way to overlook some of the game's glaring problems and does have a substantial challenge mode and coop mode for those who want more game content. Additionally, there's a demo allowing players to experience the early sections locked on EASY difficulty. But there are far better options for indie puzzle/action games then Pid like limbo or the Swapper, give this game a miss or play it on easy, experience the story and move on.
4/10