app review: Pik’s Revenge

In human terms, Pik is a regular Joe, an ordinary miner doing ordinary menial tasks as part of his work when his planet, a remote mining colony called Dustbucket-5, is rocked by a series of unexplained mass explosions after bombs fall from the unknown dirigibles up in the sky. This regular Joe of an alien somehow survives the mass destruction and embarks on an important mission to discover the truth, making Pik an unlikely hero in the original iPhone/iPod Touch adventure Pik’s Revenge.

At the core of this RPG is a mystery-adventure played out in quests – one type is closed and complete after doing several tasks, while the other is directly related to Pik’s ‘Revenge’ mission. Pik’s needs are simple – earn enough gold through odd jobs and quests, constantly replenish its health and fend off monsters using weapons that can be picked up on the ground or purchased.

Pik’s Revenge takes place in the future, in another galaxy not unlike our own. Pik moves around, in side-scroller fashion, from point A to point B, picking up various objects (gold, ore, plants, and the like) and entering different buildings and establishments. Pik is essentially free to roam and explore each region, perform quests and do odd jobs for money, health or more points to level up.

In every zone is a smattering of shops, hotels and diners. There’s also a requisite dumpsite, a transport hub and other special areas uncovered through quests.

Establishments open and close at various times, with work accessible only within a particular window of opportunity for the day. In some regions, a work permit is required in order to apply for jobs, as well as transport tickets to travel.

Weapons can only be used once, thus the constant appearance of alien foes means constantly foraging for or buying extra to always be prepared. Constantly decreasing health levels is also a perpetual challenge – if you don’t take the easy way out and buy food or medical packs.

The game starts off slow, and takes some time to really build up on its more intriguing mystery elements. If you are as impatient as I am when starting a new game, I suggest that you take some time to enjoy the film clips and comic book storytelling to acquaint yourself fully with Pik’s quest for revenge.

The side-scrolling and simple quests can feel repetitive at first largely because when you start playing it, you just enter buildings randomly and do quests without quite seeing the big picture yet. Once you move up and you take on more enemies with a variety of weapons, then you’ll appreciate the transition from Pik’s ho-hum-town to that anticipation of bigger, meaner things to come.

I find the side-scrolling controls a bit awkward to work with, despite the customizable location of the arrows and how these can be hidden through the options menu. A single tap will automatically get Pik to move, and it’s only interrupted when he stops to pick up something or fend off aliens. The limited controls often dampen the exploratory feel of the game, not to mention making power-ups like speed enhancing sneakers not as useful as they could be. Perhaps an alternative control scheme which allows Pik a little more movement – jump around, for example – would add some depth and perspective to the game making it feel a little less linear and more dynamic.

I love the gritty sci-fi noir aesthetics of this game – a heady mix of cartoony creatures, and hand-illustrated scenes set in an odd, dystopian future. The geeky humor might not be apparent to some, but the store signs, for one, pay homage to sci-fi film classics such as The Blade Runner and Soylent Green, while puns are scattered all over the place.The soundtrack is just as odd yet mixes well with the game, giving it a strange and dreamlike feel.

The game offers local and global scoreboard and social media integration via Facebook connect. It would be great if Twitter were available in the succeeding versions – I can imagine posting mini-updates to let friends know where I am in the game and what quest I accomplished. With three levels of difficulty available – the game offers replay value in beating the scores and completing more quests. Mini-clips that are part of the game can also be accessed as separate clips in the options section.

While the rest of the game feels surprisingly conventional in terms of control and gameplay, the advantage is that for the complexity and depth of storyline, the game is actually pick up and play. You can dive right in and start exploring. It’s casual enough to play for a few minutes to an hour or more (I’m siding with the latter). The succeeding episodes prove to be very exciting as things get more and more complicated as Pik is closer to unraveling the truth.

Pik proves to be quite an endearing hero – with minimal gestures, and his biosuit mask registering emotions. Wordless as our hero is, Pik’s Revenge is a darkly gorgeous, original RPG adventure game that is a testament to the vast potential of indie titles.

Learn more about Pik’s Revenge for iPhone and iPod touch in the App Store