Pizza Tower FullGame
0Pizza Tower
Developer(s) Tour De Pizza
Publisher(s) Tour De Pizza
Engine GameMaker
Platform(s) Windows, Steam Deck
Release January 26, 2023
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s)
Single-player
Pizza Tower is a 2023 platform game created by the indie developer Tour De Pizza and released for Windows and Steam Deck exclusively through the Steam distribution platform. The game follows pizza chef Peppino Spaghetti as he traverses the titular tower to save his pizzeria.
The gameplay centers around increasing score, maintaining combos, gathering collectibles, and moving fast, with a variety of maneuvers and attacks to do so. At the end of each level, the player activates an escape sequence in which they must return to the beginning of the level while timed.
Gameplay
Pizza Tower is a platform game in which the player controls Peppino Spaghetti as he traverses through each floor of a tower. The tower has five floors, each of which contains four levels and a boss (except Floor 5, which instead has three levels and a boss). In each level, there are five trapped Toppins (small creatures resembling pizza toppings) that the player can rescue for points and money, which is used to unlock boss stages. Each level has a secret treasure, locked behind a door that can only be opened by the janitor Gerome, who the player must collect and bring to the door. Most levels also feature three secret rooms, short challenges which give the player additional points and add to the level's completion
To defeat enemies, Peppino can Body Slam from above (which can also destroy obstacles) or perform a Grab Dash to hold the enemy and throw them as a projectile Like Wario Land 4's Dash Attack, Peppino can do a Mach Run if he runs for long enough, which greatly increases his speed and allows him to run up walls, defeat and stagger enemies, and destroy most blocks by running into them. While in this state, Peppino can also do a Super Jump, similar to a Shinespark in Super Metroid, where he vaults straight up, destroying any obstacles in his path until he hits a ceiling or dashes out of itThere are other moves not featured in the tutorial, like the Parry, which is performed by taunting just as an attack hits Peppino. The game also features transformations, power-ups that change Peppino's capabilities and game mechanics, many of which are limited to certain levels. These include Knight, allowing the player to damage on contact and slide on slopes; Pepper Pizza, providing invincibility and levitation; and Shotgun, adding ranged attacks and the ability to break certain blocks. In some levels, supporting characters Gustavo and Brick are playable, with their own moveset that is similar to Peppino's but allows for longer-range attacks and double jumps.
Defeating an enemy begins a combo, which increases with every enemy defeated. The combo is timed and ends within approximately 7 seconds; to maintain the combo, the player must defeat more enemies or pick up collectibles to increase their score, which pushes the timer back. Taking damage does not hurt the player, but rather lowers the player's score and tightens their window to continue the combo and complete timed objectives. The only levels where this does not apply are boss battles, where Peppino has a health bar and can be killed.
At the end of each level is a Pillar John, which the player must destroy. When he is destroyed, the "Pizza Time" phase starts, in which the player must return to the level's entrance to escape before a timer runs out. During this phase, certain areas of the level become blocked off or unlocked, and more enemies spawn. After beating a level once (or completing the game's tutorial quick enough), an optional "2nd Lap" will become available near the entrance, which returns the player to the Pillar John and increases their score upon successful completion Should the timer run out, Pizzaface will arrive to chase the player through the stage, killing them on contact and forcing the player out of the level. However, the timer running out does not mean the level cannot be completed, and the player can still outrun Pizzaface
After completing each level, the player is given a ranking based on their score and performance: D, C, B, A, and S ranks are based on the player's score—D for an extremely low score and S for acquiring almost all the points in a level—while P rank can only be acquired if the player clears all three secret rooms, collects the level's treasure, and completes the 2nd Lap, all while maintaining a single uninterrupted combo. The player is also awarded money for finding Toppins in the level, which is used to unlock boss stages. For boss battles, ranks are determined by the number of times the player took damage: D for over nine times and P for not taking any damage. Additional unlockables, such as palette swap outfits for Peppino, are acquired through achievements or certain actions.