'Pyre' Gameplay Review: Stunning Aesthetics and Excellent Narrative Featured in This Blend of Sports and RPG
It's hard to put "Pyre" in just one category due to the fact that it incorporates various storytelling and gameplay elements. In a nutshell, though, it is a cross between a role-playing game (RPG), a visual novel and a sports video game complete with a pseudo-religious plot.
The latest title from Supergiant Games takes players to the unforgiving prison realm of the Downside. Here, they will meet its population of convicts with various crimes ranging from betrayal and desertion to — and this is true — being literate.
Players take on the role of the literary character who serves as a sort of team manager or priest to a motley crew of criminals. Because in this purgatorial realm, salvation is granted only through an elaborate religious competition known as the Rites.
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The Rites is a hellish blend of basketball and football that is played by teams of three. And like any sports event, it has its own commentator in the form of "Bastion" and "Transistor" star Logan Cunningham.
"Pyre" derives its name from the object that serves as the "goal" with teams using a Celestial Orb to put out its flame. Players fight for possession of the orb with each successful goal weakening their opponent's flame.
But the gameplay only consists half of the game. In the single-player campaign, the player known as The Reader will meet a number of likable RPG characters each with their own interesting backstory.
As the story progresses, characters will join the player's team and face-off against other Downside denizens in the Rites. The writers at Supergiant Games certainly didn't scrimp on the plot which makes each character and class that much more interesting.
Despite being set in a purgatory-like setting, the game's aesthetics are lacking in the doom and gloom department which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sadly though, the game's quest portion mainly consists of static art and a whole lot of reading.
This affinity to walls of text coupled with the lack of online play certainly let it down as well as its learning curve. Nevertheless, its story, gameplay and art are more than enough to get players hooked.
"Pyre" is available on the PlayStation 4 and the Windows PC.
