Summary:
The Pedestrian is a 2-D platformer puzzle game that tends to break reality in the best way. If you enjoy puzzles, gorgeous visuals, or just the “woah, cool!” feeling – this game is absolutely for you. The game mechanics and background visuals are stunning, and the puzzles are creative.
It’s family-friendly, with no narrative, no text, but lots of fun.
Overview:
You play as the walking man you’ve seen on every crosswalk sign. You’ll make your way downtown, walking fast, faces past and you’re homebound.
This is a great Couple Co-Op game (one person with one controller, as opposed to a couch co-op with two players and two controllers) that is easy to watch. It’s simple, yet effective: you move the signs, connect the doors, join the ladders, and grab items to progress through the game. But sometimes you’ll need to think outside the box to move along.
The game will give you very few hints on how to proceed through the world, you’ll occasionally need to take a step back and remember what are the very few actionable things you can do. I had to occasionally take breaks and return to the game to let my brain take a breather. Upon return, the answer to the puzzle would be more obvious, and I could continue to the next level.
The levels can feel repetitive after a while, however, in between the larger puzzles there are shorter, mini-levels that will give your brain a break and a chance to observe the game in its beauty. Half of the fun is looking around at all of the detail and gorgeous background that surrounds the signs you’re inhabiting.
Unfortunately, the biggest downside to this game is the content. You can expect to beat it within 4-6 hours (faster puzzle solvers will be able to complete it under 4). Considering how fun the late-game mechanics get, I was a little disappointed with how quickly the game wrapped up – especially for the price tag at 19.99 on the Nintendo EShop at the time of writing this review. There isn’t an opportunity for replayability, unfortunately. I will have to come back in a few years (or, fingers crossed, wait for a sequel) to get my fix again.
Still, this is an insanely enjoyable game that I wish I could erase my memory and play again. It’s creative and innovative but does not cross the line of frustration like some puzzle games can have. Very beautiful, very entertaining.
Lastly, a big thank you to Skookum Arts LLC for the review code for this game on behalf of the Handheld Gaming Community. If you are interested in purchasing and enjoying this game for yourself, look no further than the Nintendo Eshop.
