Pyre
Released: July 25, 2017
Game Length: 11 Hours
Grade: B+
Expectations: So Pyre is another one of Supergiant Games that I guess I just had to play. Honestly, I'm not expecting much after my time with Bastion and Transistor. I figured I would just install the game and figure out what it is like when I play it. Is it a board game, a card game, or some turn-based RPG? Who knows.
Reality: Wait, this is a sports game? You're telling me that the developers made a story in a mystical land where races of all kinds get together to compete in a sports game? I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this. In reality, this game is secretly a visual novel in disguise. You become acquainted with a rag-tag team of people all exiled to the wasteland like yourself. The game quickly throws you into mysterious circumstances as you guide these people to various "Rites" that pop up all over the place. The game is very open to the matter of choice when it asks you whether you are male or female (can be changed in options), what your friend's name is (Fae), if your pal looks good with a mustache, and in which direction you want to take the team. Depending on your choices in the world, you will net bonus experience, more equipment, or new abilities. If you spend extra time with your friends or pit them against their adversaries, they might be more keen to revealing a little more about themselves and their predicament.
Story: At first, I would have been happy for the game to gradually show-off the areas while facing each of your opponents one-by-one until reaching a climatic end at the top of the mountain. When things appear to be ending, your fearless leader reveals a certain "untruth" that makes you realize that you aren't even half done. As the story unfolds, you must repeat your endeavors "up until the stars end." Not only do you gradually lose members one-by-one, but the game forces you choose other players when you use the same ones too many times. However, the longer you keep your friends with you, the more information you can ascertain regarding their background. Unexpectedly, there is also a third choice: one of your opponents can be freed if you fail in the match against them. This can cause billions of unique possibilities with about a hundred different variables in how the game will end. The lore is extremely well-done when it comes to building up the personalities of each of the characters and the worlds they inhabit. I might not have been too focused on the history of the Scribes, but you could spend a good chunk of time reading all about it as your book opens up more of its pages after every encounter.
Opinion: Pyre isn't the game that I wanted. It had a wealth of knowledge, dropping all kinds of names and stories that I didn't really care about. Trying to toss a ball into the opposing team's fire was probably the last thing I expected to be doing. I most certainly did not expect the sudden twist of "The Plan" that would extend the game for another 5 hours. Despite all of this, everything is done superbly. You can feel the passion in this project when you realize every character has a unique playing style related to their race, the AI can be brutally efficient if you let your guard down, the finely-tuned biographies make you care about each individual regardless if they are friend or foe, and the amount of auxiliary content there is inside and out of the wagon. Logan Cunningham did a wonderful job as The Voice that eerily reminds me of Will Stamper in TheBehemoth games. The only thing I wished would have happened was the ability to play the wonderful custom music while having a chat with someone. If you are looking for a unique experience, Pyre is definitely your game.
12-7-2020