Pyre
Developer: Supergiant Games
Price: Approximately ₹500 for PC and ₹1,664 on PlayStation 4
Welcome dear gamer, to the high fantasy world of Pyre, a role-playing game that incorporates a lot of sports. Wait, what? Yes, you read that right. When sports and fantasy meet, it’s like two worlds have collided. Pyre bravely goes where no other game has gone before, giving players something quite unlike anything they’ve ever played.
What’s it about?
Well, intrepid reader, this is a weird and magical world, where you play as an unnamed and unseen protagonist, only known as the Reader. You’re banished from the Commonwealth, a society that values illiteracy above everything, and you are left for dead in the wastes known as the Downside, a Purgatory of sorts. It’s there that you meet a roving tribe called The Nightwings, who make you aware of your destiny: to form a team to compete in a game called The Rite, in order to win back your place in the Commonwealth.
From the very first scene of the game, Pyre hooks you in deep into its engaging story. The narrative unfolds using a visual novel technique, much like the Phoenix Wright or Fire Emblem games. You do have a lot more control over the story and your characters, as you meet new exiles and find those best suited for the game. The story has deep religious metaphors and has an art style that’s other-worldly, like most of Supergiant’s other titles.
The developers have carved an impressive track record, with Bastion and the recent Transistor, a neo-noire jazz-infused game, with an excellent battle system and story. Pyre is one of the most satisfying games you will play with a story that will resonate. Its characters are endearing and fantasy world is a place you’ll keep wanting to return to. Not many games can boast of such a perfectly executed storyline, but Pyre pulls it off.
How does it play?
The Rite can be best described as a sort of a basketball game. There is a mystical crystal ball that deploys in the centre of a field, where two teams of three players have to face off against each other. The goal is to dunk the ball into the enemy’s pyre. You then proceed to play with one less player as the enemy team tries to dunk the ball into your pyre.
Like most sports games, there is defence and offence, but The Rite looks at things differently. Each player is surrounded by an aura, which if any opposing player touches, they get dispelled for some time. You can hurl this aura at someone who is carrying the ball to dismiss them. Plus, each field has obstacles, traps or mechanisms to either aid you or get in your way.
What is crucial and the most fun part of the game, is planning out your star team and your strategy. Bigger units have larger auras, but smaller units can move fast. As you face off against increasingly difficult teams, you will need to keep switching team members and changing up your battle plan constantly, like a pro.
Once that 20-odd-hour campaign is up, you can take your game online in a player-versus-player match. It’s a very simple affair, that lets you choose and play any of the teams. Hopefully, if this catches on, Supergiant can actually expand it into a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) of sorts, which they should. It’s incredibly addictive.
Pyre is a beautiful game, with intricate hand-drawn visuals that are a lot like The Banner Saga. The playing fields are also simple, with beautiful animations. What stood out the most are the colours, which are arcane, to say the least, with deep blues and reds, etched with bright lines of primaries. Even the character portraits are well drawn.
Should you get it?
Pyre just came out of nowhere and hit us like a bit fat celestial crystal ball in the face. Its moving storyline, amazing visuals and gameplay leaves you wanting more.
Julian Almeida is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel