Pyre Reviews
Pyre is an audiovisual delight, with a mesmerizing, painterly art-style which is further complemented by some excellent, tactical gameplay, too. Simply put, it's a magical symphony of the senses.
With a unique core game design and gorgeous presentation, 'Pyre' is our favorite Supergiant game yet.
Much of the pull of this world is delivered through Pyre's narrative, which drives the game forward in spite of the repetition of its sports game-style core. Sharply written dialogue is interspersed between rites, illuminating a story that branches in dozens of different ways. That plot is carried on the shoulders of a wonderful cast of characters – party members such as the gruff demon Jodariel, the bitter bog witch Bertrude and my personal favorite, Sir Gilman, a snake with a single large eye who wears a clunky metal helmet and wants nothing more than to be an honorable knight.
Pyre is good in many ways. It's even good enough that it made me call my boss a m*********.
Although I wasn't quite as attached to the characters as I had hoped, I did appreciate the medley of personalities and felt the world and its customs were admirably orchestrated within everyone's backstory. It might not be for everyone, but Pyre delivers on its fun gameplay in a way that beautifully illustrates the struggles of redemption and what it means to gain true freedom.
Pyre is a fun, deep and strategic game with a gorgeous aesthetic. But it's the way the music and themes stick with you long after the credits roll that really makes it a worthwhile experience.
Pyre mashes up point-and-click adventures, RPGs, and sports games—and comes out the other end with one of the more memorable stories we've seen in some time. It's a tale of freedom, sacrifice, and rising against the odds, even when they seem to be in your favor. While it can be a bit repetitive gameplay-wise, the colorful world and even more colorful characters should be more than enough to motivate you to fight for the exiles of the Downside.
Pyre definitely suffers from structural issues, and doesn't solidify into a truly great experience until its later half, but on the whole it's another fascinating entry from Supergiant Games - and that second half is worth it. Somewhat flawed, but recommended nonetheless.
Pyre's battle system is excellent and delivers upon thrilling competitive play, but whether it has any future in that space could rest on whether it gets online play.
From the art to the music to the story to the tactical gameplay, and even to how they're all woven together so artfully, Pyre is an adventure that excels in every area of its design other than limiting its multiplayer to local only. It's an epic journey that made me feel thrilled, devastated, and awed, and its tense moments had me tugging my collar both in and out of its fast-paced mystical sports arenas. With an emotionally charged ending that saw so much I'd striven for come to fruition, but was still tinged with tragedy and melancholy even when I did almost everything right, I won't be able to get Pyre out of my head for a long time. This is Supergiant's best work to date, and that's saying something.
Fun and well-paced, 'Pyre' is the rare game that wants players to embrace their slip ups
Pyre marks Supergiant Games' third consecutive masterpiece. A bizarre blend of genres creates an excitingly original title aided by incredible world building and one of the most consistently interesting casts of characters we've ever seen assembled. This is all further enhanced by some outstanding artwork. Framerate issues and the odd difficulty spike detract from the overall experience, but can't prevent this outing from achieving excellence.
The action that takes place in the arenas of Pyre is explosively fast-paced and laced with magical allure. While the action that occurs off the field is a satisfyingly slow unravelling of dense lore and affecting individual tales. These contrasting styles interchange flawlessly throughout the game's duration - creating a rhythm for the journey that consistently feels unpredictable and exciting. Even with all its blemishes, Pyre is a rousing expression of exceptional high fantasy. The PC version of this game was played for the purpose of this review.
Pyre is a brilliant reinvention of the term "fantasy sports," with story, visuals, and gameplay to die for. Go buy it.
Pyre is a picturesque little masterpiece that impresses with its dense atmosphere as well as with its gameplay qualities.
Review in German | Read full review
Pyre teaches you to fight tirelessly for your freedom, but to question the definition of that freedom as well. I like the sports-combat a little more each time I play. And Pyre fetishizes the tools of the writer's trade, but more importantly focuses on the art and dialogue of good storytelling.
Pyre spins a powerful tale of redemption, religion, and monster dunks
Mixing together so many different influences and styles of gameplay together could have made Pyre an unwieldy, confusing experience. However, Supergiant apparently found just the right mixture of ingredients to make Pyre work almost perfectly, as its addicting Rites “combat” shows. Thanks to a compelling mix of gameplay and atmosphere bound by an incredible art style, Supergiant Games has crafted one of this year's most unique titles that's equally tense and thought-provoking throughout its journey. Coming from the studio that already has provided memorable titles like Bastion and Transistor, Pyre has me eagerly waiting for the next story that they have to tell.
While I had some difficulty getting into the gameplay at first, due to how different it is to previous games from this developer, I'm glad to have persevered. Given the chance, Pyre opens up a world rich with lore to enjoy, and a variety of characters to throw headlong into magical bonfires. With both the story campaign and a multiplayer match mode available, it's easy to get deep into the Rites yourself.