Pizza Possum Review (PS5) – A short and sweet experience that doesn’t outstay its welcome, Pizza Possum is a delightfully offbeat stealth-action game that offers spades of personality within its short playtime as well as remarkably solid gameplay across the board.
Like the food that the game is named after, Pizza Possum is a game that will have you coming back for more to go for another round after the credits roll.
Pizza Possum Review (PS5) – Marsupial Munchies
Get Climbing
Pizza Possum wastes no time with a plot or a setup. You’re given your mission – to travel up through the idyllic mountain village of various animal characters and dethrone Bella Chonki from her seat of power by… eating her royal pizza. The setup is simple and to the point, and offers a charming reason to be climbing and stealing food along the way.
The game offers absolutely no obstacles in this regard, you can quickly hop into a new attempt to climb the tower within moments and this does wonders to lower any frustration that might arise from a lost attempt. Pizza Possum wants to encourage you to try new routes and new approaches as often as you can.
Almost in a roguelike style, you begin every run as a weak and vulnerable possum, who can easily be caught by any of the guards that you see. But over several attempts, you’ll begin to unlock various items that will help you to climb even higher than before.
Climb, Climb Again
You won’t beat this game in one try – Pizza Possum is designed to be a game that you gradually progress through before having that one perfect run that will let you reign supreme.
The general formula of the game is easy to understand. The island is divided into various different smaller sections, that are locked off from each other. By stealing food throughout the area, you’ll earn a key to advance to the next area, and so on. Within those areas, there are guards that will give chase if they see you.
From bumbling dogs, to screeching chihuahuas and high-alert (oddly operatic) wolves, there are several different types of enemies to avoid as you make your way to the delicious prize. Like any good food thief, you’ll want to stick to the shadows by hiding in bushes and making sure you aren’t spotted.
The game controls very intuitively and there was never a moment where a death felt out of my control. I could always see where my mistakes were and I was encouraged to take a more careful approach on my next attempt up the island.
A Buffet of Options
At the start of the game, you’ll be alone in your attempt to reach the crown and you’ll struggle to make your way past some areas of the village. But as you play the game and generally progress, Pizza Possum slowly uncovers a catalogue of various useful items that will help the possum on his way.
From speed-boosting energy drinks and espressos to the more direct smoke bombs and boxing gloves, each item you unlock will steadily put you in a stronger position to dethrone the queen and claim your prize.
This loop of unlocking items after failed runs encouraged me to go for just one more and really helped ease frustration when I got a bit too greedy with the mountain of spaghetti I was trying to eat.
And while I managed to beat the game before I unlocked some of the more powerful items, like the almighty olive oil that works as an extra life, I was still excited to see what new options I would be given. Unlocking the ability to punch dogs and steal their sandwiches was a particular highlight of my own playthrough.
Just One More Slice (Or Three)
Pizza Possum doesn’t end when you reach the top of the tower, it ends after you reach the tower for a third time. On these second and third playthroughs, you are challenged to get from the bottom to the top without being caught a single time. This is an immediate raise of pressure for the player and might sound absurd when listening to it.
Luckily, Pizza Possum is a mechanically solid enough game that climbing the towering village consistently was in my court rather than a rogue enemy appearing in an unfair location. If anything, I would have preferred a few more of these surprises as I returned to the top of the hill.
These subsequent runs very slightly increase the difficulty, with additional enemies being stationed around. Unfortunately, this does little to raise the challenge when you maintain all upgrades from the previous one.
This means that additional enemies might be a bit of a pushover. I would have loved to have seen some changed layouts or new obstacles.
Culinarily Crafted
Special credit should go to how Pizza Possum actually presents itself to the player; a delightfully simple art style that bursts with personality and charm from every possible corner. From the hilariously floppy animations of the various animals to the gorgeously colourful architecture of the island.
This is complimented by a great dynamic soundtrack that punctuates each action that you do – from the rising drumbeat as you steal a big piece of food, to the chaotic blasts of brass as you run away from an army of dogs, it all comes together in a fantastic way.
Every single time you’re caught by one of the guards, you hear the possum screech out in complete terror as you run away, and it never failed to make me laugh dozens of times. Which might say some things about me but the entertainment value is undeniable. The possum’s maniacal chittering as he drinks another espresso for a speed boost, taunting as he escapes another guard, it’s all fantastic stuff.
I never grew bored of exploring this expansive area throughout my various runs, the art style is absolutely fantastic and serves the game brilliantly. And while I wasn’t able to experience the co-operative mode during this review period, I feel like I would have just as much, if not even more fun sharing these hilarious marsupial moments with a close friend.
Especially with how elegantly the co-op handles screen sharing, with a dynamic divide between two players. Truly great stuff on show here.
Pizza Possum is now available on PS5.
Review code kindly provided by publisher.