Pyre Reviews
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.
Pyre's campaign is repetitive and its combat never quite clicks, but a touching and thoughtful story makes it worth sticking through to the end.
Dazzling and mysterious, this ambitious party-based RPG is a masterpiece.
The bizarre mix of influences and gameplay doesn't always gel, but the visuals and writing help paper over the cracks in this admirably unique adventure.
Pyre is a lengthy sojourn into a surprising setting, with gameplay focused on a thrilling, smartly balanced battle sport
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's wit and whimsy effortlessly usher you into a captivating world of punishment, sacrifice, and competition.
Pyre is good in many ways. It's even good enough that it made me call my boss a m*********.
Pyre's strengths lie in a lot of things: its beautiful visuals, amazing score, multi-branching tale, gameplay that somehow marries the best of sports games and tactical RPGs. But it's wrapped in an expansive story that doesn't quite earn its keep over its many hours, and fails to flesh out the endearing characters you meet and spend time with all along the way. In the end though, Pyre's a quest worth taking if you're up for the challenge and the inevitable dread you'll feel when you lose sometimes.
The truth is that Pyre does exactly what it set out to do, with no caveats or qualifiers. It created a truly original core game mode and backed it up with solid RPG mechanics that extend the game's already impressive longevity for a $20 game.
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.
Supergiant Games continue to burn brightly as an independent studio, with Pyre being their latest imaginative and fantastical adventure. It casts aside many of the trappings of an action RPG from Bastion and Transistor in favour of something more akin to a real time tactical game, wrapping its fast paced and often fraught battles up in a world and cast of characters that gradually draw you into its cyclical tale.
Deep, atmospheric and unique, but too slow and only in english. Not for everyone, but those who enjoy its proposal will be sucked into this magnificient new world that Supergiant Games has created.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A fascinating and deep strategic adventure that will please the storytelling's lovers.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Pyre is a brilliant reinvention of the term "fantasy sports," with story, visuals, and gameplay to die for. Go buy it.
Not only is it one of the most beautiful games I've played in recent memory, but it has some new mechanics and ideas to keep you playing.
Pyre backs up its eye candy with some pretty impressive world-building and fun gameplay, particularly in Versus Mode. Though the battles in the main campaign don't offer too much of a challenge, the controls still make it feel great when you drive your team into your opponent's goal. All that supplementary reading in the Book of Rites might not be for everyone, but even without it, Supergiant has still built a memorable, visually spectacular world.
I only wish that the mechanics and feeling of Pyreball lived up to that strong storytelling, because it so often feels like an interruption to a great tale.