Don’t let the name of this new game from Riverman Media deter you from experiencing the sheer awesomeness of it. The similarity between this and Plants vs. Zombies ends at the name. Pizza vs. Skeletons is an entirely original game, and it deserves your time and money.
The storyline of the game is just plain wacky. The dead have risen again, but this time they’ve met their match in the form of a giant mutant pizza pie whose only purpose in life is to smash bones back to the unholy pit from whence they came. And, you know, rescue the occasional puppy.
PvS opens up with a campy introduction short with a voiceover explaining the plotline, and then a quick tutorial on how to play the game. The controls are fairly simple: tap to make your pizza mutant jump, and tilt the device to make it roll towards enemies. As you progress through the 100 mini-game style levels, you learn a few different attacks like the ground pound and the double jump. There are also a couple of boss battles at the end of each world. Some of them are pretty simple, like the first boss wherein you’ve apparently become a sumo mutant pizza, and the object of the fight is to push the giant skull monster off the cliff. As you go on to the next world, the boss battles increase in difficulty.
Some of you might be put off by the idea of another tilt control game, but if there’s one thing I long for in iOS games, it’s a good control mechanic, and Pizza vs. Skeletons has it. The tilt mechanic, unlike in a lot of games, is super well calibrated, so the response time is great and makes you feel more in control of your character.
What’s also fun about this game is that, as you play, you collect coins. Those coins can be used in the game’s store to buy a bunch of different things to customize your pizza. You can purchase different facial features, an assortment of toppings, and accessories like top hats, mohawks, and wings. You can even change your whole image and become a birthday cake. Or a cheetah. Or a jellyfish. The point is that the customization options are just as outrageous and nonsensical as the game at large.
So, if you’re tired of the same old games, Pizza vs. Skeletons is a really entertaining breath of fresh air. It’s packed full of content with promises from Riverman Media of more on the way. It’s available on the App Store right now for an introductory price of $2.99, but it won’t be that price for much longer. Go check it out.
