Developed by PigeonDev
Ported & Published by Sometimes You
Released for Xbox One (3/1/2019)
Also on PC/PS4/Switch/Vita
Awesome Pea, developed by PigeonDev, is a 2D platformer that was originally released for PC in September 2018, while the Xbox One version was published by Sometimes You in March 2019. Awesome Pea attempts to capitalize on the nostalgia craze, featuring retro-inspired graphics that mimic the look of the Game Boy with it's limited yellow-green color palette. There's been no shortage of retro-throwback titles or 2D platformers over the years, so without further ado let's look at Awesome Pea and see if it's worth taking the money and time to download and play...
In Awesome Pea, you take control of the little blob-looking thing that I'd guess is supposed to be the titular pea. The pea looks quite reminiscent of the main character Jerry from Game Freak's Jerry Boy (or Smart Ball in the US). You move the pea with the analog stick or d-pad and use the A button to jump. You also have a double-jump. That's it to the controls in Awesome Pea. While simple, they work well enough and the platforming feels good for the most part.
Awesome Pea features an overworld map featuring 4 worlds with 30 stages between them, unlocking the next as you complete each one. There's a couple different types of themes for the stages which you'll see repeat with different layouts as you progress. The backgrounds are detailed enough when taking the game's limited color palette into consideration. The music and sound effects are retro-themed in order to complement the graphics, and while nothing stands out too much they're not bad either. The limited color palette makes the game a bit ugly though and I frequently found myself wanting to play only a few levels at a time as the drab palette makes it uninteresting to look at for long periods of time. That's not to say that the game is terrible, it's an above average effort, just that the lack of colors and repetitive stage designs makes it hard to bear for long periods of time.
Each stage has a set of collectibles in the form of coins and gems, with an achievement to be unlocked for gathering all of them on every stage. This helps add at least a small amount of replay value, which is good because Awesome Pea is a short game. The first time you boot the game up, both of the featured "effects" are turned on, which are actually just filters. The tube-effect warps the corners of the screen to emulate and old computer or television monitor. The CRT-effect adds some overall transparent fuzziness and a bit of a warped picture down towards the lower portion of the screen. This looks more like viewing a worn-out VHS tape or watching a channel with bad reception than your standard CRT picture. We'll delve a bit more into these filters when we get into the gripes here shortly. Awesome Pea features music and sound that feel appropriate to the graphic style, and while they suit the game well enough there's not enough music tracks and the overall sound design is unremarkable.
In a platformer like Awesome Pea, it's important to be able to control your character with accuracy. I'm glad to report that the controls here, while far from perfect, work well enough with regards to the challenges laid out by the developers. It feels like there's a slight lag between the moment you press the jump button and when the pea on-screen reacts to it, but it's not game-breaking and is something you'll adjust to if you stick with the game. Awesome Pea has a double-jump that's easy to use and adjusting in mid-air works well. You can control the pea with either the analog stick or the d-pad.
Most of the levels themselves are quite standard and not too challenging, just jump over the obstacles while collecting the coins and gems. There is one particular stage type that stood out as more annoying than the others, which are the stages where you're descending downwards while the ball projectiles are coming up from below and the sides. These stages are far more difficult than the others and will no doubt be the main source of frustration for those trying to 100% the game. They're do-able, just a major pain in the butt.
Other gripes include a questionable player hit-box, where it feels like I clearly jumped over the spike or projectile but somehow still got hit. The included CRT filter not only makes no sense for a game trying to replicate something from the Game Boy, but it also obstructs the view of some coins or gems located on the sides of the screen, thus it handicaps the gameplay. The other included screen distortion effect also makes no sense on a Game Boy game either and is a rather pointless inclusion. If you intend to play Awesome Pea, my first recommendation is to go into the options and turn the filter and distortion effects off.
While Awesome Pea delivers a serviceable 2D-platforming experience, when you reach the final stage it feels anti-climactic and the game just sort of ends. With a lack of boss battles or any type of confrontation at all, the game feels a bit hollow when compared to other efforts in this genre. A little bit of action mixed with the platforming might have went a ways to make the game a bit more fun, but as it stands Awesome Pea is a middle of the road 2D-platformer with a relatively easy set of achievements to obtain. It's not bad, but it really doesn't do much to stand out.
Final Verdict: Awesome Pea is a basic 2D-platformer with decent controls and relatively easy achievements, but the game feels a bit underwhelming in the long run due to the lack of any boss fights and unmemorable level design. You get what you pay for with this one.
Related Links:
Buy Awesome Pea - Microsoft Store
PigeonDev - Twitter
Sometimes You - Official Site
Awesome Pea - GameFAQs
Awesome Pea - True Achievements
Awesome Pea - Xbox Achievements
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