Axel & Pixel

 Xbox 360
  • Publisher: 2K Play
  • Release Date: Oct 14, 2009
  • Also On: PC
Axel & Pixel Image
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

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  • Summary: [Xbox Live Arcade] One day Axel, a painter, and his dog Pixel, awaken trapped in a beautiful but perilous dream world of his own creation. Together, they must solve the mysteries of Axel's landscapes to get home. Guide Axel & Pixel through this awe-inspiring world to help Axel fulfill his[Xbox Live Arcade] One day Axel, a painter, and his dog Pixel, awaken trapped in a beautiful but perilous dream world of his own creation. Together, they must solve the mysteries of Axel's landscapes to get home. Guide Axel & Pixel through this awe-inspiring world to help Axel fulfill his greatest wish - to paint a picture of all four seasons in a single day. [Microsoft]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. X-ONE Magazine UK
    90
    A quite marvelous piece of work. [Issue#53, p.104]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. Games Master UK
    83
    Bizarre, beautiful. [Christmas 2009, p.80]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. GameZone
    80
    Axel & Pixel is short and easy, and doesn’t really heap on the replay value. However, if you are looking for a fun night with a unique and charming title, then look no further.
  4. Official Xbox Magazine
    70
    There's one thing that we can't dispute: Axel & Pixel is a gorgeous point-and-click adventure. However, the story leaves a bit to be desired. [Holiday 2009, p.76]
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  5. Console Monster
    70
    From the fanatical art style to giggle n’ grunts from Axel and his companion, this is certainly a step in the right direction and a great introduction into the point-and-click genre. I just hope Axel & Pixel return to our consoles in another adventure.
  6. GamingTrend
    69
    Axel and Pixel gets full credit for attempting to make a creative, artistic game, but the low difficulty and short length cause it to unfortunately fall short of the mark.
  7. Game Revolution
    42
    Even though it's got loads of personality and it fully embraces its own craziness, it fails to be a sturdy combination of different game genres, and is just not fun enough to justify hunting through all those pixels.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. MegWhiteley
    Mar 6, 2012
    10
    Axel & Pixel is a fantastic games, have one of the most simple and addictive funny gameplays that I watch, is really funny and interesting.Axel & Pixel is a fantastic games, have one of the most simple and addictive funny gameplays that I watch, is really funny and interesting. This is one of the most better games on Xbox Live Arcade.… Expand
  2. Vashoot
    Oct 20, 2009
    10
    Really beautiful and funny game! This is the only point and click game that I have played and enjoyed.
  4. OnnoW
    Nov 26, 2009
    10
    Great game to play in between fast paced games. Looks beautiful and plays wonderful!
  5. GaryGamesoup
    Sep 27, 2011
    9
    --[THE GOOD]--

    - The dream world is a thing of beauty, wonder, and absolute insanity - Simple and awesome point-and-click gameplay -    --[THE GOOD]--

    - The dream world is a thing of beauty, wonder, and absolute insanity

    - Simple and awesome point-and-click gameplay

    - Visually pleasing

    - Beautiful, charming soundtrack

    - Fantastic mini games


    --[THE BAD]--

    - Pixel hunting is maybe a bit too prevalent


    (Graphics) - [9] - The key graphical formula in Axel & Pixel is that of simple, hand-drawn cartoon characters against beautifully rendered real-life environments of the four seasons, each with their own special feel, with Spring featuring very subtle colours and a looming tone of that after-Winter feeling, while Winter itself is covered in soft-on-the-eyes whites, light blues and greys, with a strong emphasis on ice itself. It's definitely the most visually pleasing of the four seasons and there's an inescapable feeling of comfort and warmth along with it. In fact, the whole darn place is extremely pretty indeed. Each and every morsel of the dream world has a bit of life, magic and depth to it; some of the stuff around you has absolutely no significance to the game itself â    … Expand
  6. relentless879
    May 9, 2014
    8
    Axel & Pixel is a charming point & click adventure game about a painter, Axel & his dog, Pixel who are thrown into a weird dream world after aAxel & Pixel is a charming point & click adventure game about a painter, Axel & his dog, Pixel who are thrown into a weird dream world after a rat had tampered with a magic record player.

    Within this dream world, weird creatures appear, and the rat had transformed into an evil demon rat. You have to chase the rat through dozens of scenes depicting the four seasons, spring through to winter. To progress through, you have to solve puzzles using the magic cursor clicking on numerous objects around the scenes in the correct order.
    The game varies slightly, where some actions will require you to follow a sequence of button presses that appear on screen, usually to climb objects or dodge hazards. At the end of each season you have to control a vehicle, a hot air balloon, car and a boat, using controls to avoid hazards along the way.

    Graphically the game shows good details showing the different seasons, with snow covered landscapes, blooming flowers of spring, and orange tones of autumn. The characters are quirky, with painter looking like a modern day Picasso, acknowledging the player when he has made the correct choice or not, with mumbles and cheers.

    With the world being weird, some of the puzzles you need to complete would not make any sense if the objects did not get highlighted. For example, you would not expect hitting a bird to get an egg to crush would be needed to grow a beanstalk to climb on top of a turtle.

    But with the game being an adventure game, the game makes you feel like a spectator, even though for each scene you are given 3 clues, mostly likely you'll never need them. The magic cursor changes colour and shape whenever the cursor is over an object, so you just have to use trial and error to figure the puzzles out.
    Most players will find the game too easy, even for young gamers this is aimed at, the story can be finished in a couple of hours. There are hidden objects within the scenes as well are paint tubes, paintings, and dog bones for you to find, which will give some replay value if you missed any on your first play-through. Collecting all the items and solving the scenes with less clues will give you a score which goes on a leader-board to compare with friends.
    The game features mini-games featuring the 3 vehicles from the story, collecting items and trying to get a high score, but these games don't offer much more of a challenge either.
    Overall the game doesn't offer much of a challenge considering the price is 800 MS points or about £8, to be played just for a couple of hours. Though the player will enjoy the quirky characters and unique art style of the scenes, this does not feel like a real game as it could have been.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

89
#89 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2009