Pid

A smart and, at some times, very challenging puzzle platformer with neat-looking visuals and good music. Still, it's not very memorable in the long run.

If it wasn't for these frustrating moments, Pid would be a lovely mix of puzzles and platforming, making you challenge and engage your brain. Missing the bus should be the most frustrating thing you experience, but unfortunately it's not, meaning Pid is just one stop short of something great.

Pid isn't going to stand out as an all time classic of the generation, it won't find itself mentioned in the same breath as a Limbo, or a Braid, but what it does, it does generally well. It is a fine game to pick up and play through, but despite its wonderful understated presentation, it isn't one that will stay with you once finished.

Kurt's trials partly arise from the traditional platforming challenge, of course, but trimming the more repetitive sequences and draining the bosses' health would have edged this effort toward the greatness enjoyed by some of its contemporary cousins.

A game that takes patience and an appreciation for the more unforgiving elements of platform titles. Dying time and again at the hands of the same trap starts to get old fast. However, there's no denying that the game's puzzles are of the more inventive variety in the platformer genre, and with its quality narrative, Pid's worth getting invested in.

Pid is one of those games that I feel just came out at the wrong time. It does some very nice things but the difficulty in the boss fights and the monotony of the platforming after a while will bog down players. The co-op is a shining point to the game, and the presentation is top notch. For ten dollars, you can still get a little enjoyment out of it as long as you have patience.

More work on the game's controls and play balance, and maybe perhaps even shortening the length a bit, would have gone a long way towards making Pid a more enjoyable experience.

The great design and vision behind Pid can't quite overcome its faults in execution, so I can't put my stamp of enthusiastic recommendation on it.

If it got a visual downgrade, Pid would be right at home during the 8-bit era. Might and Delight have created a fine homage to retro gaming, but it comes with that era's often redundant gameplay and maddening boss battles. Game design has moved on, and unless you're ready for a frustrating experience (with a few key moments of promise), I suggest doing the same.

PID's all-consuming repetitiveness wears thin extremely quickly. [Issue#93, p.84]

Exemplary art and music alone willfully justify the purchase. The problem is there's a less satisfactory design there to meet it and the game never proves as interesting or provocative as appearances let on. There is something special about Pid, it just doesn't fully execute on all of its winning ideas.

Pid feels like the indie game equivalent of paint-by-numbers. While it does an admirable job aping the style and atmosphere of titles like Braid, Limbo, and Machinarium, the entire experience winds up hollow, overlong, and ultimately forgettable thanks to awkward pacing and a gameplay gimmick that isn't quite as versatile as it needs to be.

Pid boasts an excellent design and interesting mechanics, but suffers from an excessive and unforgiving difficulty level that puts players in very repetitive situations most often than not. Nevertheless, it's pleasant to watch and offers quite a difficult, although dull, challenge.

As it stands, Pid is a misguided platformer that is set to quickly disappear from memory.