Pizza Tower is a 2023 platformer developed by the indie team Tour De Pizza. The game revolves around Peppino Spaghetti, a pizza chef who must climb a tower to save his pizzeria from destruction. Players traverse 20 side-scrolling levels, accumulating points by collecting items and defeating enemies to build combos. At the end of each level, an escape sequence is triggered, requiring the player to race back to the beginning within a time limit. The game lacks traditional health or life systems, with difficulty determined by player choices and objectives.
Development
Work on Pizza Tower began around 2018, led by McPig (the game’s designer) and Sertif (the programmer). Initially conceived as a survival horror RPG, the project eventually transformed into a platformer inspired by Nintendo’s Wario Land series, which McPig sought to emulate. The game was developed using GameMaker and boasts a unique, high-resolution pixel art style inspired by SpongeBob SquarePants and French comics. The gameplay and level design are heavily influenced by Wario Land 4 (2001).
During its development, Pizza Tower gained a significant fanbase thanks to early access builds available to Patreon supporters and demos. It was officially released for Windows on January 26, 2023, to a positive reception, with critics praising its gameplay, music, humor, and art style. Reviewers compared its aesthetic to 1990s Nicktoons and its sense of speed to the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Many considered it a worthy spiritual successor to Wario Land, with some even claiming it surpassed the original inspiration. Post-launch, the game was supported with updates, including new content into 2024 and a port for the Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay
In Pizza Tower, players control Peppino Spaghetti, an Italian chef running a struggling pizzeria. One day, Pizzaface, a sentient pizza, threatens to destroy Peppino’s shop with a nuclear laser from the top of a nearby tower. Determined to save his business, Peppino embarks on a journey to climb the tower and defeat Pizza face. The tower acts as the hub world, featuring five floors, each containing four unique levels and a boss battle. Each level introduces different themes and mechanics, such as riding on surfable corpses in a cemetery or encountering jump scares in an homage to Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Peppino has a wide range of moves, including running, jumping, rolling, sliding, and attacking enemies with a body slam or grab-and-throw mechanic. If Peppino runs long enough, he enters a dashing state, allowing him to scale walls and smash through enemies. Players can chain combos by defeating enemies and collecting items, with combos lasting for seven seconds unless renewed by further actions. Some levels introduce power-ups, such as guns or knight armour, and Gustavo, a secondary character who can ride his pet rat. Players can unlock new outfits for Peppino by completing challenges and achievements.
Each level is packed with secrets, including pizza toppings that unlock boss battles, treasures hidden behind locked doors, and rooms that award extra points. At the end of most levels, players must destroy a pillar, triggering “Pizza Time.” During this phase, players must race back to the level’s entrance within a time limit to avoid being caught by Pizza Face. Failing to do so forces a restart. For bonus points, players can complete an optional second lap by returning to the end of the level and racing back to the start again. Each level concludes with a score and letter grade based on performance, with the highest rank, P, requiring perfection across points, secrets, and combos.
The game does not feature conventional difficulty settings. Instead, the challenge is dictated by how much the player chooses to accomplish. There are no lives or health systems; colliding with obstacles only reduces the player’s score and shortens the combo timer. Boss fights, such as battles against characters like Pepperman, the Vigilante, and Peppino’s nemesis, the Noise, are the only stages where Peppino can take damage. Players must avoid enemy attacks and deplete the bosses’ health to advance.
In March 2024, a free update introduced a New Game Plus mode, adding the Noise as a playable character. Although his moveset is similar to Peppino’s, it incorporates unique abilities, such as using a skateboard and jetpack. Playing as the Noise also alters the game’s interface and music, offering a fresh experience for players.
