Pit People is a property that would take some talent to pitch to the uninitiated. There are so many ways to go about describing it but I'll start with the animation. It has a cartoon style to in that feels unique and as goofy as the gameplay. Nothing in this game takes itself seriously and this is amplified by how the characters look, fight and move. While I primarily fell in love with the script, dialogue and gameplay, I really like how they chose to animate it. This world is colourful, vast and full of odds and ends that are fun visually. The environment goes from the frozen tundra to volcanic rock and attacks range from the rainbow horse's attack exploding into rainbows to cupcakes healing others by flinging bits of their frosting, its all well drawn and fun to watch.
I've always found strategy gaming mechanics a little intimidating. I've played my share but I usually gravitate towards console gaming and that's more action-based properties, sports and adventure games as opposed to strategy (at least it works that way for me). Pit People was great for me because it was easy to pick up and go, there's a short tutorial but if you're at all familiar with this genre, you can understand how to battle and win these challenges. They also provide a wide variety of fighter types and they all have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Its on you to figure out what type of fighter works for what strategy and I liked that element of it. They do a good job giving you an easy-to-comprehend interface that clearly shows who has what and the damage each character can dole out and take.
Aside from the gameplay and the animation, where this game really shines and stands out from the pack is the dialogue and the script. Its beyond "conventional" and every mission is either fantastically entertaining or a laugh riot. I showed this game to my best friend and his reaction was a huge WTF but he was along for the ride. The characters talk in gibberish but the translated speech is amazing and the hit rate for working to failing is 90/10 for me. I can't count how many times I just burst out laughing playing Pit People. The written material is a polished gem but I also have to give a gold star to narrator Will Stamper (credited as The Bear) who delivers a fantastic vocal performance. His delivery is one of the reasons it works so well and if I was writing a comedy and needed an omnipotent figure, he's definitely the guy I would hire.
Sometimes, an entertainment property seems like it was made just for you. Pit People fits that description for me. The animation is simple yet eye-catching, the gameplay is easy to pick-up but it still functions in the genre effectively and the script and the dialogue are gut-bustingly hilarious and absurd in the best way. I love this game, I've logged 50+ hours on it and I'll be playing it over again at least a couple more times. I'm usually a single player gamer but I've heard the multiplayer functions on the game are also great as well (the game has been out awhile so I don't know how active the multiplayer communities are). If you're familiar with Behemoth's other popular games (I've heard Castle Crashers is excellent too, I'll probably pick it up), Pit People is definitely worth picking up and if you're new to this style of game like I was and your sense of humour skews toward the random and obscure, Pit People is a low risk purchase. It's a recommend across the board for me.
