McPixel 3 Switch Review – Oh, No, No! This Better Not Be Some Kind of Joke!

You know when Devolver Digital publishes something, it is going to be unique, weird, and fun. McPixel 3 is no different, as we have an almost WarioWare-like indie game that puts you in crazy situations where you try to solve deadly puzzles like MacGyver.

So is McPixel 3 a worthy sequel to McPixel? Or is this title a mistake that skipped McPixel 2 in order to reach the finale quicker? Let’s find out!

McPixel 3 follows McPixel, a wannabe hero that tries to save the day constantly one scenario after the next. It is a chaotic and mostly nonsensical title that is equal parts WarioWare and McGyver. McPixel somehow just finds his way into situations where death is looming, and he has to use his creative and often-times insane mind to figure out how to prevent the absolute worst case scenario from happening.

This is one of those games that throws you for a loop and has you laughing at the ridiculous scenarios that you are thrown in to, whether that be trying to put out a house fire with your urine, prevent your own helicopter from crashing into a building, or shrinking to the size of a bug and avoiding a lawn mower. The situations are so absurd that you cannot help but laugh and laugh.

I mean, there is no story to McPixel 3. It is just a silly game that sends the main character into numerous places and scenarios that are just obnoxious to think about. It is an absolute riot, and characters like Steve who provide bonus puzzles add to the experience and make matters even sillier and fun.

The gameplay is quite similar to WarioWare with a couple differences. Basically, you are presented a handful of puzzles as a grouping, and you need to solve all of those puzzles in order to “save the day”. Any particular combo keeps sending you around until you complete a puzzle, and then you will continue circling the group of puzzles until you have solved them all.

The puzzles in McPixel 3 rarely make sense, but that is part of the charm and enjoyment. You need to think heavily outside of the box, and it is usually a solution that is in plain site or one that is so convoluted that you will be laughing hysterically as you watch the conclusion and celebration. Each puzzle, too, has numerous actions that can be performed, and McPixel 3 logs all of your attempts. Doing all the possible actions in a puzzle will give you that 100% accolade and extra coins to spend.

What do you spend coins on, you ask? Well, more puzzles, that’s what! But this is one of the more entertaining things about McPixel 3, and that is the overworld. It is not a grand one, but it is just intricate enough to keep you busy between puzzle sets. You can kick people around, unlock more areas as you complete puzzles, and just enjoy gags that occur around the place. It is a nice touch that could have easily been a standard selection menu to choose the next puzzles, but instead we do get a much more interactive overworld to make the overall experience more fun.

Controls are beyond simple, as they mostly rely on the left joystick or d-pad for movement and the A button for interaction. X will reveal all things that you can interact with, and B will speed up cut scenes you have seen before, if you do not want to watch them again. The simplicity of the controls work perfectly with the frantic gameplay, which is always timed in seconds, and again like WarioWare, a lot of the craziness of gameplay comes from the rush of making quick and bonkers decisions.

McPixel 3 has a familiar pixel art style, and honestly, it is perfect for what is happening on screen. Very similar again to WarioWare games, the visual design should compliment the gameplay, and considering this title is as silly as they get, the art style caters to this feel tremendously. It allows for the various scenarios to be funnier, and the overall character and object designs are outstanding. Hilarious stuff through and through.

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The one area I was not too much of a fan of is the soundtrack. Upon first listen, it fits well with the goofy and rapid puzzle theme, but after a while, it becomes grating and not enjoyable. I did initially find the music to be rather likeable, but since the puzzle combos rotate nonstop until you solve them all, the music per that section will just continue to play ad nauseum. Oh, well. I guess you cannot hit everything out of the park.

McPixel 3 is a nonstop hilarious romp. The puzzles are varied, over-the-top, and mostly entertaining, and there is a solid amount of gameplay here, including 100 proper puzzles, hundreds and hundreds of gags, more than 20 minigames, and over a thousand interactive objects to keep you laughing even upon failure.

This is at a delicious price point that is not asking a whole lot, and it will keep you busy for quite some time. If you are a fan of games like WarioWare, this is a no-brainer. McPixel 3 is one of the funniest titles of 2022, so although it may not win any awards, it deserves recognition for its silliness, frantic gameplay, and interesting puzzles. Definitely check this one out!

McPixel 3 Switch Review provided by Nintendo Link
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Developer Sos Sosowski
Release Date: November 8th, 2022
Price: $9.99, £8.99, €9,99
Game Size: 165 MB