Review: McPixel 3 Is a Hilarious Blast from the Past

Forget McPixel 2, McPixel 3 takes things to the extreme, puts that extreme in a box, and then punt kicks it off a cliff. Of course, a now-franchise as irreverent as McPixel would completely skip the second sequel and go straight to the third outing. Everyone knows the middle chapter is the weakest anyways, and McPixel 3 definitely knows how to go out with a bang.

Fans of the 2012 puzzle game McPixel may know what they’re getting, but the franchise always challenges you to expect the unexpected at every corner. Before we get into specifics, the original was quite a random and hilarious take on McGyver casting players to quickly try to save the day before things turned explosive. McPixel 3 turns things up a notch.

Biggest Takeaways

• McPixel is hilarious and random and reminds me of the early Adobe Flash days of computer games.
• Sometimes the controls can be finicky on the computer with occasional bugs. But the gameplay has an unique retro charm.
• Steve!!!!!
• Final score: 7/10

Blast From the Past

It is often said that graphics don’t decide if a game is fun or not, and McPixel 3 definitely subscribes to that school of thought. Graphically, the game wears its retro-arcade visuals like a code of arms. Developer Devolver Digital proudly boasts that McPixel 3 has over 258,924,600 pixels. Booting up the game, it instantly reminded me of those old Adobe Flash games I used to play on my parents computer – in the best possible way.

Similar to Wario Ware, players are tossed into random scenarios where they have to make choices to try and save the day. But often, those choices hilariously lead to your player’s demise. My favorite is the constant ability to kick people no matter how perilous the situation is. I almost shot a drink from my mouth watching my character decide to kick a downed pilot rather than steer the plane as it crash lands on an island.

The game is broken up into multiple rounds of mini-games where you try to navigate and solve the puzzle at hand. Often though, the solution isn’t what you would expect. For instance, you might put out a fire by drinking so much water your bladder explodes. Don’t fret if you don’t solve the scenario on your first try as the game will cycle back to the minigame or level until you eventually beat it. Some actions lead to the appearance of Steve. I’m not quite sure who Steve is supposed to be, but every time he randomly showed up, I couldn’t help but laughing.

Gameplay Was Fun But Had a Few Bugs

Maybe the fact that McPixel 3 isn’t perfect is part of the game’s charm. After all very few of the games, it was clearly inspired by were technical marvels. During my playthrough, I encounter a couple of glitches and the occasional crash but nothing too major that it took away from my enjoyment. I ended up playing the game with an Xbox controller. Though the game offers both controller support as well as the classic mouse and keyboard setup, I found the controls too finicky on the mouse for my personal liking.

For most of the game, you navigate an overall world/hub where you pay money to engage in a selection of levels. As you progress, you begin to unlock new areas and levels by earning money. The game offers some freedom in that regard. McPixel may not have all the pomp and glamor that accompanies some major releases, but it more than makes up for it with both its humor and unique sense of style. I can honestly say I’ve never played anything quite like it and probably won’t again until McPixel 600 releasing sometime in the made-up future.