Pizza Tower has some of the best bosses in a platformer (Here is why)

[Pan the Sylveon]

THIS TEXT IS FOR SIGMA PIZZA TOWER FANS ONLY
I've seen some people over the past months diss and insult the bosses in this game. Of course this is only a vocal minority but I just wanted to make this topic anyway because there are people who think the boss fights in Pizza Tower are "decent but that's okay because its not the focus of the game anyway".
I'm here to make the argument that the bosses in Pizza Tower are some of the BEST bosses a platformer can have. Now, keep in mind that when I say platformer I am specifically talking about games that focus on movement rather than combat and they must have linear progression (so we are excluding Hollow Knight, which is a game that probably has some of the best bosses ever put into a 2D game).

1. A large amount of hit points on both sides.
Don't you just hate it when a platformer gives both you and the boss a very small amount of health? Look at games such as Mario and Sonic, where the bosses always have a low amount of HP and can often be spammed. It doesn't even feel like a real fight at that point. You either get combo'd and die in two hits or you spam the boss and kill it in 10 seconds.
Speaking of spam..

2. No spamming the boss.
Many boss fights in these kinds of games have the player look for a blind spot and just mash the attack button mindlessly over and over until half of its health is gone. Pizza Tower doesn't have that. Every hit actually matters to the fight and feels EARNED. The boss design in this game doesn't treat you like a slave or dumb animal.

3. Just the right amount of I-Frames.
When you hit a boss you become invulnerable for a brief moment. Low IQ incompetent developers who just want to take your money and don't care about your enjoyment of their product would have you get PUNISHED FOR HITTING THE BOSS. In Pizza Tower, when you get a good hit in on the boss you become invulnerable just long enough for the boss' attacks or minions to phase through you. You don't feel like the game is simply mocking you for playing the game and wanting to have fun. In fact, it encourages badassery and aggression..

4. Rewards an offensive playstyle.
Ever had this urge to sneak extra hits in on a boss in a platformer but were cockblocked by a developer forcing you to only be able to attack in very specific short periods at the end of a lengthy pattern? This isn't an issue with Pizza Tower. Yes, waiting is part of PT's boss fights but its never for long or obnoxious. You hardly even notice you are waiting for the boss to attack first at all. It gives a nice illusion of a back and forth because in most cases, its the PLAYER who choses when to attack. The game doesn't do it for you. In fact, you can shorten the waiting period by attacking the boss as soon as possible. This is especially relevant when it comes to Fake Peppino.

5. Low amounts of repetition.
Not much to comment on when it comes to this point. Many lazy boss designs in platformers will have the boss use the same moves over and over again, in Pizza Tower the boss fights have actual flow and progression to them with the bosses having a varied moveset. Is repetition still present? Absolutely. Does it make you want to go to sleep? Not at all. The boss fights feel too engaging and fast paced to be boring.

That's it for now homies. Stay based, stay redpilled, and always look at video game design critically. Make those mfers EARN your money but don't pirate either because piracy is for beta male incels with entitlement issues.

Do any of you know platformers like PT with a similarly stellar boss design? Comment below.

[Xerrаск]

This is definitly a review this game and it's bosses deserve. Nice said, and I love that you actually value those fights and actually skilled unlike most of the playerbase XD XD XD (and not scared by baby jumpscares....)

[Scootie]

Very good review, I give it a 10/10

[Legatron17]

very epic, very cool, very true

[Ferry]

Really neat review, yeah thats all I gotta say, maybe Fake Peppino can take his time with his faker clones but even then the fights are a blast.

iirc one game with really cool bosses was this Sega Genesis game, Contra Hard Corps, thats a shooter platformer, also ball bustingly hard.

[Pan the Sylveon]

Originally posted by Ferry:

Really neat review, yeah thats all I gotta say, maybe Fake Peppino can take his time with his faker clones but even then the fights are a blast.

iirc one game with really cool bosses was this Sega Genesis game, Contra Hard Corps, thats
a shooter platformer, also ball bustingly hard.

Heard of that game. Its often slept on because its a bit more quirky and less serious than the other Contra games of that era (and they made the game extremely difficult outside of Japan).
I consider Contra and run n guns in general to be different from platformers to be honest. There is not much actual platforming in those games, just shooting hordes of monsters and powerful bosses.


But If you like Contra I want to recommend a game on steam called Blazing Chrome. Its big flaw is that its real short, basically the length of an old Contra game (6 levels and the 6th is just a few bosses) but besides that admittedly huge flaw, its a very cool game. Amazing in every way.

[KenjiN4]

I really love Pepperman as a first boss because he really represents your points proper. As a blind player you slowly get to understand his battle and notices it has a certain flow to it. Don't stall unless you want to screw yourself, don't be hasty unless you get him before the time, everything is so well telegraphed and prepares the player for the upcoming bosses so well that I actually found it genius, because what he gives you also applies to pistol sections as well
I can't really think of bosses with the same quality as Pizza Tower's, maybe Hi-Fi Rush has a similar vibe if you dance around the area and parry proper to make battles flow well, but it's been a while since I played it, so my memory might be a bit fuzzy and I also may be misjudging. Love the last two fights there though

[Mister_Maike]

Very good review. 11/10

[Ferry]

Originally posted by Pan the Sylveon:

Originally posted by Ferry:

Really neat review, yeah thats all I gotta say, maybe Fake Peppino can take his time with his faker clones but even then the fights are a blast.

iirc one game with really cool bosses was this Sega Genesis game, Contra Hard Corps, thats
a shooter platformer, also ball bustingly hard.

Heard of that game. Its often slept on because its a bit more quirky and less serious than the other Contra games of that era (and they made the game extremely difficult outside of Japan).
I consider Contra and run n guns in general to be different from platformers to be honest. There is not much actual platforming in those games, just shooting hordes of monsters and powerful bosses.


But If you like Contra I want to recommend a game on steam called Blazing Chrome. Its big flaw is that its real short, basically the length of an old Contra game (6 levels and the 6th is just a few bosses) but besides that admittedly huge flaw, its a very cool game. Amazing in every way.

I do have to say, the (Here is Why) in the title gives me bad youtuber vibes.

never heard of blazing chrome, gonna check it out.

[Pan the Sylveon]

Originally posted by Ferry:

Originally posted by Pan the Sylveon:

Heard of that game. Its often slept on because its a bit more quirky and less serious than the other Contra games of that era (and they made the game extremely difficult outside of Japan).
I consider Contra and run n guns in general to be different from platformers to be honest. There is not much actual platforming in those games, just shooting hordes of monsters and powerful bosses.


But If you like Contra I want to recommend a game on steam called Blazing Chrome. Its big flaw is that its real short, basically the length of an old Contra game (6 levels and the 6th is just a few bosses) but besides that admittedly huge flaw, its a very cool game. Amazing in every way.

I do have to say, the (Here is Why) in the title gives me bad youtuber vibes.

never heard of blazing chrome, gonna check it out.

The "Here is why" makes the post clickable! Otherwise people would just read the title ("Pizza Tower has some of the best bosses in a platformer"), nod and think "Yeah that sounds about right" and not engage with the post or read what its contents are.

[Ferry]

Originally posted by Pan the Sylveon:

Originally posted by Ferry:

I do have to say, the (Here is Why) in the title gives me bad youtuber vibes.

never heard of blazing chrome, gonna check it out.

The "Here is why" makes the post clickable! Otherwise people would just read the title ("Pizza Tower has some of the best bosses in a platformer"), nod and think "Yeah that sounds about right" and not engage with the post or read what its contents are.

yeah right, i betcha you're gonna make a 2 hour long video on to how Pizza Tower has a political message!

[Pan the Sylveon]

Originally posted by Ferry:

Originally posted by Pan the Sylveon:

The "Here is why" makes the post clickable! Otherwise people would just read the title ("Pizza Tower has some of the best bosses in a platformer"), nod and think "Yeah that sounds about right" and not engage with the post or read what its contents are.

yeah right, i betcha you're gonna make a 2 hour long video on to how Pizza Tower has a political message!

That's too much effort.