Supergiant is one of those game studios that feels too good to be true. A group of hard working professionals that are not only individually talented and passionate, but also synergize perfectly with one another, with every aspect of their games working together to deliver nothing short of amazingness. Pyre is a brilliant display of what the studio is capable of, being equal parts emotional, awe inspiring, and fun.
In Pyre, you play as a mysterious unnamed exile, banished from the realm of the Commonwealth to a place called the Downside, where all of the realm's undesirables are sent to live out the rest of their days. As you are at the brink of death in the Downside's inhospitable desert, you are rescued by a group of lovable adventurers who welcome you into their traveling wagon.
Within the wagon, there is a magical book detailing rituals by which a Downside exile can be accepted back into the Commonwealth. Since you are the only one capable of reading, you inform your rescuers of the rituals, and it's up to you to guide them through the entire Downside to carry them out.
The rituals themselves play out as a fascinating mystical take on 3-on-3 basketball. Two teams, composed of three individuals each, enter an arena, each team having its own burning pyre (the hoop, in this analogy) on their side of the field. The objective of the game is to throw a magical orb (the ball, in this analogy) into the opposing team's pyre enough times to extinguish its flame.
The core mechanic of these matches, outside of the orb-to-pyre thing, is the ability to banish opposing team members for a limited amount of time. Every player has an aura around them, and if a player steps onto an opposing player's aura, they get banished. Players may also choose to project their aura forward to banish enemies from afar, and holding the ball makes a player's aura disappear, making them particularly vulnerable.
With all that put together, the rituals become this frantic battle, where you must employ your players' auras to defend your pyre, all while trying to take control of the orb and steer the orb bearer past the opponents' auras to hurl the orb into the enemy pyre.
The game is quite strategic too, with a decently sized roster of characters to choose from, each with their own abilities and deficiencies. Add to that some RPG elements, allowing you to improve your chances by giving your mates equipment and permanent upgrades, and you have a pretty fiery and intense experience in your hands.
In between rites, the game plays like a visual novel, where the bulk of the game's story takes place. The writing is amazing, as to be expected from the studio, telling a fantastic tale of a ragtag team of adventurers in search of freedom. As you travel through the wondrous lands of the Downside, you'll meet a plethora of lovable characters, witness breathtaking landscapes, get involved in all kinds of crazy events, and partake in deeply emotional moments with your newly found friends.
The game's world building is something to behold. The story behind the Downside, the rites, and the Commonwealth is deep and fascinating, with several surprises and complex connections between things. Not so complex to the point where new players have no idea what is going on, but enough to keep one invested.
Also in signature Supergiant fashion, the game looks and sound beautiful. Lovingly hand-drawn backgrounds, beautifully rendered character portraits, fluid sprite animations, coupled with beautiful songs, lovely voice acting, and satisfying sound effects. The game's look and sound perfectly match the feeling of the story in every step of the way, ranging from serene, to sorrowful, to endearing, to scary, depending on the situation.
It's rare to find a game that stimulates one's emotions as thoroughly as Pyre does. The story makes us really feel for the characters, the presentation leaves us in awe and admiration, and the rituals add a generous serving of excitement and anxiety to the mix, as the matches are fun, but the destiny of our friends hinges on their outcome.
It feels to me like all games made by Supergiant are specifically designed to stimulate the player's emotions in every small aspect, and Pyre is a shining example of this philosophy.