Axel & Pixel

Axel & Pixel
File:Axelandpixeltortoise.jpg Axel and Pixel standing next to a giant, mechanised tortoise, with a mother bird feeding her young.
Developer(s)	Silver Wish Games
Publisher(s)	2K Play
Designer(s)	Ivan Kratochvíl
Artist(s)	Jan Kokolia Martin Kadlčík Peter Bílek
Composer(s)	Matúš Široký
Platform(s)	Xbox 360 (XBLA)
Release	Xbox Live Arcade October 14, 2009
Genre(s)	Graphic adventure/Point-and-click adventure/Art game
Mode(s)	Single player

Axel & Pixel (also known as Axel and Pixel) is a point-and-click adventure computer game developed by independent Czech Republic game developers, Silver Wish Games. The game was released on October 14, 2009 for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service.

The game revolves around Axel, a painter, and his dog Pixel, who awake in a beautiful, yet perilous, dream world of Axel's own creation. Together, they must solve the mysteries of Axel's landscapes to get through the dream world by defeating the Ice Giant and helping Axel fulfil his greatest wish - to paint a picture of all four seasons in a single day.

Gameplay

The game is a traditional point-and-click adventure, where the player has to logically come up with answers and solutions to riddles and problems that are encountered during the course of the game. As a way of making Axel & Pixel unique from other point-and-click adventures, the cursor is made up of a group of glittering lights, which change colour slightly if the player lands the cursor on a point of interest. The Xbox controller also vibrates in this occurrence to make it obvious to the player. Aside from the traditional point-and-click mechanics, the game also features three different platform mini-games - 'Hot Air Loons', 'Four Wheel Dives' and 'Sailing Through', respectively. The game also makes use of quick time events in a few of the chapters as ways of helping Axel scale walls or avoiding dangerous obstacles. The game is divided into four sections - in the form of the four calendar seasons - which are unlocked through natural progression of the story. Each of the mini-games featured are used once in story mode as ways of pursuing Evil Rat through the dream world, from the last chapter of the current calendar season into the beginning of the next one. Unlike most point-and-click adventures, Axel & Pixel contains no dialogue option between characters in an attempt to keep the gameplay focused more on solving the puzzles instead of interactions. Axel, however, will speak gibberish to Pixel and to himself occasionally.

Plot

Axel & Pixel tells the story of a painter, Axel, and his dog, Pixel, as they embark on a fantastic journey through the surreal and dangerous dream world of Axel's own artistic creation after the two are hypnotised by a lullaby record. Upon entering the dream world, a character known as Evil Rat is found to be in possession of the key which Axel needs to exit the dream world. The first chapter features the same snowy environment outside as in the real world - albeit, with an array of weird and wonderful creatures - but, upon completion of the chapter, the pair move into Spring, where the environments are very flowered, colourful and inhabited by giant honey bees.

Throughout the course of the game, Evil Rat is seen inhabiting a few of the chapters creating obstacles for Axel and Pixel shortly before fleeing the scene. As the two progress through the dream world, they encounter many strange characters, such as the Pesky Hedgehog, an oil-addicted dinosaur and a snorkelling squirrel who lives in a sewer.

The game climaxes with Axel thwarting Evil Rat and the Ice Giant through a series of QTEs

Reception

Upon its release to Xbox Live Arcade, Axel & Pixel was met with generally favourable reviews from critics, with an aggregate score of 72% on Metacritic. Axel & Pixel has been described by critics as "a charming and surreal trip." The dream world, especially, was received with acclaim, with critics calling it "bizarre and beautiful," "unique and charming" and "graceful and fresh." X360 Magazine UK were especially approving of the title, calling it "a quite marvellous piece of work."

The game was primarily criticised for its short length. Eurogamer Italy stated that the game was "a charming and surreal trip into the world of imagination. Axel & Pixel lacks in longevity, but still remains an intriguing 'point and click' adventure, with wonderful settings, cute characters and a proven gameplay." Axel & Pixel's short length, much like Braid, has been disregarded by some critics, stating that "the overall charm and beauty of the game outweigh the short duration [of the game], which can be completed in two to three hours, though the mini-games add large amounts of replay value."

Since its release, Axel & Pixel has sold over 20,000 copies worldwide.

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	74.52%
Metacritic	72%

Review scores

Publication	Score
Eurogamer	7/10
GameRevolution	C-
GamesMaster	8.3/10
GameZone	8/10
IGN	8.2/10
Official Xbox Magazine (UK)	7/10
Official Xbox Magazine (US)	7/10