I think I understand what the McPixel 3 is trying to do here. I was there when adventure games were all the rage, so I’m used to the diagonal approach required to solve puzzles. But a mashup of ’90s adventures and WarioWare microgames? Is this what people wanted?
It would seem so, because 2012’s McPixel was successful enough to spawn this sequel. “What happened to the McPixel 2?” you ask. Apparently it seems to have gone the way of Leisure Suit Rally IV. This is what happens in adventure/puzzle games. Anyway, it doesn’t matter because there’s no story to care about here, you’re just a guy named his McPixel who constantly finds himself in life-or-death situations with mere seconds to save the day. 100 of them, in fact.
For example, in the opening segment, we encounter a plane with a blown engine, a train driving towards a destroyed bridge, and a forest fire spreading out of control. Each of these has different objects and characters at your disposal, and it’s your job to figure out which ones to use and in what order so that the worst doesn’t happen.
It’s a fun premise that anyone who’s seen an episode of macgyverAnd if you thought MacGyver’s last-second approach to solving puzzles was insane, you’re looking at nothing. I take it in with the most dignified attitude possible.
Using a crashed plane as an example, you might think that sitting in the cockpit would be a good idea, but it’s not. You might think it would be a good idea to grab a parachute, but it really isn’t, and not before dropping the shovel through the door first. Because this is an adventure game. The shovel is there, so of course you need it! You can also hit one of her passengers and throw her out the door. why? Because he is and this is an adventure game! How many times do I have to explain this!?
So quick thinking puzzles are not for quick thinking, they are for trial and error. There is no logically safe way to arrive at the right way to look at available items. Nor do we really intend to. There is comedy in trying the wrong way and suffering the consequences. You might think that pouring water on fire is the way to put it out, but have you ever considered drinking all the water and pissing on it? Kick almost any NPC in your junk Have you considered that? Because it happens a lot.
It brings us back to comedy. When the gags land they are pretty funny. But this game has 100 levels and that’s a lot of jokes. Too many jokes. As such, gags are often too basic and uninteresting. Sometimes playing the McPixel 3 feels like hearing an elementary school kid repeating the same poop joke over and over again.
Plus, not watching every gag can save the day. The game teaches you this, so you’re welcome to go back and replay a level you’ve solved just because you didn’t solve it 100%. Is it worth mining for comedy? Maybe not, but the completionist in me just couldn’t move forward with an untouched item.
To its credit, the McPixel 3 tries to get the user going quickly. You can also turn on markers that indicate available items, or toggle between items if they are too close together. You can skip the intro scene if you’ve watched it multiple times. The task timeline provides clues as to what you may have missed.
The McPixel 3 also has a tremendous amount of energy and moves forward at speeds that are difficult to relinquish. Also, he gets trapped in blocks of 5 puzzles at a time, returning to puzzles he couldn’t solve before moving on. This keeps failures fresh in your mind, so you can try something else before forgetting what didn’t work.
The entire package is presented in 8-bit visuals that seem to have inspired 90’s adventure games. They fit the messy gameplay and enhance the comedy. It’s easier to handle toilet humor when it doesn’t look real.
McPixel 3 is not a long game. If you play to the end, it can be completed in a short time. Therefore, fatigue does not occur. It might be indifferent, but if you can get into the overall atmosphere, it’s enough to keep you entertained throughout. I hope that