Reviewer’s Foreword: Yes, that really is the name of this game. No, I am not writing it out in full every single time for this review. From now on it shall be called "PewPewPew" for short.
PewPewPew asks a pair of interesting questions. First, can you split control of a single character between two players and have it work well? Second, can making them play only using their voice and headset, with no other controls, offer enough precision? Encouragingly, the answer to both questions is yes! Perfectly suited to the XBLIG catalog, PewPewPew lets you control a jetpack-equipped man using only your voice. While the premise is too simple to really work as a retail game (with accompanying price tag), it’s just fine for something that only costs three dollars.
Somewhere between a side-scrolling platformer (such as Mega Man) and shooter (such as Gradius), PewPewPew gives you a man with a jetpack and laser gun making his way through packs of enemies and obstacles. One player controls the jetpack, using their volume and length of speech to control how much thrust he applies; too much or too little will have him fatally crash into things, so you have to be measured in how you use your voice. The other player controls the gun, and any noise over a certain volume will cause the man to fire on obstacles and enemies in his path. It’s up to both of you to keep him safe, which means predicting how your partner will react to a problem and timing your own speech to work with them. Or put more hilariously, it depends on how good you two are at saying "pew pew pew" at the right times to keep your character safe.
Despite the creative idea, PewPewPew is a pretty simple game. Its graphics and sound fully admit this, adhering to an early-NES era motif of simple sound effects and blocky sprite designs joined by repetitive but upbeat music. Given its price and theme, this is fine and it adds a certain ’cheesy appeal.’ While designed as a co-op game, a single player wearing two headsets can play it alone; you simply have to be very aware of the fact that your voice will simultaneously apply jetpack thrust and fire your gun. Yet doing this would defeat the point of PewPewPew being a silly game to play with a friend, so it is not really a good idea to play alone.
The real draw is both its creative premise and just how silly both players will look playing it. It’s hard not to feel ridiculous making noises at a game in order to play, and a good amount of the fun you’ll have will come from mocking your friend over their choice in sounds to make. Whether they’re whistling, saying ’pew pew pew’, or perhaps even quoting Edi E.’s infamous "ba-bang!" line in Final Fight Revenge, chances are you’ll find something to make fun of them for (and vice versa).
PewPewPew shows one of the better uses for the XBL Indie Games service, allowing a developer to present us with a ’gimmick game’ that wouldn’t work as a full retail release but does work as a quick and fun idea at a low cost. PewPewPew loses its charm quickly, but by then you and your friend will have definitely had more a few dollar’s worth of fun laughing at how silly this game is, blaming one another for the jetpack-man’s most recent death (after all, bickering with your friend is the best part of any co-op game!), and what kind of absurd noises you’re using to control your half of the character. It wouldn’t be worth a full retail release, but 240 Microsoft Points/$3 USD is a decent price for a cute co-op game.
