PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe

Genre: Arcade Brawler

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local, Online)

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Review:

PixelJunk Scrappers is an Arcade-style Brawler originally released on Apple Arcade in 2020 (discontinued as of 2023), and then in 2023 ported to PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch in an expanded Deluxe edition. This game takes place in a colorful post-apocalyptic setting where robots fight on the street to claim valuable scrap.

The presentation of PixelJunk Scrappers uses characters and backgrounds constructed using simple 2D shapes, in a style I might almost call distinct if it weren’t so visually-boring. This is all backed by a synthesized soundtrack that fits the game well enough, but is not at all memorable.

The gameplay itself certainly attempts to do something different within its genre – players must multitask between fighting enemies and gathering up junk and tossing it into a garbage truck that progresses with you through the stage… or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that you progress with it, as the truck doesn’t wait for you to collect scrap for very long before it decides to move on whether or not you’re ready.

This gameplay element might make for an interesting twist on the Arcade Brawler gameplay, but unfortunately it all feels wasted. You don’t use the scrap to fight enemies – you can toss it, but not at enemies, only into the truck. You also don’t use the scrap to craft a better fighter. After each stage, it is sold off, and players can use the money to buy different weapon upgrades or cosmetic changes in an in-game shop, but these changes don’t amount to very much.

Still, this could have at least presented a fun multitasking challenge during a well-constructed Brawler, but PixelJunk Scrappers is not that either. The fighting here is a simple one-button affair, with no jumping, grabbing, or special attacks. As Brawlers go, this game is outright primitive. There is some variety in enemies, but this doesn’t change that PixelJunk Scrappers is a pretty dull game as Arcade Brawlers go.

Normally, I find PixelJunk brand games to be clever twists on their respective genres, or at least visually-interesting. But PixelJunk Scrappers is neither. It does try to bring some interesting new elements to the Arcade Brawler genre, but these elements don’t mesh well with the Brawler gameplay, nor do they add much to it, and that Brawler gameplay is extraordinarily shallow. I don’t know who would find this compelling on a platform that has games like Streets of Rage 4, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World or Castle Crashers. Get one of those games instead.

tl;dr – PixelJunk Scrappers is an Arcade Brawler set in a post-apocalyptic future where players fight robots while trying to collect as much scrap as they can. Unfortunately, the Brawler gameplay here is extremely simple and shallow, and the scrap-collecting serves as a distraction that doesn’t bring much else to the table. You have far better choices for Arcade Brawler games on Nintendo Switch.

Grade: D+

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