Review by: Brandon "Magic Paintbrush" Cackowski-Schnell

Axel and Pixel is a game that suffers from trying to appease two totally different masters. On the one hand we have a beautifully created, artistically whimsical old school adventure game where exploring the environment and choosing the right order to click those pixels is the order of the day. But then the game radically changes gears and throws out of place vehicle levels at you that wreck the casual "move at your own speed" vibe of the adventure levels. The total experience is still a good one, however those that stick to the more casual side of the gaming spectrum will want to keep an avid gamepad schooled gamer on hand to get them through the rough parts.

The game tells the story of Axel, a beret toting painter and his dog Pixel, a lovably rotund mutt. One winter's day Axel and Pixel take a nap and find themselves sucked into an alternate world where a pesky rat makes off with the key to their freedom. If you grew up playing Sierra adventure games, you'll be right at home here as every stage features a level that Axel and Pixel must traverse by finding the various environmental puzzles and solving them in the correct order. The stages are broken up into the four seasons and are beautifully rendered with a creative mix of photography and digital imagery that wonderfully evoke the seasonal settings. Axel and Pixel themselves have a great deal of personality, even if the initial gibberish speak of Axel can get on your nerves. Eventually though even that becomes charming and Axel's exclamation of "Ooh yeah!" when you complete a puzzle and Pixel's happy barking will bring a smile to your face.

To solve the puzzles you move the cursor via the thumbstick until it turns yellow and, depending on the resulting cursor change, the change in color will represent something for Axel to do, something for Pixel to do or just something fun to watch such as belly-boarding penguins or a skeletal dog that balances its head on its bony tail. The puzzles are never that difficult and pixel hunting is kept to a minimum but they do increase in complexity as your journey continues. Occasionally you'll be presented with a quick time event, such as a snowball fight with an Ice Troll, however the penalty for missing the right button press is to start the event over rather than the whole level. The no pressure approach works well for this type of game where half of the fun is to see all of the little touches in the stage.

Unfortunately this casual vibe is completely thrown out of the window for the three levels that represent transtions between the seasons. Here you'll have three vehicle levels to traverse: one in a hot-air balloon, one in a 4x4 and one in a walnut shell boat. Like the adventure levels these levels are all beautifully done, however all are fraught with environmental hazards that can and will destroy your vehicle forcing you to start the level over from the beginning. Maybe it was the relaxed spirit of the adventure levels dulling my usually sharp reflexes, but I found these vehicle jaunts to be extremely frustrating.. I can only imagine what a casual gamer would do when faced with multiple attempts at these sections—and none of what I've thought up is good.

The game can be completed in three to four hours but once you're done you'll want to go back and try to find all of the sketching opportunities and paint tubes in the levels so that Axel's masterpiece can be completed. Pixel has bones to find as well so that the canine contingent isn't left behind. Finally, if you enjoyed the vehicle sections you can replay the original levels as well as new levels for points. Removed from the story's progression the vehicle levels are much better which only reinforces how out of place they were when originally experienced.

Axel and Pixel isn't breaking any new ground with its adventure puzzles but it does offer a fanciful and (mostly) low pressure gaming experience filled with plenty of delightful touches. Start to finish it takes about as long as a good afternoon nap, but like a good nap, the measure isn't in how long it takes but how good you feel afterwards.