Something Delicious Fresh From Your Oven
Now that I’m becoming a regular hand at these Gear Reviews, it strikes me as funny that this is the first time I’m doing one for something published by Super Rare Games. After all, I’ve been covering their releases pretty extensively over the years, a range of glorious indie visions. But I’m glad the first one I’m reviewing from them is Hell Pie. Not only is this absurd and twisted platformer from Akupara Games and Sluggerfly utterly ridiculous, but it’s also the perfect game to own in physical form, at least for old-school collectors like myself.
One of the things I appreciate about games published by Super Rare Games is how efficiently they’re packaged. They use cardboard to package the entirety of the game in a durable yet compartmented bundle. As an added bonus, the cardboard is fully recyclable! All you have to do to open them up is rip off the section indicated, and then you’ll find your game safely inside.
The game itself is thoroughly safe in plastic, with a sticker holding it tight. Just next to it, you’ll find a handy little card if you need to return damaged property, but I have yet to get any product from Super Rare Games in anything except perfect condition. Once the seal is opened, you can check out the nifty packaged card set of 3 and game sticker. The cards included are random, so if you’re a serious collector, you’ll want the entire set. That said, I was pretty happy with the Hell Pie cards I got, a good range of adorable to horrific cards.
Once the plastic layer sealing the game box itself was removed (which took some doing, but that’s what scissors are for), I opened up the case itself. These aren’t your typical boring game cases that traditionally come with Switch games. The inside is illustrated, and there’s something every game collector should want – a manual! This particular manual mostly covers basic controls and some sketches of the characters. I’ll admit, other manuals from games published by Super Rare have been a bit more extensive, but I still appreciate the inclusion regardless.
Honestly, if you’re a collector and not already a fan of Super Rare Games, you should check them out sooner than later. I’ve been following them for years now, and they not only are reasonably affordable (Hell Pie usually costs about $35 plus shipping), but they get sent out very quickly. Without naming names, many others in the physical game market ship things much, much slower. And since I have yet to receive anything in bad condition from them, Super Rare will continue to be a group I do business with. While it’s true many of their products are more focused on indie visions, I personally see that as a plus. You never know what they’ll have in their library next, just that it will be something worthwhile!
Final Verdict: 4.5/5
Editor’s Note: The publisher provided a review copy to Hey Poor Player
