The premise of 50 Pinch Barrage!! is pretty simple, the player is stuck on a deserted island and must overcome a series of ''pinches’’ or challenges in order to return to civilization. It’s a game which clearly takes its inspiration from old school platformers, something which is practically a trope by now. This influence is apparent both in its simple design and hair pulling difficulty level. With this said, it may seem as though we’re simply talking about yet another platformer in the indie scene. Is it though?

As previously mentioned, the game’s objective is to overcome, like the name suggests, 50 pinches. These make full use of the theme of a deserted island, ranging from being chased by bears, to climbing snake infested vines, swimming in shark territory… and a whole lot more. Stress levels will likely be high throughout most stages, as you scramble to dodge arrows, fireballs and other deadly things. Rather standard genre fare, to be honest. What truly makes this particular adventure stand out is the fact that your playable character isn’t a super fighting robot or a mushroom eating plumber, but a regular guy.


And being a regular guy, like most players probably are, you are quite limited in your athletic abilities. Jumps, for example, are rather short in both vertical and horizontal reach. Same goes for running, as your character will get tired if he runs for too long. These standard abilities, are controlled by the Y or A buttons and B or X respectively, and can be messed around with a little (together with the d pad for movement) to crawl, slide and crouch. This basic move set, running limitations and all, is really all that’s needed to conquer all 50 pinches, it won’t be easy though.

Visually, 50 Pinch Barrage uses a very basic art style. It’s the kind of thing which could be drawn on MS Paint, but not mediocre by any means. The music selection is fairly small, but serves as a nice companion to a tension filled adventure. Sound effects are all crisp, clear and detailed, with special mentions going to the playable character’s dying cries every time you fail a level.


Don’t dismiss 50 Pinch Barrage as just a budget title. The simple and smart design makes for a big yet fair challenge, and the attention to detail shows throughout. Rage and frustration may be a problem, but if enjoyed a few pinches at a time, it’s a satisfying challenge.


Review Copy provided by: MSG