Food has a unique power to unite individuals during challenging periods. Sharing meals often leads to conversations, laughter, and reflections that temporarily lighten the weight of difficulties. The game A Pizza Delivery focuses on reigniting optimism through such everyday interactions, like acquaintances connecting over pizza and finding renewed purpose. It evokes a sense of nostalgia and warmth in a broad, undefined manner, enhanced by stunning visuals and an evocative audio experience that deepens the emotional atmosphere.
Although A Pizza Delivery nearly realizes its ambitions, it requires additional refinement to reach its full potential. It offers a pleasant way to pass a relaxed evening, though players must overlook certain technical flaws.
The story opens with protagonist B transporting a pizza to a peculiar structure in a remote location. A nearby payphone then activates, with B's employer instructing her to complete one final errand. Additionally, an extra pizza waits in her scooter's storage, intended for offering portions to those encountered along the route.
The environment B enters defies ordinary existence, serving as a realm for those feeling trapped, hollow, and dissatisfied with life. Various zones form separate, self-contained realms: a deserted urban landscape, a dilapidated industrial site illuminated by swirling northern lights, and a vast field featuring a single dwelling surrounded by scattered wildflowers. Players navigate these spaces thoroughly to guide B toward her ultimate goal and assemble fragments of her narrative, gathering objects and tackling simple riddles to advance.
The game's standout feature is its evocative tone. It carries a vibe reminiscent of the film Wristcutters: A Love Story, which proves compelling. The quirky, melancholic figures met throughout share personal tales of sorrow, yet after brief dialogues and pizza offerings, they appear ready to embark on new beginnings and reclaim their paths. The overarching implication is that B can achieve similar renewal by persevering to fulfill her task.
Ultimately, the journey concludes successfully, but not without notable obstacles. Maneuvering B's scooter proves awkward, and disengaging from it while in motion results in her becoming immobilized in an awkward, suspended stance that persists for an unclear duration. This glitch occurred multiple times during transitions between riding and on-foot exploration. The workaround involves halting completely and enduring the lengthy sequence of parking and securing the vehicle.
While most challenges are straightforward to resolve, a segment involving traversal through heavy snow lacks clear logic and nearly prompted abandonment of the game. After a short break, returning led to about 45 minutes of disorienting movement, frequent boundary violations that reset progress, and eventual escape only through persistence. An earlier-acquired compass suggests directional guidance for this section, yet it functions only as an inventory item without practical utility for navigation.
The protagonist's backstory fails to fully coalesce despite gathering every memory fragment, leaving aspects of her history underdeveloped. Greater insight into her circumstances and motivations upon nearing departure would have been welcome. Nevertheless, the commitment pays off with a poignant conclusion that delivers genuine inspiration.
A Pizza Delivery is currently playable on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.