According to Steam 250, the highest-rated Steam titles of the year now include not one, but two pizza-themed games. Retro platformer Pizza Tower is still at the top spot, though the Resident Evil 4 Remake is hot on its tail, and now a short free game called Pineapple on Pizza has cracked the top five.
At the time of writing, Pineapple on Pizza has amassed just over 10,000 "overwhelmingly positive" Steam reviews since its release on March 28, 2023, with a stunning 98% positive rating. Surely, I thought, this game must actually have something to it in order to put up those kinds of numbers in a week. Plus it is short and free, so I figured I'd give it a shot.
After beating Pineapple on Pizza in approximately eight minutes, I am now struggling to articulate its appeal without spoiling the hook. If I could offer one hint, it would be this: look up.
- The Helltaker creator has a new free game with ghost girls instead of demon girls, and after less than a month it's got over 9,000 Steam reviews at 96% positive
- Balatro creator was "shocked" at his poker roguelike's high review scores: "I don’t think I would have rated Balatro higher than an 8 and I made the damn thing"
The pitch from developer and publisher Majorariatto is simple and, I must say, pretty accurate: "Pineapple on Pizza is a short game about exploring an island full of dancing people, finding a way to ruin the party, and unexpectedly enjoying it." The studio asks if "a video game can convey a flavor," promises "dark, yet very bright humor," and warns against spoilers simply because "surprise does enhance the flavor." I certainly don't want to weaken the flavor, so I'll only confirm that there is indeed pineapple on this pizza, and it is surprising.
"Eating a pizza is like holding a party in your mouth," Majorariatto asserts, "but what would that party feel like if the pizza had pineapple on it?" Philosophically, this is up there with the greatest quandaries to ever burden mankind.
Pineapple on Pizza starts to make a lot more sense when you look at Majorariatto's catalog, though its runaway popularity is still an outlier, perhaps due to some social media flash-in-the-pan. The studio's previous game, another freebie called The one who pulls out the sword will be crowned king, is also an experimental short. Before that, we have pureya, a $5.99 collection of two-button minigames that change every 10 seconds. The studio's first game, Majotori, is also $5.99, and with an opening like "How many lives will your ignorance ruin?" I'm not sure I'm emotionally prepared to play it today.
Speaking of weird games, you must play this $5 Switch game by sticking your Joy-Con in a real roll of toilet paper.
