Be careful! There are spoiliops in this tower!
Pizza Tower is a fast indie platformer made by Tour de Pizza. Heavily inspired by 90's cartoons and the Wario Land series, it stars a middle aged Italian man, Peppino, as he climbs a tower by Pizzaface to save his restaurant from being blown up.
The animations in this game are absolutely incredible. They're smooth, fast, weighty, and VERY expressive. There's not a frame that lingers too long in this game. My favorite part of it is the HUD, where you'll see the expressions of Peppino in the top right in the television as you play. It's so great.
Be careful! There are spoiliops in this tower!
I think Peppino is one of my first favorite characters that happens to be a middle-aged man. He's an anxious, hot-headed mess that can bulldoze anything in his way and you know what, I'm for it. He's very silly and pathetic and I love him. It's a shame his pizzeria gets no business and he's in debt too, because there's no way this guy doesn't put his soul into his pizzas. He should've really learned something about financing.
Gustavo is described as the Mario to Peppino's Wario, and I very much see it. I mean... he's literally just Mario but normal, I think. But I still like him regardless! He's portrayed as a really nice and sweet guy, except in that fight with Brick on floors 1 and 2. I think it's really silly how Brick just kept chasing Gustavo around at first. I wonder why he did that...? In scrapped sprites and gameplay, it's shown that if Peppino were to fail at delivering Pizzas (like in Gnome Forest), Gustavo would've gotten REALLY pissed and beat the shit out of Peppino. While I'm glad that's not in the final game, I think it's really funny Gustavo generally doesn't get pissed at anything until you do something he REALLY doesn't like.
Brick is a Stupid Rat (species name) and he's... I guess stupid? I mean, he can read newspapers, so he can't be that dumb. Despite nothing going on with this guy except the fact he's paired up with Gustavo, I love him. His head is very empty.
You know, he's quite inteligent for his species. - Gustavo
You know, I didn't have much to say on Mr. Stick at first. Then, I looked into his history as a character, and how he had comics before Pizza Tower... and now I like him a lot more! Dude literally tries to sell sprayable sponge. I love the idea that he just makes whatever silly gadgets he can just to make money off of it. He's a businessman with horrible creativity.
The end credit portraits in Pizza Tower seem to imply Peppino's in debt to Mr. Stick, which makes me wonder how they're even friends if he's getting away with so much money. I suppose Peppino can be pretty desperate...
I didn't care much for Gerome at first other than he looked like a silly guy. Though, I eventually grew fond of him. Why the hell does he bleat like a goat when you pick him up in levels!? Why does he do that!
I think it's interesting that him and John are brothers. It's never touched upon in-game outside of them clearly knowing each other in the endings, but it's neat! I think it was confirmed on the Discord...?
Unfortunately, like everyone else, I thought Pepperman was an apple. I tried drawing him with a more pepper-shaped body, but it didn't look right... cursed to look like an apple, I suppose. Either way, he's a funny fella. While he's obviously self-absorbed in the way that Squidward from Spongebob would rather only paint himself, I like to think post-game, he starts to branch out his subjects in art. Hesitantly, of course, but he realizes that he can't grow until he starts looking elsewhere for inspiration.
Vigilante started off as a character I had no interest in. He just seemed like a silly cowboy slime, which was cool, but... you know, not much for me to latch onto, at first. Then, as I played and replayed the game, I noticed something. He's one of the most developed characters of Pizza Tower, since he went through his own small arc.
In his boss fight, he starts with holding a WANTED poster of Peppino, presumably given to him by Pizzaface. He was likely told that Peppino's a no-gooder and that he needs to take him out, like a typical bounty. On floor 4 of the tower, if you go into Noisette Cafe, you're able to see him there, but upon being approached he gets a shadow over his eyes and drinks his mug, likely upset at his loss from the bossfight. Then, on floor 5, he looks into the background of the floor, contemplating something. If you approach him, he looks back at you with elipses. It's almost like he's never seen this part of the tower... Hell, his sprite name for this sequence is titled "spr_vigilanteunsure"! He definitely didn't know of this place. Then, in the escape sequence, before you pick him up, he's looking around, terrified. Sure, this was his scrapped Pizza Time idle animation from when he was playable, but it's almost like his worldview was shattered. Then, after escaping the tower, he looks at it's destruction with a look that says "good riddance." Lastly, in the end credit portraits, he's seen now with a WANTED poster of Pizzahead.
Needless to say, he went from a "he's okay" to a "he's definitely a favorite" within a short amount of time.
Where do I start with Theodore NoiseTM? He's like Bugs Bunny but if he wasn't some guy minding his business and just wanted to bother people for fun. I don't think I've enjoyed a cartoony character like this for YEARS. He's not malicious, but he definitely likes to be annoying. Especially to Peppino. Personally, I would love it if someone locked those two in a room so I could watch them kill each other. I love their dynamic so much. I think my favorite part of it is that Noise doesn't even hate the guy despite the insults, he just likes to mess with him because of the reactions. I can see them caring about each other, but neither of them ever want to admit it.
The fact that Noisette is described as a noisier noise than The Noise is really funny to me, especially since she doesn't seem to be annoying on purpose. She's just like that! I love annoying women. There should be more of them I think. It sucks that her appearance is delegated to the end of Noise's fight and a little cafe cameo, because I'd love to see her more. Concept art showed her as a shop keep originally, but it's understandable why that was removed. Art of playable Noisette shows her on roller skates and that seems like so much fun, so maybe in the future...?
Also, because Noisette means hazelnut in French, I like to think her real name is Hazel. It would be cute.
Oh, where do I begin with this guy? Unauthorized fucking thing. I think about how this critter is just a brain in a dough-flesh suit a lot. Poor thing never asked to be made but loves existing anyhow I guess. Good for them??
Oddly enough, I didn't really start out loving them. I loved their concept and the execution of its fight, but other than that it felt like... I dunno, just a thing. Though, overtime, I found myself warming up to the guy, especially after playing WAR. Obviously their fight alludes to there being more clones, but WAR recontexualizes it a little in the fact that those clones there are easily defeatable. One hit and they're down, just like any other enemy. Not to mention, they definitely feel way more unstable, where when they approach to attack you, they shudder and twitch until licking you. I wouldn't be surprised if this Fake Peppino was the only one stable enough to really survive the tower's collapse, especially considering you can't even defeat them in their own fight. You have to RUN from them.
I hope this lil' guy gets an identity outside of being Peppino 2 in a way. Would be awesome I think.
I like how cartoonishly malicious this guy is. Unlike Pizzahead where it's a childish, playful malice, here it's upfront and direct. This is the kind of guy who would laugh in your face if you dropped your icecream. He comes off to me as a cocky guy who wouldn't hesitate to rub in anything he has over you. I also love how he has different pizza toppings represent his facial features and expressions, it's so clever! The mushroom being his nose, the peppers being his moustache and mouth, a whole pineapple to represent his teeth or slices of pineapple to give variation of the eyes... or olives to represent eyes with tiny pupils. It's such a fun character design, despite it being just a floating pizza.
I do wish we saw him more often outside of Pizza Time when the timer runs out and the final boss, but I also get why we don't. I don't really see a fitting place to get a peek at the guy before we fight him... at least we get to see him in the shower...??
Oh my god, this motherfucker. Where do I start with this guy? He's exactly like cheesy, oldschool villains (pun not intended) where they don't take anything seriously and I LOVE it so much. He's a complete fucking clown. He's the kind of guy that would point a laser at something and go, "wouldn't it be funny if I blew this up?" Oh, wait, he does that with Peppino's restaurant already.
In an earlier iteration of Phase 3 of the final boss, he was originally going to snap similar to Peppino and get really pissed. I'm glad that was scrapped, because we got a much more interesting character out of it. Much like how Noise is Bugs Bunny but a dick to innocent people, Pizzahead is like your typical cartoony protagonist that gets himself into shenanigans, except this time with a small hint of malice behind it. He'll do things because they're funny and not care about the consequences of them. I talk about how Unexpectancy Part 2 fits this guy's character and childishness to a T in the music section, but man. His cartoonyness really plays into making him a malicious threat excellently.
I think the most interesting thing about this guy is the fact that it's somewhat implied that he CANNOT die, or at least cannot be defeated like the other bosses. Peppino fucking piledrives him into the tower, and he's STILL alive, completely unharmed. Hell, in the good ending, after reviving John, he gets up like NOTHING HAPPENED. It would be really interesting if this guy was immortal and just resorted to being the somewhat malicious class clown.
Oh, John, the world knows so little about you and yet we love you anyway. A lot of his backstory is visually implied throughout floor 5 and the final level of the game. Throughout the game, Peppino has to knock down the Pillar Johns, but we know little about why they're there. On floor 5, we see a gigantic John in the background covered in various pizza ingredients, his eyes glowing red... It's unsettling. Dude does not look like he's having a fun time. To make matters worse, in WAR, we don't even knock down a Pillar John, but rather in the lab section of the level, we see a John alongside a Fake Peppino being cloned. So, he's being cloned to hold up the structure of the tower... and in the final level, Crumbling Tower of Pizza, we knock down the original. He even has his hat, while covered in all of that pizza residue... In the next room after knocking him down, we see the John from floor 5 fall, giving a pained thumbs up. He doesn't even hold it against you.
Despite there being nothing outright said about John, I love the visual storytelling with him. I'm glad that we are able to revive him in the good ending, but it makes me wish we saw more of him...
I find myself enjoying a lot of the levels in Pizza Tower, where I will re-open the game just to replay some of my favorites. For this, I wanted to list my favorite level from each floor (with an exception) and rank them!
Playing through this level for the first time was a little frustrating. I kept getting hit by the pizza cutters, and I was frustrated with myself for not being able to dodge them. One thing I'm happy about though is how they feel like my fault instead of the game's!
I remember thinking that touching the boiling tomato sauce was going to count as getting hurt, but it doesn't. It just means you won't get that one achievement. Though, interesting to note, on the escape sequence, it might actually be faster to land in a pit of this near the end instead of trying to climb out.
I really love this level's theming and pacing. Even when I went to -Rank it, it stayed as a favorite. While most levels are fast, this one is very consistent about it and it's very fun! I love the little weenie you can ride and I love bowling into Stupid Rats with it. Peppino looks like he's holding onto it for dear life and it's so funny to me. I think about Noise's currently unused playable animation for riding it is great, too... dude's just having the time of his life!
When I played this level for the first time, I wasn't good at Pizza Tower yet, so I found myself losing to the horses and felt bad about it. I restarted the level too many times because I was not about to walk out of that level with only one Toppin... worth it, though!
A lot of the levels on the third floor are really solid, but it's hard to pick one that I really really like. I settled with Crust Cove because of the theming... I'm a sucker for tropical-themed places, even if it's not all that tropical at the end of the day.
Honestly, I think the only meh part of this level is right after the escape sequence starts and you're thrown into the barrel transformation. That part can be really tedious and frustrating if you can't get the timing right...
I love that nobody calls this level by it's full name. It's a ridiculously long name and I love that. Also, I just love that Peppino has a special idle animation for this level specifically! He's so cold... Please bring that little guy a jacket... He has one in the title card... Gustavo even shows up in the level with a winter coat, that's adorable!
The only thing that drags this level down for me is right before you get the Spicy Hot Pepper. How the hell do you NOT get hurt by the snowmen? They're like Fork Knights but worse, because you can't just jump and grab them in order to avoid their hitbox. Arrgh!!! At least that frustration doesn't last for long, since the pepper transformation is right there...
Fun Fact: If you're wearing Money Green here, you'll become Anton from ANTONBLAST!
Funnily enough, I didn't like War my first play through! I liked the theming and music, yeah, but playing through it made me a bit frustrated. Not at the level itself, but because I wasn't doing very good in it. That changed though when I went on my mission to -Rank everything... I came back to this level and it was so, so much more fun. Hell, I even got achievements while doing my
-Rank by sheer accident!
I remember when I was playing Pizza Tower, I saw people headcanon Peppino as a war veteran and I never understood why. There was nothing in this game about war, so where the hell are they getting this from?? And then I ran into this level and it made complete sense. Now I've adopted that pseudo-headcanon. I think it's funny that McPig, the lead dev, debunked and re-confirmed it because he was drunk...
This level is my absolute favorite in the game. I've replayed this more than WAR specifically because of the music, but the level design sucks me right back in. It's so satisfying to play through, especially right after defeating Pizzaface and Pizzahead. Normally you can enter it's gate after beating the game, so you don't have to replay the final boss, but I replay it anyway because I love the feeling of grabbing everyone in the tower and rushing them out to safety.
Also, this level just has my favorite title card in the game. Peppino is so badass there... I can't help but feel so proud of him seeing that card and his journey out of the tower.
While I talk about the characters in their respective section, here I want to talk about how the fights are set up and how they play. I love how each boss is implemented and I desperately want to talk about why I love it.
When I played Pizza Tower for the first time, Pepperman was really really hard for me. Nowadays, he's incredibly easy and I could probably do half of his fight with my eyes closed. But, I think his fight is a perfect example of how mastering the game's controls can work incredibly in your favor.
Throughout the game, you're running around, climbing things and busting through obstacles. Here, you're taught that running and dashing has its time and place. You don't wanna do it ALL the time, especially when you need to be a little more precise. I thought this would be something only exclusive to bosses, but I found myself utilizing skills from this boss in other levels, too. It's neat!
Also, I really love how Pepperman's boss arena tells you so much about him. He has paintings and sculptures of himself EVERYWHERE. I won't repeat myself since I talked about him in characters, but when he does paint something else that isn't him, as seen in the beginning of his fight, it's deliberate in how he portrays it as unattractive and ugly. He COULD have painted Peppino in a better light, but instead he makes him look like a sad, ugly, pathetic loser. Thanks Pepperman.
Vigilante was the hardest boss for me. Unlike the rest of the bosses, you fight him with a gun. It's a fun mechanic, but it definitely makes fighting him a bit challenging, since this is the first time you're given any gun. Though, once you know how to cheese this guy, he's pretty easy! You see, the joke is... All you have to do is shoot one charged shot at him, then 3 little ones.
I like a lot of the little things in this fight that add to his character. His ghostly grandfather (who I occasionally mistake for his father) adds a twinge of sadness to him, and potentially adds a bit of backstory to the guy. Sure, Vigilante now is... well, you know, his name, but what was he before? A farmer, perhaps? We'll never know, but I like to think about the implications.
Apparently his fight is heavily inspired by WORMS (game), which is pretty interesting! Nice little fun fact. I think though it really fits him. I also like that when he throws you the gun so you're on equal playing field in the fight, if you don't pick it up, he looks at the screen with an annoyed look. He could just kill you now, but he'd rather it be fair. Speaks volumes about his character.
I elaborate about this fight a little in the music section, but this fight feels like something that's been brewing for YEARS. I've never played the older demos of Pizza Tower, so the fact it feels like this upon first play feels awesome for me. Also, Noise is the only boss who's attack patterns are completely random. Every other boss has an order to their patterns. Pepperman charges twice before learning to turn around during his charge, Vigilante slowly starts pulling out more tricks and contraptions, Fake Peppino desperately mimicks your own moveset. But Noise? Nah, he's completely random. Some find this annoying, but that's perfect because Noise is the EMBODIMENT of annoying. I love punching this stupid gremlin in his face.
This fight starts off really great. You've beaten three bosses so far, two of which are sentient pizza ingredients. Coming up to this guy, they look like another normal person... except, wait a minute, that gate looks a lot like Peppino. Something's off. Entering the fight, it gets even more uncanny, as you're introduced to your doppleganger: Fake Peppino. This is the kind of shit you'd hear as a playground rumor, and I love it. "So, I got to the fourth floor's boss, and I was fighting a FAKE version of me!! He even took off his head and threw it at me, it was so weird!!" If I heard this as a kid and I went to go play Pizza Tower to find out for myself, I'd be kind of unsettled by it! Especially with some of the unhinged animations this guy has.
God, speaking of the animations. They're all heavy distortions of everything Peppino does. Peppino's idle has his hands close together near his chest as he breathes heavily, and Fake's idle has his hands in a similar position, but they twitch instead. Their Super Taunts are distorted versions of Peppino's, even referencing a scrapped Super Taunt animation of his. All of Fake's animations of him moving around and attacking feel like a creature trying to figure out how their new body works, as if they're wearing a skinsuit. Their voice being a heavily distorted and reversed Peppino is a sick touch, because sometimes the result makes them sound very critter-like, almost making you feel kind of bad for fighting them. Or, well, that's how I feel, at least.
When you land the final hit, you'd expect it to end the fight like the rest of the bosses and you get the key. But, no: the floor gives out from underneath you and you have to RUN. This thing isn't defeatable by normal means for whatever reason. And what's worse, is they transform into a bigger, more monsterous version of Peppino. When you do escape, it's interesting to note that they don't bother breaking down the boarded up doorway, because you do see them reaching through... maybe they just wanted you out to leave them alone after that. Your presence already likely made them question their own identity.
Gotta wonder though, what happened with Bruno's Pizza...? Was it already abandoned when the clones took over?
I talk a bit about how the music sets up this fight and compliments it in the music part, but I'll elaborate a bit on how the gameplay does it here too. Though, I do want to touch on the intro. It feels so atmospheric to see Peppino look in the distance towards his restaurant, only to punch his fist into his hand upon spotting Pizzaface. His idle even changes from the anxious one to the more angry one! It really helps set up the tone for the fight.
The first phase is a simple pattern: grab an enemy that Pizzaface spews out, launch it back at him, and hit him. It's also really easy to do. However, it's the second and third phase that this fight is marveled for. When I first saw Pizzahead pop out of Pizzaface during the second phase, I was confused, but realized, wait a minute: he looks REALLY close to those Pizzaboy cutouts you'd see throughout the game! And those things are EVERYWHERE, hell, there's one in Don't Make A Sound in the background of the first room! And that thing DISAPPEARS when you enter Pizza Time!
The second phase has some of my most favorite attacks in the game overall. They compliment Pizzahead's cartoonish, silly nature all so well. My favorite one is the TV attack though, a clever callback AND a nice way to tie in with the floating purple TVs in the background. The purple TVs always gave this sort of... "retro" vibe to Pizzahead. Ah, so retro...
The third phase is fucking awesome. Peppino supposedly defeats Pizzahead, only to see... wait, no, he's not done yet? And then he summons the other four bosses?? Seeing him fucking snap and go for the throat on Pepperman, then the rest of them is so, so rewarding. This man has gone through what feels like hell and back, all to protect his pizzeria from a THREAT. Not even a promise of obliteration or anything, just a mere threat. And when push comes to shove, this fucking Italian will go fucking ballistic. Seeing him lay the smackdown on Pizzahead feels so, so fucking satisfying. Seeing it play out for the first time filled me with a sense of pride, awe, and accomplishment. It felt so, so rewarding to finally defeat Pizzahead.
The soundtrack is avalible on Bandcamp and also Steam. Please consider purchasing this absolute banger of a collection.
Also, some of the composers, like Mr. Sauceman and Post Elvis, have websites! Check them out!
Hearing this track for the first time when I booted up Pizza Tower was really something special. I'm not sure why, but hearing this, I knew I was getting myself into something very special. The animated intro that goes along with this, too, is so good. I love how things are animated in this game so much... Really reminds me of Rocko's Modern Life.
I know, I'm basic for choosing two of the first tracks in the OST as my favorites... but, can you blame me!? This thing is catchy as hell!! I change what save file I'm selecting to the beat of this song when I go to replay this game now...
Apparently this was originally Vigilante's escape theme when he was playable, but I can't help but associate this with Peppino now. This song goes incredibly hard, especially with the guitars. It oozes confidence. I noticed someone in a YouTube comments section saying that this is the theme of you flirting with death, and you know what, I agree. This song is very good.
Oh, oh this one. Oh my god, this one. I love the guitars in it so much. The intro and buildup to it is satisfying, as well, giving me some like... Dracula or Vampire-ish feelings. Hard to describe, but god, it's good. The guitars really remind me of Greenday and Nickelback for some reason.
I find myself humming and listening to this song a lot. It definitely feels very westerny, upbeat and exciting in a way that fits with the saloon theme of the level. I wish I had more to say about it, because I love listening to remixes of this that keep the western feel.
I really like the funky instrumentation here. It feels the most upbeat of all of the tower hub themes, while also still feeling forboding and eerie. It's such a nice balance, and I'm a sucker for it.
This song really fits how lax and happy Gustavo comes off as. He's just a fella!! It kind of reminds me of Club Penguin's pizzeria song, actually... Not sure why.
Also, I'm sorry, but the cowbells and the name of the song being all lowercase make me think of "sans." from UNDERTALE. You may kill me now.
Oh my god, I have so much to say about this song. Previous iterations of Noise's fight theme came off as more wacky and silly, and while that definitely fits him, this iteration is objectively the best in my opinion. It really captures a sense of rivalry between Peppino and Noise, as if they already knew each other before the tower and this is just them settling the score. It definitely has Sonic CD vibes with the sirens in the beginning, and I think that's intentional. God, god I love this song. Fight of the century.
Besides the title being a Toby Fox-type beat, this song is very thematic. It feels upbeat and funky, while also feeling relatively calm and cool. It's hard to describe, but it feels clear to me. The way the song sounds occasionally feels like a Kirby series song, too... could just be me.
I really like Pizza Engineer for how slow and weirdly thematic it feels, but this one I enjoy a lot more for it's fast pace. I feel like I'm in a factory with shitty work conditions and I'm going to blow through the place. I also hate that I keep hearing "door stuck" instead of "don't stop" here... did you know there exists an older version of this song that has "door stuck" instead as a joke? It's so fucking great and I find myself saying "door stuck" more than I should.
I remember fighting Fake Peppino for the first time and this music reflecting that initial confusion I had. Then, it slowly becomes faster, and faster... and it suddenly feels like you're panicing! I love that it's just a distorted Pizza Time song, really hammering in that this is just a distorted Peppino you're fighting. Something's off and you need to fix it immediately. It's really atmospheric for that reason.
This goes so fucking hard. I really feel like I'm in the middle of a warzone in the middle of a pizza tower. I'm both filled with power, determination, and anxiety. I know that I can do this, but I don't want to. I can push through, but do I need to? I'm filled with power, but at what cost? Is it worth fracturing the mental sanity that's left? ... Ah, I think I'm getting a little too deep. My point is, I love this song. It's very thematic and good.
I'll split my thoughts on each part of this song into sections, since the three parts are separated in the OST.
The beginning of the song is kind of atmospheric. You made it, to the top of the tower... You're finally here. You look at your restaurant, all the way in the distance. You climbed this tower all for protecting this... is it worth it? As your enemy descends from above, you answer with a resounding YES in your mind. You crack your knuckles. It's time to take that motherfucking giant floating pizza DOWN.
The rest of this part is great at making you feel determined. It definitely feels like a final boss theme, but something's still feels a little off... and god, I love it. You get little hints of the next part, with the little wah-wah effects on some of the instruments, and what feels like weird TV sound effects. It's foreshadowing to something, but you don't know what. That is, until you land the final hit, and...
Out comes what may have been the true lunatic behind all of this: Pizzahead. This silly idiot in blue overalls and apparently in a floating pizza mech. Then, the song's weirdness really kicks in. What Part 1 was foreshadowing really starts to show as samples from Van & Schenck and Irving Berlin's 'After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It' kick in. And by god, does this song really fit Pizzahead as a character. He's a complete clown that takes NOTHING seriously. Not even you, the very thing he's fighting against! Sure, you've made it this far, and sure, you've proven to be a huge threat, but to Pizzahead, this is all just a game! A silly little bout of fun. He'll do what he can to get what he wants, but much like a child, it's not enough and he moves onto something else, without much regard for the implications. This song really reflects him and his childish attitude perfectly. And it's not even a bratty attitude, either: it's almost just like he never grew out of that want phase. And god, it's kind of creepy! And I love how this song reflects that.
Something's up. You defeated Pizzahead, but... he's back up on his feet, like it was nothing. And what's worse, is he pulls out the four bosses you already beat up. You're kidding, right? You have to go through all of that AGAIN?
And then something in Peppino snaps.
The mere THOUGHT of having to do just the four fights all over again, on TOP of Pizzahead coming out unscathed from the second phase, is enough to send him into a blind fury. And god, is it satisfying, because every hit you deal here isn't worth just one measely hit point anymore, no: it's worth FOUR. You blow through boss after boss, with Gustavo offering himself as ammo when Vigilante's up, since you no longer have a gun with you. Fuck the gun, you don't need it!
I've seen a lot of people say the lemotif choices are really strange for this part, and, maybe they are, but they feel so fucking fitting here. The Death That I Deservioli shows up representing Peppino's absolute confidence and power (or Vigilante, depending on how you really want to look at it), and motifs from past levels you traversed... ough, god, it's so satisfying. All of this, leading up to you beating the absolute SHIT out of Pizzahead and transitioning into a piledrive... god, there's never been anything more satisfying for me than this fight paired with this music. Playing this for the first time was something special for me.
The title is a response to Pizza Time's vocals, "hello there," and it feels like a silly but great thing to nod to. Also, this song, instead of being Pizza Time's panic and anxiety, is the exact opposite. Confident, determined, and coordinated. The Pizza Time lemotif is still heard here, but in a much more powerful tone. Going through each floor as you blow through what's basically your final challenge is so satisfying with this playing... I already talked about this level at length in the level section, so I'll try not to repeat myself, but god. This is my favorite track. It makes me really want to see Peppino oozing with confidence more. That man's capable of so much shit, it's amazing.
This song feels like the ultimate "you did it" from the game. You braved the horrors of the titular Pizza Tower: sentient pizza ingredients threatening your life, The Noise, a gooey doppleganger, sentient pizza freaks... and you made it out alive. Your restaurant still stands. Isn't that cause for a little celebration? You made it another day.
This playing as the credits role and all of the Patreon supporters rolling on screen really feels like a nice touch. In a way, this music alongside those credits really feels like a big "thank you" for sticking around with the project and having faith in its release. It's sweet.
Originally, this track was composed for the old level editor found in older Pizza Tower builds. Back then, users could make their own levels and play through them. However, it eventually was removed, leaving this track without a purpose. However, I still really really like this song. It feels really atmospheric, relaxing... It makes you think about your journey to this point, sometimes.
Noise is calling, pick up phone...
Back when Noise was a mascot for a fictional Pizza company brought to life, this was his little tune that played when he came onscreen. Then, he'd press a button, triggering Pizza Time. I love this little tune still... It's annoyingly catchy in the best way possible. Ringtone material.
This was the song for the scrapped ice level, Strongcold. I do like what we have now, Freezerator, but this song feels really nice and calm. It kind of reminds me of Kirby song again...
Did you know that Fake Peppino cameo'd in this level, ringing a little bell? That was weirdly adorable.
Oh my god, this song reeks of Sonic CD's Sonic Boom, and I love it. It's also VERY very catchy. I find myself humming "Cheese and Pepper, let's make some Noise!" a lot... This is REALLY, really good, and I can't help but imagine this being some sort of opening to a Pizza Tower Cartoon. The extended opening, of course. I'd kill for something like that...