PAX EAST 2023 | "Pizza Possum"
Possums are both ugly and adorable. They’re the dorks of the marsupial world, with their beady eyes and long snouts being both intimidating and huggable. It’s why I took one look at Raw Fury and Cosy Computer’s Pizza Possum, and instantly sat my butt down to see what it has to offer. Sure enough, its PAX East demo didn’t disappoint.
A stealth game, Pizza Possum has you controlling a hungry possum. While “pizza” is in the name of the title, his food preference is “whatever is laying out in the open”. However, with police walking around in almost every area, taking food is easier said than done. That’s why players will need to read the area before embarking on their quest for all of the eats!
My demo with the game took me around an Italian-looking village. As there are cops who’ll chase you when in sight, the possum will need to use bushes and other places to hide before it’s time to strike. But I quickly found out that if you eat too much, it turns your possum into a chunky boy, making it harder to run from the po-po! That’s where speed elixirs come in, which turn your marsupial into a frantic creature of madness!
The hardest part of the demo involved unlocking new areas of the level. While it seems easy to grab the keys at first, it’s later on when you’ll see the police standing around them almost all of the time. Again, this is where the speed elixirs come in, as you’ll need to dash towards the keys when the cop’s not looking for a split-second. But if you time it wrong, it’s time to get to running!
There’s some good potential to be found in Pizza Possum. Its gameplay is simplistic, but that might mean it’ll be best to experience in small doses rather than long campaigns. But in a world where every AAA game is trying to be a 100+ hour experience, perhaps Pizza Possum will be the kind of title to put on for a bit when one needs a breather. Thanks to its cute visuals, Cosy Computer may have found itself a new snaggletoothed hero we can all aspire to be…maybe.
Pizza Possum has no set release date, but it’ll be out for PC and consoles when it’s ready. Until then, get your sneaking skills up to par!
