Pixel Ripped 1995 | Oculus Quest Review

Waking up on a sunny, yet somewhat chilly morning, the first thing I did was run downstairs to turn on the television. I then proceeded to boot up the game system. Either my PlayStation, NES, or Nintendo 64. I would play games on them until I heard my mother come down the stairs, yawning and grumbling for coffee. I had to think fast because I knew that I had to find a save spot before my mom turned the game system off. Sometimes I got away with it, other times I would have to start back over at the beginning. Do I regret defying my mom’s wishes by still playing? Of course not.

Pixel Ripped 1995 is just like this! Playing video games while your mom continues to tell you that they will burn holes into your eyes. Where they received that info, I have no idea. However, no matter what the feeling you got as a 90’s baby, this nostalgic trip down memory lane made me love this game more than I could have possibly expected. I applaud ARVORE for bringing back these great memories I forgot I had.

Game-Within-a-Game

One of the most intriguing attributes of Pixel Ripped 1995 is not just the nostalgia of playing video games back in the 90’s. It’s actually the fact that you are playing a game-within-a-game! Woah! I know you are probably thinking that’s ridiculous, and I too thought the same. Yet, you play this 9-year-old boy David, who is apparently the best gamer in 1995. He is then linked to the “in-game” character Dot. David is recruited to help save Dot’s virtual, pixelated world. You’ll go from 16-bit and 32-bit classics, all while surviving the struggles of a typical kid life.

I remember playing games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage, Crash Bandicoot, Star Fox, and Super Metroid as a kid. All of those styles of gaming are present, obviously respectfully distancing themselves from copyrighted content, but still amazing! Mashed up in this fun, weird, and eccentric game!

The Goblin & Dragon

Now as a kid from the 90’s myself, a good game back then always had a villain of great power. One with an evil plot to take over the world. Pixel Ripped 1995 brought back the same villain from its predecessor Pixel Ripped 1989, the evil and ugly Cyblin Lord. I never played the first one of the two, but after playing this game, I went and bought the previous one just to play.

The Cyblin Lord is this power-hungry goblin, out to destroy Dot’s precious world. From what I have gathered, he learned about the outside 3D world from the previous game. He’s determined to get this powerful cube that creates unimaginable damage to whatever the wielder desires. Cyblin Lord even takes control of a dragon that you actually have to battle in a boss fight, which by the way is really tough.

Controlling Two Games in One

The trickiest part of this game is going in between each world. Going from 2D to 3D, back to 2D side-scrolling is no easy task. As long as you pay attention to what is happening around you, then getting your Mom to not turn off the game system will be easy. What I mean by that is listening for when your Mom gets off the phone. When she does, shooting the cookie jar or the box of cereal on the refrigerator with a nerf gun will distract her enough to make another call. Earning you more time to play and find a save spot or checkpoint.

Another tricky aspect is going from game style to game style. I mentioned this before, going from what looks like Crash Bandicoot to playing Star Fox. Remembering how these are played was a bit sketchy, but overall really fun to see.

Blast from the Past

Playing Pixel Ripped 1995 was a huge blast from the past for me. Making me feel like a kid again and sneaking around playing video games behind my Mom’s back. If I stopped playing video games, I wouldn’t be here today giving you the 411 on how awesome this game is. If your mind still isn’t convinced on playing this game, then maybe telling you that Pixel Ripped 1989 and Pixel Ripped 1995 are two of the best games I have played this year so far!

To hear me talk more about Pixel Ripped 1995, be sure to listen to Episode 291 of The Gaming Outsider Podcast at the 1:48:15 time stamp.

This review is based on an Oculus Quest copy of Pixel Ripped 1995 provide by Jesus Fabre for coverage purposes. The game is also available on PSVR, Steam, HTC Vive, and Springboard.