I would describe playing Pyre's Rites as a mix between basketball and hockey with some fantasy RPG elements thrown in. The writing is phenomenal in its own way, Madden has a story mode and people go nuts for it when it can't even hold a candle to Pyre's journey. You can also move on from any member of your team (you get to pick) and the game keeps on trucking. I had my favourites but you do learn more about each of their stories as you progress and when tough decisions have to be made, it makes you hesitate and think if one of them truly deserves it more than the other. Your team is such an eclectic and endearing bunch I can't imagine anyone not forming any kind of attachment to them. Going past the plot, the characters are memorable too. I can't remember the last time a game made me ponder about existential questions let alone while I was trying to do the equivalent of dunking on my opponent. Talk about expecting one thing and getting another. This game questions the true nature of freedom, friendship and duty. But as much as that's a relatable motivation for both your character and your team, there's a larger game afoot that plays out at the same time. You're not battling to win a trophy, you're fighting to free yourselves from a bondage/prison state where you've been exiled to die.

There's so much world building going on here, they put the time in so you understand not only why these tournaments are going on but why they're so significant and meaningful to your companions. Its not just the animation that sweeps you away, the story goes miles beyond most sports focused titles. Gorgeous is the appropriate word for the colourful style this game has.

It made me think about how the design team didn't have to put this much effort into it but they went the extra mile anyway. The setting across the Downside varies wildly across each area but there's always something striking in the background animation or character design even when the game is focused elsewhere. But between the Rites and the cutscenes with characters travelling venue to venue, it never stops being daring visually and it has style to burn. I don't normally seek out that kind of game but it pairs well with the animation and the overall story. You get static character animations that pop in and out with text. The majority of Pyre's story is told through visual novel slides.

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