Pixel art is everywhere nowadays. As it is (at the very most basic level) doable by programmers easily, it enables a programmer without a dedicated artist a way to create a decent-looking game without needing to hire another team member.

Adventures Of Pip aims to take back this idea and show that pixel art truly is an artform all in itself–that a great-looking game can be made using it. The main character (named Pip – heh) is only a single pixel as the game starts.  As the game continues and he defeats enemies and collects experience, Pip also absorbs his opponents’ pixels, making him change from a single pixel to a 5-pixel human-like shape and then eventually a pixel-art boy.

Originally a mobile game supported by a publisher, TicToc Games decided that Pip would be better served as a PC release. They’ve decided to use crowdfunding to both retain total creative control and make the game that they want to make. Currently, they are sitting at 20% of their Kickstarter, which has a modest goal of $90k, which is a decent budget for a game of this scope and style.  This game will feature side-scrolling combat and RPG mechanics such as levelling up, providing Pip with new abilities and allowing him to evolve his form. At first, he simply jumps on top of enemies to squash them, but as he evolves and becomes higher resolution, he can dash, double jump and more! He also learns to wield weapons, starting off with a sword, but more become available as he purchases them from his camp, which is also where he goes to heal.

Already picked up to appear on the Xbox One and the WiiU, Adventures of Pip shows some serious promise along with fantastic soundtrack and art style. As a big fan of the side-scrolling platforming genre, I’ve already backed this, and I recommend you do too. Here’s that Kickstarter (which has an option to get the game for a reasonable $10 at the time of writing), and they also have Steam Greenlight campaign running, which they still need your help with.