McPixel

The game centers around the title character, McPixel,{{cite web|last=Plante|first=Chris|url=https://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/8/31/3282742/mcpixel-ios-review-20-seconds-to-save-the-world|title=McPixel (iOS) review – 20 seconds to save the world|work=The Verge|date=31 August 2012|accessdate=5 September 2012|archive-date=7 September 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907014933/http://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/8/31/3282742/mcpixel-ios-review-20-seconds-to-save-the-world|url-status=dead}} who is a parody of both the television character MacGyver and the Saturday Night Live character MacGruber, which itself was a parody of the former.{{cite web|last=Thomas|first=Lucas M.|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/28/app-store-update-august-28|title=App Store Update: August 28|work=IGN|date=28 August 2012|accessdate=5 September 2012}}{{cite web|first=Mikolaj|last=Kamiński|url=http://mcpixel.net/help/#appendix_b|title=McPixel Player's Guide: Fun Facts|website=mcpixel.net|publisher=Sos Sosowski|date=18 August 2012|accessdate=5 December 2013}} The game features numerous references to popular culture characters.

McPixel's objective in the game is to defuse bombs or "save the day" in 20 seconds each level.{{cite web|last=Stark|first=Chelsea|url=http://mashable.com/2012/09/01/5-games-8-31/#855273-McPixel|title=5 Games You Should Play This Weekend|work=Mashable|date=1 September 2012|accessdate=5 September 2012}}{{cite web|author=Kirk Hamilton|url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/06/save-the-world-20-seconds-at-a-time-mostly-by-kicking-things-in-the-crotch/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701103627/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/06/save-the-world-20-seconds-at-a-time-mostly-by-kicking-things-in-the-crotch/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 1, 2012|title=Save The World 20 Seconds At A Time, Mostly By Kicking Things In The Crotch|work=Kotaku Australia|date=26 June 2012|accessdate=5 September 2012}} There are four chapters in the game, each with three levels and an unlockable level. Each level contains six sequences. The puzzle solutions are often absurdist and nonsensical, using cartoon-style physics and logic; typical interactions with people and objects involve McPixel kicking them, and directly kicking the bomb often causes it to explode. In one level, to stop a fire from reaching a bomb, the player may have to get McPixel to urinate on it; in another level, McPixel may have to feed a bomb to another person, causing it to explode inside their stomach and protecting the surroundings from destruction.{{cite web|first=Evan|last=Narcisse|url=http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/08/gaming-app-of-the-day-this-game-blows-you-up-three-times-in-one-minute/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901222309/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/08/gaming-app-of-the-day-this-game-blows-you-up-three-times-in-one-minute/|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 September 2012|title=Gaming App Of The Day: This Game Blows You Up Three Times In One Minute|work=Kotaku Australia|date=30 August 2012|accessdate=5 September 2012}}

{{Video game reviews

| GR = (PC) 78.67%{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/684696-mcpixel/index.html|title=McPixel at Game Rankings|publisher=GameRankings|accessdate=2 November 2012}}

| MC = (PC) 76/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/mcpixel/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=McPixel Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More |publisher=Metacritic|accessdate=14 March 2013}}
(iOS) 83/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/mcpixel/critic-reviews/?platform=ios-iphoneipad |title=McPixel Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More |publisher=Metacritic |accessdate=2 November 2012}}

| EuroG = 7/10{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-07-10-mcpixel-review|title=Eurogamer McPixel Review|last=Donlan|first=Christian|date=11 July 2012|work=Eurogamer|accessdate=November 1, 2012}}

}}

The game was released on 25 June 2012 for Android and iPhone and as a computer game. As of September 2012, McPixel had sold 3,056 copies.{{cite web|last=Klepek|first=Patrick|url=http://www.giantbomb.com/news/mcpixel-embraced-piracy-lived-to-tell-the-tale/4366/|title=McPixel Embraced Piracy, Lived to Tell the Tale|work=Giant Bomb|date=13 September 2012|accessdate=2 November 2012}} The game was also the first game to be released via Steam Greenlight.{{cite web|last=Raby|first=Mark|url=http://www.geek.com/articles/games/mcpixel-becomes-first-steam-greenlight-title-20120927/|title=McPixel becomes first Steam Greenlight title|website=Geek.com|date=27 September 2012|accessdate=23 October 2012|archive-date=2 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002234939/http://www.geek.com/articles/games/mcpixel-becomes-first-steam-greenlight-title-20120927|url-status=dead}} From 15–22 August 2013, McPixel was featured alongside four other games in the Humble Bundle Weekly Sale hosted by PewDiePie, which sold 189,927 units.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} As of October 2013, a Linux version exists, but is not yet available on Steam. Kamiński has stated on the Steam Forums that this is because the Adobe Air run-time can not be distributed via Steam. To fix this and other issues, Kamiński has stated that he intended to rewrite the game engine to not use Adobe Air. Kamiński announced the rewrite in June 2013, writing that he hoped to be done by September, though no further update was issued.{{cite web|url=http://steamcommunity.com/app/220860/discussions/0/846945955379188536/|title=Will the Linux version be available from Steam?|via=steamcommunity.com|author=Sos Sosowski|accessdate=23 September 2014}}

McPixel received positive reviews, with a critic score of 76/100 on Metacritic for the PC version, and 83/100 critic score for the iOS version. The Verge gave the game a score of 8 out of 10, stating "McPixel is the step further, a parody of a parody. But it's stranger, grosser, funnier and far more blasphemous."

Kamiński credited Let's Play videos as "the largest force driving attention to McPixel", particularly those by Jesse Cox and PewDiePie.{{cite web|last=Matulef|first=Jeffrey|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-11-20-steam-greenlight-three-months-later|title=Steam Greenlight: Is it working?|work=Eurogamer|date=22 November 2012|accessdate=11 December 2012}} After finding his game being made available for download through a Reddit thread,{{cite web|last=Fahey|first=Mike|url=http://kotaku.com/5941425/the-worlds-most-infamous-piracy-website-wants-you-to-buy-this-video-game|title=The World's Most Infamous Piracy Website Wants You to Buy This Video Game|work=Kotaku|date=7 September 2012|accessdate=9 September 2012}} he partnered with The Pirate Bay to promote the distribution of his game through free torrent downloads from the website.{{cite web|last=Orland|first=Kyle|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/09/how-one-game-developer-is-making-the-pirate-bay-work-for-him/|title=How one game developer is making The Pirate Bay work for him|work=Ars Technica|date=7 September 2012|accessdate=9 September 2012}} This made McPixel the first video game ever to be directly endorsed by the Pirate Bay's "Promo Bay" section.{{cite web|last=Matulef|first=Jeffrey|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-09-08-mcpixel-is-the-first-game-endorsed-by-the-pirate-bay|title=McPixel is the first game endorsed by The Pirate Bay following dev's support|work=Eurogamer|date=8 September 2012|accessdate=9 September 2012}}

A sequel titled McPixel 3 was announced on 17 February 2022 and released on 14 November 2022.{{cite AV media|title=McPixel 3 {{!}} Coming 2022|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3hpIUAF0iQ|publisher=DevolverDigital|via=YouTube|language=en|date=17 February 2022|access-date=17 February 2022}}{{Cite web|title=McPixel 3 on Steam |url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1338580/McPixel_3/|access-date=11 November 2022|website=store.steampowered.com|language=en}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://mcpixel.net/ McPixel official website]

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Category:2012 video games

Category:Android (operating system) games

Category:Indie games

Category:IOS games

Category:Linux games

Category:MacOS games

Category:Parody video games

Category:Point-and-click adventure games

Category:Retro-style video games

Category:Steam Greenlight games

Category:Video games about bomb disposal

Category:Video games developed in Poland

Category:Windows games