Pixel Junk Monsters Deluxe Review

By Rachel Phillips

After much withdrawal pain from not having a PS3 within my grasp, I have acquired a PSP in a game of chance… okay, fine, I was given a generous present of a PSP and have been greatly enjoying the experience of my own console. However, my beloved Pixel Junk Monsters was missing, as were many other games I played diligently. Patapon 2 was my one solace.

But then, a wonderful, magical thing happened: Pixel Junk Monsters went portable in Pixel Junk Monsters Deluxe! It was a joyous day when I was able to download it and discover the new additions. The transition to the tiny screen took a couple minutes, as did adapting my skills in the game from the Dualshock3 to the PSP. Having only one analog stick really throws you off, but what can I do?

Pixel Junk Monsters Deluxe has several new additions (click here for a review of the original). However, it is not Pixel Junk Monsters 2. It is the same game with a huge amount of bonus features and modified controls. We see a new island—Gati Gati Island, but you have the play through a good portion of Tiki Island to get to it. Toki Island (from the expansion pack) is accessible after you acquire a rainbow on 10 levels. Some new things are also present in Tiki island, like new types of morphing monsters, and, oh horror! A flying boss! I was in shock for about ten seconds on that one.

The controls are a bit better, because now you do not have to hold down circle to use the speedy potion. However, there is an automatic zoom that happens every time you move the analog stick. I don’t care for this because I like to be able to see the whole screen at once, but you get used to it. Another new addition is that triangle enables Tiki Talk. Tiki Talk is now usable because of game sharing. So I can now play two-player with my boyfriend several states away. I cannot contain my excitement for this. However, a GOOD Internet connection is essential for this, something that I can only get on my back porch, and playing in the freezing cold makes your fingers stop moving.

So yes, this is worth buying, but if you cannot get together $20, find a friend with Pixel Junk Monsters Deluxe and a good Internet connection and use the gamesharing for a free try. I highly recommend that you just buy it. It is well worth the $20 to be able to take PJM wherever you go.