It’s become the norm that I will jump at the opportunity to play any incremental or idle game that comes across my feed (provided they don’t have generative AI in them, of course). So, when Pidgeon Pocket, a game about pigeons stealing pocket money, flew onto the scene, I was there.
Pidgeon Precision
Your aim in Pidgeon Pocket is to click unknowing pedestrians on a 2.5D pixelated map of a park and steal their money. Using a mouse, you line up your shot and send your pigeon to battle, avoiding police and bird catchers. Each round is only a few seconds long at first, so you have to be careful who you choose to pickpocket.
You then spend the money you have collected on upgrades to bolster your “flock”. The skill tree boasts 34 upgrades which bolster your thieving abilities and upgrade your pigeon. You also gain an egg every time your flock levels up, giving you a choice between three bird upgrades or money.
Incrementally Inclined
Pidgeon Pocket’s incremental nature comes from its upgrades. Each upgrade increases your speed and abilities in some way or another, making things easier for you as a player. It plays similarly to Incremental Cats or Petal by Petal, where you run a short level, spend what you can on upgrades, then return for another short burst.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure the core gameplay loop is as satisfying as in similar incremental games. Choosing where to aim to get the best boons and avoid capture requires time and thought, which isn’t something you’re afforded here, so I often felt like I had wasted my round. Similarly, clicking randomly can still earn you well, but I didn’t feel like I was coming back with much, if I did.
I can see a lot of players being hooked on the opportunity for “just one more run“, but I felt it more suited to “garbage time” gaming on mobile than a main screen game. Surprisingly, some research shows that this is, in fact, a mobile port, which likely explains some of my reactions.
More Birds!
There’s a bit of a delay as your bird flies to the chosen target and back to their perch before you can choose another target. During this time, your target can leave the area, causing a miss-fire. There’s no negative effect besides failing, but it does make choosing moving targets risky.
You unlock extra birds to send out, so you can send them more regularly. However, they still take time to go out and come back from their target.
A Charming Scene
Despite being designed with pixel graphics, there’s a lot of charm in this tiny scene. We look down at the square as different events and seasons appear with each new run. The citizens wear different outfits and gather for picnics or buy things from vendors in low-poly perfection. I know pixel graphics aren’t for everyone, but I liked it here.
Most of the music offers a relaxing, jazzy ambience, with the SFX leaning toward satisfying pings and pongs that fire all the happy receptors. The user interface and skill tree are similarly low-poly, but effective.
Leaving The Nest
While I enjoyed the concept, I fast lost steam with Pidgeon Pocket. The incremental “numbers-go-up” aspect felt pretty gruelling, and the pacing didn’t feel there for me personally. The spike in cost for the skill tree did stall my progress somewhat, but the novelty of the mini-game aspect wore off within an hour. I could see myself going back here and there to do a few rounds and complete the 40 achievements if I ever found a few minutes to spare, though.
Pidgeon Pocket is still in Early Access, so a lot could change between now and release. Some automation and balancing tweaks could make a huge difference to the final release, and I would be interested to see what, if any, changes are made in the future.
Platforms: PC
Publishers: Lianes8 Studio, TrueColor Games
Developers: Lianes8 Studio
Played On: Steam
Key Provided By: PressEngine
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