Reviews

Pilfer: Story of Light review for PC

Platform: PC
Publisher: Vincent Prom
Developer: Vincent Prom
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: Not Rated

In some respects, my feelings towards Pilfer: Story of Light are awfully similar to what I had to say about Kaku: Ancient Seal earlier this week. Both, after all, are 3D platformers that owe a huge debt of gratitude towards the past. While that descriptor applies to plenty of other games, too, it’s a quirk of timing that I ended up playing both of them this week, so they’re both on my mind at the moment.

There’s one important difference, though: Pilfer: Story of Light is excellent.

I mean, it’s not very original. It does very little to hide how much inspiration it draws from its biggest influence, Super Mario Galaxy. But in a weird way, that works to Pilfer’s advantage. After all, if you’re going to directly copy a game, why not make it one of the greatest games of all time?

Of course, it helps that Pilfer imitates Super Mario Galaxy so well. Plenty of games draw inspiration from classics but never amount to much – in part because they lack the technical ability to pull off their theft. Pilfer, by contrast, was made by someone competent enough to copy Super Mario Galaxy and smart enough to not get in the way of an already near-perfect thing. It may not deliver something we’ve never seen before, but it does deliver a product that works, which is more than a lot of imitators can say.

This means that Pilfer’s gameplay will feel awfully familiar to anyone who’s ever played the Wii classic. Double-jumps and wall-jumps and ground stomps and being launched across great distances by random stars: the mechanics all feel well-worn at this point. But, again, they work well, which makes it awfully easy to get sucked into the game. Add in a layer of cuteness via a story about a raccoon that you can dress up in all kinds of costumes while he’s saving the universe from an evil owl, and you have a pretty solid combination.

To be certain, it’s not going to make anyone forget Super Mario Galaxy. But if you’re after a game that captures the spirit of one of the best 3D platformers ever, then you owe it to yourself to give Pilfer: Story of Light a try.

Vincent Prom provided us with a Pilfer: Story of Light PC code for review purposes.

Grade: A-
Matthew Pollesel

Recent Posts

PAX East 2025: Inside the Elden Ring: Nightreign Dome!

For the attendees who remained ticketless, we reveal what’s inside the dome!

19 hours ago

Alien: Rogue Incursion – Part One: Evolved Edition is sneaking onto non-VR PS5 and PC platforms

The latest Alien title is going flat later this year!

20 hours ago

Mafia: The Old Country gets an August 8th, 2025 release, official gameplay trailer and more

With Grand Theft Auto VI officially bumped into next year, now's the time for 2K…

2 days ago

Celebrate the upcoming launch of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 with THPS Fest tonight in L.A. and Twitch

Activision has put together a tribute to the those who helped make Tony Hawk’s Pro…

2 days ago

Sega reveals the English Voice Cast for Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut

Real Yakuza play with subs, but if you need a dub, SEGA’s got your back.

2 days ago

Captain Blood review for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation

It took more than twenty years, but Captain Blood has finally seen the light of…

2 days ago