Upcoming indie title Antonblast has drawn a lot of comparisons with 2023’s Pizza Tower, to the point where some are calling the former a Pizza Tower clone, a sentiment that others have quickly hit back against.
Nintendo’s latest Indie World Showcase aired earlier today, and one of the games featured was Antonblast, an upcoming 2D platformer that admittedly shares a few hallmarks with indie darling Pizza Tower. Both boast fast-paced gameplay, a rather manic art style done in pixel art graphics, and stages that, once completed, require you to run back through them while a timer counts down.
However, it’s unfair to dismiss Antonblast as a Pizza Tower clone when there’s a simple explanation as to why they share a lot of DNA. It’s because both games are influenced by Nintendo’s own Wario Land series, which saw Wario barrel through levels and then, upon reaching the goal, rush through them in reverse before a time limit runs out.
On social media, there are those who think Antonblast and Pizza Tower are a bit too much alike; one user on X (formerly Twitter) even assumed they’re from the same developer, while another thought they were the exact same game. Plenty of people, though, have jumped to Antonblast‘s defense and are doing what they can to stop assumptions of it being a Pizza Tower copycat from spreading any further.
Twitter users have already pushed back against these, quick to point out the Wario Land inspirations. Sadly, the easiest reference point Wario Land 4 isn’t readily available. Hopefully Nintendo will add it to its library of GameBoy Advance games on its Nintendo Switch online service. Others, like LordLicoriceDrp have been sharing a fan comic of the two game’s protagonists sharing a Predator-style handshake, obviously made to dissuade any hostility between fans of either game.
Many seem simply happy to see Antonblast coming to Switch in the first place, especially since Pizza Tower is still locked to PC, with no signs of it ever getting a port. Plus, the Wario Land series has been on hiatus since 2008, so fans of it are just thrilled to see other developers fill the void.
