This Nintendo Indie Showcase debut had platformer fans calling it a Pizza Tower clone, but they're both inspired by the same 2001 GBA classic (2024)

Pizza Tower fans have been waiting for the well-loved PC indie platformer to make the jump to consoles, but this week's Nintendo Indie Showcase once again failed to deliver that announcement. Instead, we saw a very similar-looking game called Antonblast - and while some elements of the fandom were quick to call it a "Pizza Tower clone," both games owe their inspiration to a much older Nintendo classic.

Antonblast and Pizza Tower both draw heavily from Wario Land 4, a 2001 GBA platformer that's something of a cult classic among Nintendo fans. These games are a bit more focused on exploration and collectables than a traditional Mario title. They feature a stocky hero who charges shoulder-first through brick walls and have levels that culminate in action-packed timed escape sequences where you rush back out of the level you just explored.

Pizza Tower launched early in 2023 to instantly become one of the highest-rated games of the year, and while Antonblast isn't due to launch until later this year, it was announced well before Pizza Tower found its viral success. Nonetheless, when Antonblast appeared on a much bigger stage at the Nintendo Indie Showcase yesterday, you started seeing the words "Pizza Tower clone" being thrown around an awful lot.

Thankfully, those voices were quickly drowned out by people setting the record straight. Both games can trace their origins to Wario Land, they've both been in development for a long time, and Antonblast seems poised to be just as cool as Pizza Tower. We'd have to shut down Steam if multiple retro-inspired indie platformers couldn't exist at once, you know?

If you want to give Antonblast a spin for yourself, there's a demo available on both Steam and the Switch eShop. The full game is due to launch on November 12, 2024.

We'll keep you updated on all the big upcoming Switch games.