PIZZA TOWER IS A 2023 PLATFORM GAME CREATED BY THE INDIE DEVELOPER TOUR DE PIZZA AND RELEASED FOR WINDOWS AND STEAM DECK EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH THE STEAM DISTRIBUTION PLATFORM. THE GAME FOLLOWS PIZZA CHEF PEPPINO SPAGHETTI AS HE TRAVERSES THE TITULAR TOWER TO SAVE HIS PIZZERIA. THE GAMEPLAY CENTERS AROUND INCREASING SCORE, MAINTAINING COMBOS, GATHERING COLLECTIBLES, AND MOVING FAST, WITH A VARIETY OF MANEUVERS AND ATTACKS TO DO SO. AT THE END OF EACH LEVEL, THE PLAYER ACTIVATES AN ESCAPE SEQUENCE IN WHICH THEY MUST RETURN TO THE BEGINNING OF THE LEVEL WHILE TIMED. UNLIKE MOST OTHER PLATFORM GAMES, THE PLAYER DOES NOT HAVE HEALTH OR LIVES IN REGULAR GAMEPLAY, AND THERE ARE NO TRADITIONAL GAME DIFFICULTY LEVELS; RATHER, THE DIFFICULTY OF MOST LEVELS DEPENDS ON WHAT THE PLAYER CHOOSES TO ACHIEVE. PIZZA TOWER'S DESIGN TAKES HEAVY INSPIRATION FROM ENTERTAINMENT DURING THE 1990S, ESPECIALLY THE FOURTH GENERATION OF VIDEO GAME CONSOLES. THE GAME'S ELEMENTS AND MECHANICS ARE INSPIRED BY THE WARIO LAND, JAZZ JACKRABBIT, EARTHWORM JIM, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, AND METROID VIDEO GAME SERIES, WHILE ITS VISUAL STYLE HAS BEEN COMPARED TO CARTOONS SUCH AS SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, THE REN & STIMPY SHOW, AND COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG, AS WELL AS EARLY MICROSOFT PAINT GRAPHICS. PIZZA TOWER WAS RELEASED ON JANUARY 26, 2023, TO POSITIVE RECEPTION FROM CRITICS AND PLAYERS ALIKE, WHO PRAISED ITS GAMEPLAY, AESTHETICS, MUSIC, HUMOR, AND SIMILARITIES TO THE WARIO LAND SERIES.