App Army Assemble: Pilgrims

We handed Pilgrims over to our App Army
Our readers loved the game’s art style
The creativity on display was also praised

Pilgrims is an adventure game that first launched on Apple Arcade. Now it’s off the subscription service, you can pick it up for either iOS or Android, which means more people can experience what our reviewer Jack Brassell called a quirky adventure game. To celebrate non-exclusivity, we handed the game over to our App Army community to see what they made of Pilgrims.

Here’s what they said:

Swapnil Jadhav
It is a unique and creative art style. Great gameplay with beautiful hand-drawn graphics. Short game. The game definitely reminds me of games like Machinarium and Samorost. Puzzles are a little challenging. The only negative thing about this game is it’s short

Jason Rosner
Pilgrims is a tremendously charming adventure-style puzzle game that has been brought over from its exclusivity on Apple Arcade for all to enjoy. Amanita Design has always had a very unique and distinct art style to their games, and I’m happy to say that Pilgrims follows suit. It’s a real pleasure to take in the gorgeous environments with all their small and wonderful details. From the smokestacks above the quaint houses to the flowing waterways, everything has such a loveliness to it that it feels like a painting in a museum that has been brought to life.

The quirky yet distinct sound effects each character makes, along with Pilgrims’ whimsical music (which was created by real instruments), pair just perfectly. Gameplay is rather open-ended in that you create your own path, and with some trial and error, you explore the world around you at your leisure to find various objects that the people you meet along the way are looking for. All these quests add up to an awesome, almost personalized adventure that begs to be played over and over.

Oksana Ryan
This is an unusual game where there is a mixture of puzzle and card play. The game begins with you wanting a trip in a boat and the boat owner wants a bird as payment. Easy – right? Wrong. It starts a trip around a map, using cards to perform actions and different characters are waiting along the way. The graphics are hand-drawn and whimsical, and characters interact in a gibberish style, which is where the cards you collect are used to communicate and complete tasks. I found it a cleverly constructed game – different enough to make it interesting.

Mark Abukoff
I missed this during its Apple Arcade tenure so was happy for the chance to take a look. With the fun art style, enjoyable music and quirky characters there’s much to like. The easy and causal pace and non-linear progression (so far it hasn’t really directed me to go to any specific place other than looking for water in an obvious place) encourages you to explore. And you’ll find lots to enjoy as you do. Depending on your choices (there are different ways to go as you collect items via cards with which you’ll accomplish various tasks), you can get different outcomes, giving the game a high degree of replayability. So I say play on. Try the free version and stay for the rest. Kudos.

Mike Lisagor
What a great gem of a game. I never got around to playing Pilgrims when it was on Apple Arcade. I am pleasantly surprised by it. Fairly simple mechanics- touch the screen to explore different areas of the map and then you can interact with various people around the area. You build a deck of cards for people you meet and items you collect. You then need to figure out which person needs what object and then you barter away. You are encouraged to explore and experiment, it only costs you time. You can see how the various items affect various interactions. Easy stress-free game to recommend to almost anyone.

Jojó Reis
Pilgrim is a super fun and simple game. Its mechanics consist of solving some puzzles with the right items for each scene, you need to be aware of the tips that each character or scenario offers you and thus decipher the solution. The game is super well done, with very well-reproduced graphics, animations and audio. Its gameplay is super simple and it also works very well. Pilgrim is a game that will offer you challenge and fun at the right point and more and more you will want to solve the problems of the game. I liked it a lot and it’s definitely worth your purchase.

Robert Maines
Pilgrims is a charming graphic adventure. You need to find a bird to please the owner of a boat that will take you downriver. Of course, this will not be a simple task and you will have to solve puzzles for other characters to get the elusive bird. Gameplay consists of roving around a map, some locations will expand to a separate screen. Items and characters picked up will be displayed as cards on the lower part of the screen.

This is a short game and easy to complete. However, some puzzles can be solved multiple ways and this rewards playing the game multiple times. The music and graphics are well done. This is a fun game and it’s staying on my phone.

Eduard Pandele
Do you love Samorost, Machinarium or Botanicula? Then drop this review and go play Pilgrims. It’s just as endearing, quirky and playful as Amanita Design’s previous games, and you’ll love it as well.
Pilgrims is a funny, weird and wordless adventure game where you need to capture the Bird of Happiness so that Charon will take you down the river. To do so, you need to enlist the help of various pilgrims like a peasant, a hunter or a devil, and eventually battle (or not) a dragon.

Tap on the map to make your characters go there, tap on any item to interact with or to pick it up (it becomes a card in your stack) and tap on / drop a card on any character or item to interact. The art and animations are wonderful and quirky in that classic East-European cartoony style, the puzzles are simple, the solutions are mostly natural (hint for the weirdest one: the leprechaun will need BOTH of your characters to entertain him using two different items) and it’s delightfully creative.

It’s fun, funny and unfortunately over too soon – but that’s kind of the point because the ending reveals you’re supposed to play this multiple times to unlock all the encounter cards by exploring the multiple solutions available for every puzzle. Failing is hilarious instead of frustrating, which alleviates the slight boredom of repetition. All in all, a cool adventure game that’s perfectly tailored for phones and tablets.

Chad Jones
Pilgrims is a fun/comedic story adventure game where you have a deck of card(s) that grow as you discover each location whether you are gaining a new friend or taking items you see around the environment. The game has a great soundtrack and beautiful visuals plus great gameplay. It’s easy to beat the game but that’s not the point, the point is to explore and play the game a different way each time and try to unlock all the scenarios. I’ve put in a few hours for my first playthrough and found it fun, addicting and creative.

Tom Chan
Pilgrims is a graphic adventure game which offers a unique and charming experience that combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and a delightful visual style. In Pilgrims, players embark on a journey as a pilgrim, interacting with a variety of quirky characters and solving puzzles to progress through the game. The game’s mechanics revolve around collecting and using cards, each representing a different character or item, to overcome obstacles and influence the game’s world.

One of the standout features of Pilgrims is its distinct art style. The hand-drawn visuals are whimsical and full of personality, creating a visually captivating world for players to explore. The game also features a lighthearted and humorous tone, with clever interactions and unexpected outcomes adding to the overall charm.

The puzzles in Pilgrims are inventive and often require experimentation and creative thinking. The game encourages players to try different combinations of cards and explore various paths to discover the solutions. This open-ended approach adds a sense of exploration and discovery to the gameplay.

Another aspect that stands out in Pilgrims is its replayability. The game offers multiple paths and outcomes, depending on the choices made and the cards used. This encourages players to replay the game, experimenting with different strategies and discovering new possibilities.

Overall, Pilgrims is a delightful and enchanting adventure game that offers a unique blend of puzzle-solving, exploration, and charming visuals. If you enjoy games with a whimsical atmosphere, creative puzzles, and a touch of humour, Pilgrims is definitely worth considering.

What is the App Army?
The App Army is Pocket Gamer’s lovely community of mobile game experts. As often as possible, we ask them for their thoughts on the latest games and share them with you.

To join, simply head over to either our Discord Channel or Facebook Group and request access by answering the three questions. We’ll then get you in right away.