How to Play Pixel Quest on Cool Math Games
Cool Math Games is a website dedicated to fun online games that make you think and use logic. Most of the games are puzzle-based and don’t involve any violence. Some of the games also test your reflexes, as only the accurate timing of your moves will allow you to pass to the next level.
One such game is Pixel Quest: The Lost Idols. Taking the role of Rex, a fearless adventurer, your goal is to retrieve the ancient golden idols that got lost in the jungle.
The Pixel Quest Adventure
Pixel Quest is a side-scrolling action platformer with that nostalgic 8-bit retro look. The game is separated into 48 levels, with the first five serving as tutorials. These introduce you to the game’s basic mechanics and special moves. Even if you’re a seasoned gamer, do take the tutorials, as they’ll allow you to tackle some of the more challenging levels later in the game.
At first, only the first six levels are unlocked – five tutorial levels and one “real” level. To advance to level seven, you must complete level six first. Of course, this applies to all the subsequent levels as well.
The goal of each level is to safely reach the exit door before the time runs out. Although the game’s loose story revolves around collecting gold idols, you don’t actually need to pick up any on your way out. That being said, the idols represent a measure of your success throughout the game. While lower levels have a maximum of three idols, higher levels bring that number to five.
To boost your level score even more, you can collect gems of different colors – green, red, violet, etc. Scattered throughout each level, some lay right in front of you, while others might pose a real challenge to retrieve.
Moving Through the Levels
To move between the starting position and the exit door, Rex uses a combination of moves. For basic movement, use “A” and “D” on your keyboard to move left or right. Pressing “W” will make Rex jump, while “S” will allow him to crawl. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard arrow keys to perform these movements as well. If it’s more convenient, you can also use the “Space” key to jump.
To reach seemingly difficult places, you can use the double jump by pressing the jump button twice. Please note that the single jump always makes Rex jump to the same height. This doesn’t apply to the double jump, as only a perfectly timed second jump will allow him to reach the maximum height.
Another neat feature in Pixel Quest is Rex’s ability to climb walls. When moving left to right, you can jump at the wall, and hold the right key to make Rex grab onto the wall. This will allow him to slowly slide down, instead of falling at normal speed. Now, if you press the jump button while holding the right direction key, Rex will jump up on the wall. Repeat this to effectively climb the walls.
As far as the crawling is concerned, this can be useful to reach cramped spaces and avoid some of the traps you encounter. To quickly move through dangerous areas, you can also lunge by pressing the “L” key. This can save you when crossing a short lava pond or evading the falling spikes.
Threats Along the Way
To make things more interesting, Pixel Quest doesn’t make life that easy for Rex. Along the way you’ll encounter many dangerous traps. If you touch any of the yellow spikes, you’ll have to restart the level. Dark yellow spikes dangling from the ceiling will fall down when you get too close to them. Lava ponds and lakes will burn you the moment you touch them.
There are also crushing traps you’ll have to evade. They quickly fall down on you, and then slowly move upwards, preventing you from jumping over them. Multiple spinning blades are another thing to avoid if you want to finish the level.
On higher levels you’ll encounter devices that shoot at Rex. Turrets shoot fireballs horizontally, while laser beams present a vertical blockade which takes a little time to disappear. Another thing that prevents you from going further are locked doors. In order to pass them, you’ll have to find a key first.
Multiple Ways to Play
With so much going on in each level, Pixel Quest allows you to navigate in different ways. Since each level gives you 100 seconds to complete it, you might want to try finishing them as quickly as possible. That means you’ll have to ignore idols and gems, focusing only on finding the shortest route to the exit. Of course, if there are any closed doors standing in your way, you’ll have to find a key to advance.
If collecting idols is your passion, try to collect each and every one of them across all 48 levels. As a third option, you might want to maximize your score as much as possible. This will involve collecting all of the idols, plus every single gem you can find in a level. Although this might sound easy, levels become increasingly complex, where a single mistake may result in you having to reload the entire level.
A Fun Adventure
With its setting and theme, Pixel Quest is definitely a throwback to the Indiana Jones movies. Rex even wears a hat similar to the one Dr Jones sports. Thanks to all the challenges the game presents to a player, it’s guaranteed you’ll have a lot fun looking for the lost idols.
How many levels have you completed? Have you managed to pick every single idol? Please share your Pixel Quest experiences in the comments section below.