All right, welcome back to the deep dive, everybody. You guys know the drill by now. But today we're doing something a little different. Yeah. It's a deep dive into a deep dive. A deep dive into a deep dive. I like it. Instead of going into a new topic, we're going to revisit one we've already covered. The other stick to this revisit is the NES Classic.
pipe dream. We are going back to our notes. Uh, if you're not familiar is the transcript of our audio, uh, the original deep dive that was called NES three 70 pipe dream.mp3. The goal here isn't to just rehash everything. It's more to highlight the key reactions we had, the insights, and maybe even some surprises that came up during that first conversation. So think of this as like a highlight reel, fast track to the good stuff from our pipe drain discussion.
Let's unpack this. I mean, thinking back to our initial, our first go around with Pipetrain, what immediately comes to mind is that gut feeling we both had about the game. My opening line, I think, captured it pretty well. Pipe dream, I said. Five seconds to understand, a lifetime to master. Or at least get seriously good at. That's right, yeah. And I think that statement sparked a really interesting discussion, didn't it? We questioned what seriously good even meant.
in the context of a game like Pipe Dream. Like, is it about perfect runs, flawless level completion, top scores? Or is it about something deeper? Maybe understanding these subtle strategies and nuances that only come with like...
countless hours of play. Yeah. And I remember Joe, who was experiencing the game fresh at the time, he just nailed the core concept instantly. Get through those pipes connected so that green, or what's the white, that flues could flow from start to finish. It was white. That was his ratchelor.
But yeah, it was striking how quickly the central mechanic just clicked for everyone. You have these disparate pipe segments and this creeping liquid. And the goal is so simple, right? Create that continuous path. And there's a power in that simplicity, for sure. There is. There is. But that whole lifetime to get seriously good idea, it took a funny turn, I remember, when we came across this old advertisement for the game.
It had this, I don't know, almost unsettling vibe. It was an image of this kid, right? He's falling into this pit of pipes, desperately grabbing onto one.
It felt more like a scene from a nightmare than a puzzle game ad. It was weird. It was strange. It was a very bizarre marketing choice. And we couldn't quite figure out, like... how to reconcile that image, you know, the dramatic, almost dangerous feel of it with the actual gameplay, which is pretty calm and methodical, you know, like sliding pipes.
Yeah, it was definitely a good lap. You know, the contrast between the intensity of the ad and then the reality of the game itself. Yeah. But here's where things get really interesting. Almost as soon as we got that core mechanic sliding the pipes, my mind jumped to a completely different game.
Bioshock. Oh, yeah. The way you connect those pipes to redirect the water pressure, and it's fundamentally the same puzzle. That's right. It was a really fascinating connection to make because it highlights how these... Simple game mechanics can have a really long shelf life and pop up in these totally unexpected places. Yeah.
And it wasn't just Bioshock we found out. No, no, not at all. I mean, that pipe connecting puzzle, it shows up in all sorts of modern games. I remember we rattled off a few. Saints Row 4, Warframe, Alien Swarm, I think maybe even Half-Life. Alex. Yeah, Sean wasn't so sure about Half-Life, Alex. But the point is that this basic puzzle structure keeps coming back. Like this game that could seem pretty minor in the grand scheme of the NES.
It planted a seed for this recurring minigame idea in modern gaming. It's pretty wild when you think about it like that. I wonder what it is about that mechanic that makes it so appealing. I don't know. Is it like the satisfaction of bringing order to chaos?
literally directing a flow, you know, controlling something. Yeah. It's interesting to think about. I mean, it's a puzzle, but there's also a kind of visceral element to it. Watching that liquid move through the pipes you've created. Absolutely. Absolutely. And speaking of names, we also dug into the fact that... The original computer version of the game was actually called Pipe Mania. Yeah, that's right. We had a little bit of a back and forth about which title we liked better.
Pipe mania or pipe dream. I think we ended up leaning towards pipe dream. We did. It's a little more, I don't know, clever. It's got that double meaning pipe dream, you know, like you're building a pipeline, but it's also this idea of. An elaborate, maybe even obsessive project. Yeah, it's got that extra layer to it, I think. A little more depth, a little more memorable. Right, right. So with those initial impressions, those surprises out of the way.
We dove into the actual mechanics of Pycrane. For those who maybe missed our first dive, The game takes place on a grid. There's a starting point. And this white stuff, the flues, starts oozing out. And your job is to place pipe segments and guide that flow. Exactly. And you're working with this very limited set of tools.
Five basic pipe types. You have straight pieces for straight lines, 90 degree bends for changing direction, and then the crossover, reservoir, and pump pipes, which each add their own little wrinkles to the gameplay. Yeah. What struck me in the first discussion was how much depth they squeezed out of such a simple set of pieces.
Yeah. It's not a lot to work with, but they do a lot with it. And new pieces appear at the top of the screen one at a time. Very reminiscent of Tetris. You're always reacting to what the game throws at you. Right. Except there's a big difference from Tetris. You can't rotate the pieces in Pipe Dream. They come down as they are, and you have to figure out how to use them. It adds a layer of planning
You might get a piece that's not immediately useful, but you have to place it strategically, thinking ahead to how it might fit in later. Absolutely. And the goal of each level is to make a continuous pipeline that's long enough for the, what do we call it, the flues to travel a certain distance. Right. You have to meet a minimum length requirement. But going beyond that, minimum earns you bonus points. And that's where the risk reward element is.
Yeah. Do you play it safe? Just meet the minimum and move on? Or do you get greedy and try to build this massive, intricate pipeline for maximum points? Exactly. And that can backfire, of course, because you might run out of time or usable pieces. And then there's the scoring system itself. You earn points for how far the flues travel. but there's a penalty for any unused pieces you have left at the end of
Right. Which adds this whole other layer of strategy. It's like, do I hold on to this piece hoping it'll be perfect later or do I just slap it down somewhere to avoid the penalty? It's a tough call sometimes. You're constantly juggling these different factors. It definitely keeps you on your toes. Yeah. And remember, one thing we really liked about Pipe Dream...
was that you could replace pipes you'd already placed. Oh yeah, that's a big one. Unlike a lot of these tile-based puzzle games, you're not locked into your first move. You have the flexibility to correct mistakes or change your strategy as the game goes on. Right. It encourages experimentation. You're not afraid to try something because you know you can always undo it if it doesn't work out. Exactly. Now, those crossover pipes...
Those were a real game changer. Oh, yeah. Those were cool. The fact that the flus could flow over sections that were already filled. It opened up so many possibilities. Yeah, you could loop back, go around obstacles, create these really complex interwoven pipelines. It added a spatial element to the game. You had to think in three dimensions. Absolutely. And then, of course, you have those special pipes.
The reservoirs and the pumps. Yes, the tempo changers. They're like pause buttons. They slow down the flow, give you a little breathing room to think and build. They do the opposite. They speed everything up. Yeah, the pumps really ratchet up the tension. They do. They do. It all adds up to a game that's surprisingly strategic. You have to think ahead. Plan your moves and react quickly when things don't go according to plan. Right. And what we realized when we really broke it down is that.
PipeDream is not like a lot of those rigid puzzle games where there's only one solution. It's much more open-ended. You're given the tools and the goal, but the way you get there is up to you. It's about creativity and problem solving, not just memorizing the right answer. Yeah, I like that. It's a lot more freeform. And then just when we thought we had the core game figured out, we hit those bonus levels. Ah, yes, the bonus.
A bit of a curveball. Big curveball? Yeah. Suddenly, no more grid. And the game turns into something that feels more like a classic falling block puzzle game, like Tetris. Exactly. But with a pipe dream twist, of course. You're still dealing with pipes. And the goal is to make a continuous flow downward. But here's the kicker. You can't overwrite your mistakes. Once a pipe is placed, it's there for good. And I remember our reactions to these bonus levels were all over the place.
For me it just felt jarring. It took away that flexibility, that ability to adjust your strategy on the fly. It almost felt like a different game entirely. It did and it really underscored how important the grid and that ability to replace pipes were to the main game. Without those elements, it became much more unforgiving, less strategic.
Right. And speaking of getting harder, we talked about how the difficulty ramps up in the main game, too. One way to do that is by adding pre-placed bytes that you can't move. Oh, yeah. Those are tricky. You're forced to work around them, which can really limit your option. It changes the way you approach the level from the very beginning. You have to think about how to incorporate these fixed elements into your pipeline.
It's a different kind of challenge. And then they throw in the one-way directional pipes. Oh, yes. Those can be frustrating. The flues can only flow in one direction, so one wrong move can really screw you over. They force you to think several steps ahead. You have to consider the consequences of each placement, not just the immediate connection. Exactly. So we went from this.
Fairly simple core mechanic to these layers of strategy and complexity. It's a lot deeper than it looks at first glance. It is. And then we stumbled upon this fascinating piece of Nintendo history, the pipe dream contest. from the November 1990 issue of Nintendo Power Magazine. Oh, yeah, that was cool. What's interesting about that contest is that it wasn't about playing the game. It was about...
physically cutting out these paper pipe pieces from the magazine and arranging them to solve a pre-designed puzzle. Yeah, it was like a real-world analog version of the game. Exactly. It's fascinating to see that kind of crossover between the digital and the physical. And the grand prize was amazing. A trip for two to Nintendo headquarters in Seattle. For four days and three nights. Four days, three nights. airfare, hotel, a full tour of the facility.
And a chance to meet the Nintendo Game Counselors. Remember those? Oh yeah, I remember calling them up as a kid when I was stuck in a game. Me too! They were like lifesavers back then. Before the internet, they were your only hope sometimes. Totally. And on top of all that, the winner got to have lunch at Cafe Mario. Nintendo's employee cafeteria. I know, right? It's like...
The ultimate prize for a Nintendo fan back then. And Sega Prize wasn't bad either. A game of your choice from Bulletproof Software. The makers of Pipe Dream. And a t-shirt. Not bad at all. Which brings us to Bulletproof Software themselves. And we uncovered a connection to another puzzle game giant, Tetris. Yeah, Bulletproof had a hand in the Tetris saga. They made some really interesting spinoffs. Like a...
Which, if you haven't seen it, is about stacking hats on people's heads. In specific patterns, of course. Right, right. A very unique game. To say the least. Yeah. And then there was Weltra. which some people consider to be the first true sequel to Tetris. Yeah, it's a 3D version of Tetris. Well, and the pieces fall down the sides. It's a pretty cool concept. It is. It is. We even talked about the box art for Pipe Dream. Right. Which...
kind of like that weird ad we talked about earlier, had a surprisingly intense look for a puzzle game. It did. It wasn't your typical cutesy puzzle game box art. It had this, like, dynamic energy to it. Yeah, very action-oriented almost. So after all that, we had to ask the big question.
Is Pipe Dream an essential NES game? The million-dollar question. And I think we were a little more measured in our enthusiasm after really digging into it. We were. It's a fun game, a clever game. But does it reach that level of, like, must-play classic? I'm not. Yeah, I agree. It's a great pickup and play game, but it doesn't have that endless replayability, that addictive quality that some of the truly great NES games have. Right. It's good, but not necessarily groundbreaking. Yeah.
And speaking of value, we looked at how much PipeDream goes for these days on the retro market. Right. Loose cartridges are pretty cheap, actually. Even complete inbox copies are fairly reasonable. Yeah, reflects its status as a solid but not particularly rare or sought-after game. Makes sense. Which then led us down this rabbit hole of packing games and promotional games. Oh, yeah. Those are always.
I remember Chex Quest, of course, the Doom clone that came in Chex cereal boxes. And I vaguely remember a Triscuit cereal game, which has seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth. Lost media. It's out there somewhere. I know, right? And who could forget Captain Crunch's crunching adventure? Oh, man, that was a weird one. It was. It was. But as with all good deep dives, we eventually had to wrap things up. We did. And we teased our next episode.
That's right. We announced that our next deep dive would be Rally Bike on the NES. Another deep dive into that amazing NES library. So to bring this all back full circle, the point of today was to revisit Pipe Dream. and maybe spark some new thoughts and conversations.
Exactly. Give you guys a quick recap of our initial reactions, the insights we had, and maybe encourage you to go back and listen to that original deep dive if you're interested. Or even play the game yourself, you know, see what you think. Absolutely. And as you're thinking about all this, you know, connecting those pipes, guiding the flus.
Here's something to chew on. Pike Dude's concept is super simple, but it popped up in all these other more complex modern games. It makes you wonder what other seemingly basic ideas from the past might have a much bigger impact than we realize. There's something to think about. Until next time.