Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Out of Words
Platforming Games This co-op platformer was a "boyhood dream" for the self-taught stop-motion animator now directing it, and it might just rival It Takes Two with a more earnest story and action less likely to destroy your relationships
Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken screenshot
Survival Horror Games Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken puts an Inception spin on PS1-era survival horror games, and I totally get why it's winning pre-launch awards
End of Abyss Summer Preview
Survival Horror Games I played 30 minutes of the new game from the original Little Nightmares devs, and it turns out a twin-stick survival horror Metroidvania is a recipe for spooky heaven
Infinitesimals
Third Person Shooters Infinitesimals is a Honey I Shrunk the Kids take on Halo with a very good jetpack, and its vibrant combat sandbox reminds me of one of the most underrated Xbox 360 cult classics
Bumpkin and Sprout demo screenshot
Co-op Games If you want Little Nightmares 3 without the nightmares, Bumpkin & Sprout is the 3D Mario-style co-op platformer I need you to wishlist
A boxy green cubey enemy attacks Remi in Hell is Us
Action Games With "multi-map spanning secrets" and "phantasmagorical" horrors, Hell is Us wages a brutal civil war that already has me on edge
Out of Words
Co-op Games This seriously pretty couch co-op platformer looks like a stop motion It Takes Two where "everything has been crafted by hand," and I need it in my veins yesterday
  1. Games
  2. Puzzle

Pid preview - Now you're thinking with Pids

Features
By Hollander Cooper published 8 June 2012

Prepare to get abducted

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Page 1 of 14
Page 1 of 14

Page 2 of 14
Page 2 of 14

Page 3 of 14
Page 3 of 14

Page 4 of 14
Page 4 of 14

Page 5 of 14
Page 5 of 14

Page 6 of 14
Page 6 of 14

Page 7 of 14
Page 7 of 14

Page 8 of 14
Page 8 of 14

Page 9 of 14
Page 9 of 14

Page 10 of 14
Page 10 of 14

Page 11 of 14
Page 11 of 14

Page 12 of 14
Page 12 of 14

Page 13 of 14
Page 13 of 14

Page 14 of 14
Page 14 of 14
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PlayStation Xbox Platforms
Hollander Cooper
Hollander Cooper
Social Links Navigation

Hollander Cooper was the Lead Features Editor of GamesRadar+ between 2011 and 2014. After that lengthy stint managing GR's editorial calendar he moved behind the curtain and into the video game industry itself, working as social media manager for EA and as a communications lead at Riot Games. Hollander is currently stationed at Apple as an organic social lead for the App Store and Apple Arcade. 

Just as is the case with most puzzling platformers, Pid's gimmick is simple: the protagonist is dropped onto a mysterious planet on his way to space school, and stumbles upon an interesting bit of technology. With it, the pudgy hero can toss down a marker that spawns an illuminating beam - two of these beams can be activated at a time, lifting anything caught in their light, sort of like the stereotypical tractor beams from UFOs.

From this somewhat simple premise comes bountiful puzzle opportunities. In our limited time with the game at E3 2012, we found several uses for the helpful tech. We'd toss one down to get a lift to a higher level, drop it as we fell to soften a blow, or mix two beams together to reach areas that would be impossible to access by simply hopping around.

But the more we played, the more complex things became. The light beams were fun to manipulate and reminded us, in a way, of our first experience with the Portal gun. Both required us to rethink the way we traditionally view traversal - making it so we'd begin every level looking for intriguing ways to use the mechanics to do things we're otherwise incapable of doing.

You may like
  • Out of Words This co-op platformer was a "boyhood dream" for the self-taught stop-motion animator now directing it, and it might just rival It Takes Two with a more earnest story and action less likely to destroy your relationships
  • Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken screenshot Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken puts an Inception spin on PS1-era survival horror games, and I totally get why it's winning pre-launch awards
  • End of Abyss Summer Preview I played 30 minutes of the new game from the original Little Nightmares devs, and it turns out a twin-stick survival horror Metroidvania is a recipe for spooky heaven

Eventually, additional folds were added to create more tense situations. Spotlights started to block our path, and we'd need to find a way to move and avoid them before we could progress, and we even started running into different enemies. Some would just block our way (in fact, they were actually shaped like blocks), while others would charge after our character, ignoring the illuminating gravitational pull and continuing to chase us down. These hurdles made Pid more tense, and added an element of pressure that some other games in the genre lack.

Pid's puzzle mechanic felt strong, the platforming was tight, and we quickly fell in love with the game's aesthetic and subtle hints towards a plot. But for as much as we enjoyed what we saw, it's what we didn't see that got us even more excited. Once we started looking at screens for the game, and got a glimpse at future levels with interesting monsters and incredibly imaginative worlds that we can't wait to explore. It was a charming experience, and we're hoping it continues to work our grey matter when it releases this year on PC, Xbox Live, and the PlayStation Network.

See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
Out of Words
This co-op platformer was a "boyhood dream" for the self-taught stop-motion animator now directing it, and it might just rival It Takes Two with a more earnest story and action less likely to destroy your relationships
Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken screenshot
Deep Sleep: Labyrinth of the Forsaken puts an Inception spin on PS1-era survival horror games, and I totally get why it's winning pre-launch awards
End of Abyss Summer Preview
I played 30 minutes of the new game from the original Little Nightmares devs, and it turns out a twin-stick survival horror Metroidvania is a recipe for spooky heaven
Infinitesimals
Infinitesimals is a Honey I Shrunk the Kids take on Halo with a very good jetpack, and its vibrant combat sandbox reminds me of one of the most underrated Xbox 360 cult classics
Bumpkin and Sprout demo screenshot
If you want Little Nightmares 3 without the nightmares, Bumpkin & Sprout is the 3D Mario-style co-op platformer I need you to wishlist
A boxy green cubey enemy attacks Remi in Hell is Us
With "multi-map spanning secrets" and "phantasmagorical" horrors, Hell is Us wages a brutal civil war that already has me on edge
Latest in Puzzle
Camper Van: Make it Home screenshot of a corgi standing in front of a pink camper van with a purple hued clouded sky in the background and the Indie Spotlight logo in the top right corner
If you loved Unpacking like me, you absolutely shouldn't sleep on Camper Van: Make It Home
An otherworldly figure approaches behind the logo for Lumines Arise
PSP banger Lumines is making an overdue comeback in a Tetris Effect-style "synesthetic sensory wonderland"
Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile appearing in Future Games Show
Hercule Poirot hits the dancefloor in this 70s spin on a classic Agatha Christie novel
Call of the Elder Gods appearing in Future Games Show
Lovecraftian puzzle game Call of the Sea is getting a sequel that's coming out soon and there's even a trailer for it
Mini Motorways in FGS Live From LA
Mini Motorways becomes the super-chill city builder it was always meant to be with a new Creative Mode update coming this summer
Popucom appearing in Future Games Show
Team up with friends and platform across an unknown planet in Popucom, a cute co-op puzzle game
Latest in Features
Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mister Miracle as the Justice Gang in Superman
The Justice Gang explained - The non-Justice League in James Gunn's Superman may be influenced by team of classic DC supervillains
Team Fortress 2 characters looking at a map
I have 464 games on my Steam wishlist, 23 games in my Steam Summer Sale shopping cart, and I can feel my already overstuffed library giving me the side-eye
Heavy Metal Death Can demo screenshot
I got a nicotine rush and set zombies on fire in this PS1-style survival horror demo, and it's basically Resident Evil on a submarine
A PSVR 2 review image next to the marketing reveal image of the Meta Quest 3S, separated by an orange line
Xbox finally has a VR headset, but it's not the PSVR 2 rival I was hoping for
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster image showing a giant city built upon a hill by the sea
Bravely Default's remaster is secretly the Switch 2's must-play RPG, but it's still flying under the radar
Rematch players celebrating in a large stadium
"The essence of football is not in the rules": Rematch's creative director on nailing that five-a-side feeling and making a game "about kicking a ball rather than kicking heads in"
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...