Line #23 YMMV/PizzaTower


1	[[Memes/PizzaTower Memetic Mutation]] has its own page.
2	----
3	* AccidentalInnuendo: The Noise's second judgement ("I'm Going To Kill You") reads "I'm Coming" on the file select screen. Before an update fixed it, it just so happened to always be associated with the "Psycho" Pizzaboy face, which has a SlasherSmile and is sweating profusely and looked a lot like an ImmodestOrgasm. Yeah... Woe betide you if you got it on [[LOL69 69%]].
4	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
5	** Considering how bizarrely playful the FinalBoss is towards Peppino, [[spoiler:complete with an implied obsession given his development of both Peppino-like robots and clones in the Tower, Pizzahead's FightingClown boss fight, and how we never actually see the laser cannon he had threatened to blow up Peppino's Pizza with, the whole incident might have been a huge prank (that only [[PsychopathicManchild Pizzahead]] would find funny, mind you).]]
6	** In the very final level, [[spoiler:"The Crumbling Tower of Pizza", were the bosses following Peppino and the gang to save their own hides from the crumbling tower and [[IFightForTheStrongestSide knowing Peppino would lead them out to safety by simply following him]], or was Peppino being merciful to them and [[SaveTheVillain saving them from the collapsing tower]] (despite having beaten the crap out of them just moments earlier)? After all, while they were antagonistic to him, they weren't the ones that were actively threatening to destroy his pizzeria like Pizzahead was]].
7	** Quite a few pre-release comics involving the Noise show him in a much more serious and unhappy mood than the Noise we see in-game, which led to the theory that the Noise's wacky, energetic side is an act he puts on just to further annoy Peppino.
8	** [[spoiler:Interpretations of Fake Peppino, as expected given his [[TheSpook enigmatic nature]], tend to go all over the place. Is he a savage skinwalker who wants to {{kill and replace}} Peppino? Is he a playful and jovial creature who idolizes Peppino and wants to be friends with him? Maybe both or something else entirely?]]
9	* AlternativeJokeInterpretation: Was The Noise's ability to [[spoiler:[[HorrifyingTheHorror scare off Fake Peppino]] scripted]]? [[spoiler:Or was he just yelling at him for going off-script in regards to the movie his playthrough makes up]]?
10	* AwardSnub:
11	** Despite many expecting the game to win the "Best Debut Indie Game" award at The Game Awards 2023 for how popular it was at the start of the year, it ended up losing to ''VideoGame/Cocoon2023'' instead. To say people got mad is one hell of an understatement; many ''Pizza Tower'' fans started contesting that ''PT'' should have won due to ''Cocoon'' not having anywhere near the same level of acclaim, as it had just come out two months before the event. Others started accusing The Game Awards of being biased in favor of conventionally artsier games rather than something adventurous and different like ''PT''. Many were also baffled as to why ''Cocoon'' was in the running for Best ''Debut'' Indie, as the game was neither the debut of director Jeppe Carlsen (who had previously worked on ''VideoGame/Limbo2010'' and ''VideoGame/Inside2016'') nor ''Cocoon'' publisher Creator/AnnapurnaInteractive (which has been active since 2017), and Annapurna is worth millions of dollars and is headquartered in Los Angeles while ''PT'' was self-published and made on Patreon funds with no more than 5 developers. This has led to ''Cocoon'' getting fiercely attacked by fans of ''Pizza Tower'' (to the point of it even being review bombed on Steam).
12	** Happened again when ''Pizza Tower'' lost the 2023 Steam Award for Best Video Game Soundtrack to a port of ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs Part 1'', a remaster of a game that originally released in 2013. This naturally caused the fandom to riot, especially due to the growing HypeBacklash towards the ''The Last of Us'' franchise as a whole, and how the port itself was widely panned by many in general, with some even calling it a PortingDisaster.
13	* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: The [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation 90s]]-style animation, mixed with the pixelated edutainment art style, makes for this unique flavor that few games ever replicated.
14	* [[AwesomeBosses/VideoGames Awesome Bosses]]: The fight against Pizzaface is a cathartic streak of fights. On top of the Pizza Tower (with a far away shot of Peppino's restaurant), Pizzaface himself [[FlunkyBoss spawns many enemies]] for you to throw at him and knock life outta him, and in the second phase, [[spoiler:Pizzahead, the true main antagonist of the game, comes out of the Pizzaface mech and starts fighting you, which massively changes the tone of the fight from an epic climax to a chaotic fight against a living cartoon. Once he's defeated, he summons back the previous bosses for you to fight again intending to BossRush you, but Peppino has ''none'' of it and starts [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beating them up so rapidly that it drains half of the health of all the bosses]], which is especially cathartic if you didn't like the idea of a typical boss rush. Once you get to Pizzahead again, he makes many mocking moves to try and hit you, and once his last healthbar is drained, Peppino deals him the longest beatdown of them all, which climactically ends up in him crashing his head on top of the tower, and finally destroying it.]]
15	* [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels Awesome Levels]]:
16	** "Pizzascape" is where the game truly gets into the swing of things after [[NoobCave John Gutter]] and does not disappoint. The level is well paced, moderately challenging, introduces transformations with the fun knight transformation, and has incredible music.
17	** "Oregano Desert", an introduction level of Western District, does an incredible job at that. Set in a desert with cheeseslime tribesmen with tomahawks and ritual dances that summon stormclouds, unique pizza stores that act as mini gauntlets you must pass to rescue Toppins and even a UFO in the middle of the level, it features many interesting mechanics from aforementioned storm clouds and cows that can either help or detriment you, Firemouth transformation that kills enemies on contact, allows air dash and destruction of TNT blocks to simply destructible blocks that require strategic approach if you want to collect most points, all set to incredible beats of "Oregano Mirage" and it's more sci-fi version when you're inside the UFO. Certainly puts many desert levels out there to shame.
18	** "Wasteyard" presents a tone shift to eerie and depressing in a wacky game yet is still an absolute blast to play. The level is short but makes excellent use of the ghost pepper transformation to speed through obstacles, has more complex level design, the track is uniquely soulful but incredibly fun to listen to, and features a unique Pizza Time where the Pillar John's ghost chases you.
19	** "Crust Cove" is a beach/cave/ship level that features groovy pineapple foes, water currents, captain enemy that bombards you and dash pads to boost your speed. Then you actually get inside the ship, where you make use of Barrel transformation that allows you to steamroll anything on your path at great speeds. In addition, there is a Chef Task sidequest of looking for red X's with treasure chests that give additional gold.
20	** "Deep Dish 9" takes you to truly exotic locations, since you first have to traverse a gigantic rocket ship, than a colourful planet of Olive aliens and even a cheese planet, boarding rockets to break asteroids or actually travel between planets, as well as anti gravitational olive bubbles that send you upwards, set to otherworldly tune that is "Extraterrestrial Wahwahs".
21	** "Golf" was initially created as an April Fools Day demo that was intentionally frustrating, and aside from the debut of [[spoiler:[[HumanoidAbomination Fake]] [[EvilKnockoff Peppino]]]], was forgettable. Its final incarnation in the full game has reworked the golfing sections to work in tandem with dashing through it without a care in the world, the [[https://youtu.be/NWoTeTZL-C8 music]] is extremely catchy, and uses the [[BeTheBall golf ball transformation]] to full effect, culminating with a [[EscapeSequence Pizza Time]] involving a mad dash through a golf course and two extended Ball sections, great for keeping up/creating a nice combo.
22	** "The Pig City", the first level of The Slums, starts the world off strong. The level centers around entering taxis that take you to side areas to collect the Toppins and is a fun level but things really get going when Peppino is arrested halfway through and you switch to Gustavo and Brick for the latter half. The levels gimmicks interact differently for both playable characters, creating for a stage that manages to stay fresh throughout while being a fair challenge for P Ranks. The usual excellent soundtracks for both sections of the level only makes things better.
23	** "Don't Make a Sound" is a bizarre ([[SurprisinglyCreepyMoment and surprisingly legitimately scary]]) StealthBasedMission that plays homage to ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', complete with the series' staple animatronic {{Jump Scare}}s. What makes this level especially memorable is the climax where [[CatharsisFactor Peppino gets a shotgun and proceeds to massacre all the previously invincible animatronics and enemies while escaping]].
24	** Despite also counting as ThatOneLevel as seen below, "WAR" is also beloved by many, often for the same reasons. It's a suitably difficult challenge for the penultimate level, it's built primarily around the devastating shotgun powerup, its unique timer gimmick is intense and engaging, and all of the gameplay is backed by the godly soundtrack that is Thousand March. Many people couldn't ask for a better leadup to the final boss.
25	** And let us not forget "The Crumbling Tower Of Pizza", where you knock out the original Pillar John, [[CollapsingLair starting the sequence where the entire tower collapses]], and putting you on Pizza Time for entirety of the level. During the level itself, you need to navigate the level hubs and intermissions between them to race to the entrance of the tower while rescuing bosses, Gustavo and Brick, Mr Stick, and even Mort the chicken along the way. Not only that, but a great majority of enemies from across the whole game make their final appearance in an attempt to stop you, and you utilize a great deal of mechanics one final time to get through the level's obstacles, all set to the amazing send off theme that is "Bye Bye There!"
26	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: ''[[AwesomeMusic/PizzaTower Y'ALL READY TO GET FUNKY!?]]''
27	* BadassDecay: Pizzaface is much, ''much'' less of a threat during his ''boss fight'' than he is at any other point of the game; when he appears should your timer run out during Pizza Time, merely ''touching'' him is an instant game-over. As a boss, however, you can not only survive several direct hits from him (it's 6 at best) like you would against any other boss, you can also beat the toppings off him with relative ease. [[TropesAreTools The boss fight remains sufficiently challenging and cathartic in spite of that.]]
28	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Even in a game filled with SurrealHumor, there are still some incredibly random events that suddenly happen just because:
29	** The Bacon Room, [[spoiler:a surprisingly spooky bacon-themed hidden room in The Pig City. The music switches to Meatophobia, the implications of a ''bacon'' room in ''Pig'' City begin to settle in, and there's a barely visible outline of a much more realistic-looking pig in the background… and then it gives you a thumbs up and goes away. The encounter isn't referenced anywhere else]].
30	** In The Pig City, [[spoiler:Pizzaface driving Peppino away from jail in a cab during Pizza Time]]. Why [[spoiler:Pizzaface is "awake"]] and helping Peppino out is anyone's guess and frankly [[RuleOfFunny shouldn't matter]].
31	** One of the {{Jump Scare}}s you can get in the "Don't Make a Sound" level is an [[MoodWhiplash unexpectedly silly]] depiction of Peppino and the animatronics celebrating Oktoberfest. It's never referenced again and serves only to break the tension of the level.
32	** During "Unearthly Blues" (the soundtrack for John Gutter), the song abruptly shouts "MONKEY!" in response to one particular instrument, and carries on like it never happened. It's not quite a NonSequitur, as there are monkeys in the level, but it still comes out of nowhere.
33	* BreatherBoss: If you play as the Noise when fighting the Vigilante, he becomes much easier, as The Noise’s bombs can knock away one of his health points when two are thrown at him, making it almost impossible for him to get off an attack. Even the final quick draw section becomes easy -- in fact, the Noise cheats and shoots the Vigilante before the command to draw is even given, making it impossible to fail. That said, he's one of the harder bosses to beat without wasting a single bomb as his boss fight requires usage of bombs to beat him.
34	* CatharsisFactor:
35	** The second half of "Don't Make A Sound". After a surprisingly tense first half forcing you to hide from invincible Toppin Monsters, you're given a shotgun capable of wrecking them with one shot. One particular section during Pizza Time allows you to take out four of them at once for extra catharsis.
36	** Anyone who finds the BossRush trope to be tiring will no doubt find it immensely satisfying when, in the final stretch of the game, [[spoiler:Pizzahead trying to pull this stunt only leads Peppino to ''absolutely lose his shit'' and deliver each of the prior bosses a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown]].
37	* CheeseStrategy: During boss fights, wall climbing can be used in order to avoid some of their attacks without much effort, like Pepperman's shoulder bashing, The Noise's pogo stick and skateboard attacks, and [[spoiler:the Fake Peppino clones' grabbing and head running]].
38	* CommonKnowledge:
39	** "The Death That I Deservioli" is commonly thought to have once been considered as The Vigilante's escape theme, which is false. This rumor started from a fan mod using it as his theme.
40	** Contrary to popular belief, unlike other bosses, the fourth boss, [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]], was never once considered to be playable, and no such code exists in the files.
41	** Contrary to what some fans believe, collecting all 5 Toppins to get the P-Rank is ''not'' a requirement for it; while it's helpful that each one gives a thousand points, it isn't a necessity.
42	* CrossoverShip: Pairing together Peppino and Anton from ''VideoGame/{{Antonblast}}'' is popular, due to both games being platformers inspired by the ''Wario Land'' series, and thus both characters can be seen as having branched off from Wario. Even the creator of ''Antonblast'' has drawn art of [[https://twitter.com/Summitsphere/status/1528117198656528385 the two of them making out]] (intended as a joke making fun of FandomRivalry, but still).
43	* CrossesTheLineTwice: When you play as The Noise, you fight [[PaletteSwap The Doise]], who after his defeat, [[KilledOffForReal dies for real]]. You can then rematch him, and all that remains is his bloody corpse, lying lifelessly on the ground. Wait, that means he's already dead -- [[MoodWhiplash hooray, a free P-Rank]]! Furthermore, The Doise and Peddito are fan characters. Imagine having your recolor [=OCs=] being canonized just for one to be a creepypasta monster that brutally kills the other. The Doise also stays dead during the BossRush, which means [[spoiler:Pizzahead just ''grabs the corpse and tosses it in front of him'']]. Naturally, this means you don't have to fight him here, either. You can even obtain his outfit by ''breakdancing on the corpse'' during that fight.
44	* DelusionConclusion: During the War level, [[spoiler:the player encounters mass-produced Peppino clones. They pursue Peppino while mimicking his animations, melting into the ground instead of being blown outside of the screen when defeated]]. With WordOfGod confirming that Peppino has some kind of PTSD and those enemies being different enough from a similar boss to count as separate entities, theories emerged that Peppino was [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness hallucinating them]], or more broadly, that the War level in general is [[ShellShockedVeteran a stress-induced nightmare/flashback to Peppino's own days as a soldier]] because of how different it is to every other level in the game.
45	* DemonicSpiders:
46	** Mini Johns are a bit of a wake-up call in terms of combat. They cannot be scared by Peppino running at Mach 2+, their slidey walking is somewhat hard to work around, and their punches almost always connect with you if you thoughtlessly run towards them too slowly.
47	** Many enemies will freak out and drop their guard if you're running at top speed and let you to plow through them without a second thought, and the ones that [[KungFuProofMook are completely unfazed]] have long telegraphs to attacks [[AntiFrustrationFeatures to make up for such]]. The two big exceptions are Snowmen (whose carrot noses hurt from the front like a Forknight) and Cardboard Tanks (who shoot homing missiles straight forward on sight), and since you're moving so fast, there's almost no chance you'll be able to react fast enough to dodge or parry them.
48	** Pickles appear in Deep-Dish 9 and Gnome Forest; in the former level, you play as Peppino and can generally scare them by running at Mach speed so they don't attack. However, when playing as Gustavo and Brick in the latter, the duo's heavier and less fluid moveset means that you often have to contend with the enemy's attack: If they notice you, they'll teleport directly to your location after a brief delay and then electrify themselves, forcing you to dodge and then quickly counterattack if you want to maintain your combo. While teleporting, they can't be interrupted, either — once they see you, you have no choice but to dodge or parry.
49	** The Tomato Toppin Monster from "Don't Make A Sound". Not only is it capable of flying and passing through walls, making it a much bigger nuisance than the rest of its animatronic brethren (especially in the area it is found, which is highly vertical and difficult to rush through), it may also trigger a JumpScare without necessarily needing to make contact with Peppino, possibly due to a bug.
50	* DiagnosedByTheAudience: A substantial number of fans interpret Peppino as having generalized anxiety disorder and/or PTSD thanks to his jittery nature, his constant freakouts at the bizarre situations he finds himself in, and in the case of the latter interpretation, the incredibly stressful nature of "WAR" (the title card for which depicts Peppino on a battlefield). While [=McPig=] openly denied the theory of Peppino being a ShellShockedVeteran, characterizing him as a PhonyVeteran at best, it hasn't stopped fans from interpreting him as being plagued by war trauma.
51	* DifficultySpike:
52	** Pizzascape comes after the tutorial and John Gutter, and is much more confusing to navigate than either of them, having lots of criss-crossing paths which make navigating to Pillar John and then back to the exit during Pizza Time harder, even with Gustavo and Mr. Stick pointing the way out. It also introduces transformations, which become a regular fixture of levels going forward, with the powerful but hard to control Knight transformation. Finally, it springs Pizza Time on the player suddenly [[note]]Pillar John is located under a steel block which required the Knight Armor to break, causing Peppino to slide into him with no time for the player to react to it[[/note]], stressing out the player as they scramble back to the exit under a time limit, whereas the levels before it clearly warned the player of Pillar John's presence and gave them time to psych up before breaking him.
53	** Bloodsauce Dungeon has a cramped, vertical design, with enemies and hazards placed in such a way as to easily end combos if one isn't careful. While not that much harder than the other first-floor levels if played normally, it's the first major roadblock for players attempting to P-Rank the levels in order. It's even more frustrating as The Noise, since it has a lot of high walls during the Escape sequence that requires the Super Jump to do since he can't climb up walls normally.
54	* DiscreditedMeme:
55	** The "Pizza Tower Screaming" Meme has recieved some backlash due to overuse, including from LYON S.P.D., who [[CreatorBacklash created the animation]] the meme was based on [[BuryYourArt and refused to reupload it]] once he got his channel back after it was deactivated.
56	** Jokes about ''VideoGame/Cocoon2023'' having [[AwardSnub snubbed]] Pizza Tower from the Best Debut Indie award have died down considerably, and are usually met with scorn as both fandoms are trying to move on from the incident.
57	* DracoInLeatherPants:
58	** Fans are fond of portraying The Noise as a PunchClockVillain who is actually friendly to Peppino when not on the job. While The Noise is definitely the SitcomArchNemesis of the foes Peppino faces in the tower, he is still by no means amicable toward him.
59	** Likewise, fan consensus regarding [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]]'s nature generally tilts toward the positive, with him being often portrayed more as [[spoiler:a weird but silly impostor trying to emulate Peppino rather than a HumanoidAbomination trying to KillAndReplace him. It helps that the credits show Peppino and his doppelganger on peaceful (if still apparently uneasy) terms]].
60	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
61	** Out of all the bosses on release, [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]] stands out as the most popular. Likely due to the sheer SurrealHorror that is prevalent throughout his fight. Most infamously being the chase sequence in the end where he turns into a [[OneWingedAngel gigantic, bulbous head with a gaping maw]] and rapidly crawls towards our Peppino in a dark, cramped, purple hallway. It helps that the fight itself is generally considered to be one of the most enjoyable ones in the game, being well-balanced and just earnestly fun to fight and especially to speedrun or [[SelfImposedChallenge get the P-rank of]]. In addition, unlike all the other bosses, Peppino does not get to directly defeat them (at least until the BossRush), but just ''gets away'' to safety, leading to a lot of intrigue.
62	** Snick the Porcupine, introduced in the SAGE 2019 demo, is fairly popular, due to his silly premise (an imitation of Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog who seems to [[ExpyCoexistence exist alongside him]]) and memorable design. There are some fans who wish that he remained playable in the final game, or at least had some themed levels.
63	** Despite appearing a whopping ''two'' times in-game (one of which is a hidden area), Noisette has proven to be surprisingly popular due to being {{The Smurfette\|principle}} of the game, her endearing {{Cloudcuckoolander}} mannerisms as seen in supplemental comics, as well as for being one of the nicer characters in ''Pizza Tower''. Many fans are clamoring for her to play a larger role in a future update. As of The Noise update, she replaces Mr. Stick as the person you buy the boss gates from, and whenever the Noise pays her, she responds with giving him a big, sloppy kiss.
64	* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The three levels in the fifth floor and before encountering the FinalBoss are seen by some as the tower deliberately targeting Peppino's greatest fears: "Don't Make A Sound" depicts a decrepit bankrupt pizzeria, which Peppino's trying to prevent for his own going under, "WAR" is designed to target Peppino's PTSD ([[FlipFlopOfGod or delusions and/or thoughts about war]]), and "Pizzascare", a level that's deliberately reusing a lot of themes from a first floor level in "Pizzascape", represents the Pizza Tower itself.
65	* FandomRivalry: Used to have a rivalry with ''VideoGame/Cocoon2023'', mostly due to ''Cocoon'' being seen by many ''Pizza Tower'' fans as [[AwardSnub having snubbed]] Pizza Tower's "Best Debut Indie Game" award, with many also trashing ''Cocoon'' for being too conventually artsy compared to ''Pizza Tower'', which is more experimental. This is to the point where ''Cocoon'' got review-bombed on Steam by many ''Pizza Tower'' fans, simply due to this fact. However, this has since died down due to both fandoms getting sick of it.
66	* FanficFuel: There are people who wonder what a ''Pizza Tower'' cartoon would look like, and someone has come close to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzYs-L5GcJI&ab_channel=ThatGuyWithVideoGames picturing what it would look like on]] Creator/CartoonNetwork in the 90s.
67	* FanNickname:
68	** The priest that removes your transformations is commonly called Pizza Pope.
69	** The Pepper Pizza from Refrigerator-Refrigerador-Freezerator is often called the "Satan's Choice Pizza" due to said pizza being on a pedestal which calls it as "Satan's Choice".
70	** [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]] is often called "Peppinos Paghetti", since [[spoiler:it sounds like a deliberately poor imitation of "Peppino Spaghetti". He's also called "Feppino" or "F Peppino" by some]].
71	** ''Piece Of Towel,'' a [[StylisticSuck humorous]] [[RougeAnglesOfSatin mangling]] of the game's title.
72	** Snick.exe is commonly nicknamed Snick.jpeg to differentiate him from ''VideoGame/SonicEXE''.
73	** The unnamed pumpkin ghost who chases you throughout Tricky Treat is commonly called Pumpkinface, due to him resembling Pizzaface, or [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Ghost Pumpkin]].
74	* {{Fanon}}:
75	** Fans often imagine Peppino being a war veteran (with PTSD or not), even if WordOfGod has already denied it. At the very least, it would somewhat explain how this seemingly average overweight cook is capable of athletic feats that would put olympic competitors to shame (besides RuleOfFun), as well as shed some light on why "'''WAR'''" is [[BizarroEpisode such a non-goofy and surprisingly stressful level]].
76	** A very popular piece of fanon that is making the rounds is that the FinalBoss was not interested in destroying Peppino's Pizzeria, but rather copying or taking it over, possibly using the Peppibots, [[spoiler:Fake Peppino, or the Peppino clones from WAR]] to KillAndReplace the original one.
77	** Because of how he's presented in-game, fan works often portray Pepperman as SmallNameBigEgo, with him using [[SesquipedalianLoquaciousness overly complicated words]] and talking about obscure artists to [[KnowNothingKnowItAll make himself sound smarter.]] Based on [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pizzatower/images/7/79/Noisetteshopconcept9993.png this pre-release sketch comic]] from [[WordOfGod McPig himself]], which depicts Pepperman contemplating the "meaning" behind Noisette's outfit while using flowery artistic prose, it might not even be that far off base.
78	** In some fanart for the fourth boss, [[spoiler:the knot on the waist ties on Fake Peppino's back acts like a tail, wagging when he's happy.]]
79	** It's common in fan works to imagine [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]] as having a unique variation on SdrawkcabSpeech, where instead of actually speaking backward he replaces words with their antonyms, similar to Bizarro Superman or ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 [=EarthBound's=]]]'' Moonsiders.
80	** It's common for fans to interpret Peppino's [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign Italian gibberish]] that plays during his [[IdleAnimation Idle Animations]][[note]]Link to the sound effect [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gu43yeM8bI&t=22s here]][[/note]] as him saying "Paranoid", as it would make sense for [[NervousWreck him]] to say.
81	** There are a good amount of people who think that the Vigilante is hunting Peppino down for an extra reason besides the pizza maker being accused of being a criminal thanks to Pizzaface and/or Peppino annihilating the Fun Farm on his way to the second boss fight, and it's related to the pizza chef mercilessly mauling down Cheeseslimes (or at least being accused of it) in his way and the gun-slinging cheese cowboy wanting to avenge his fallen brethren, given gameplay and the Vigilante being a [[KingMook really buffed up version of a Cheeseslime]], it's fairly believable.
82	** It's very common in fan-works such as ''Fanfic/IWasAMiddleAgedWeretoon'' and ''WebAnimation/LyonSPD'' to have swear words get [[SoundEffectBleep censored]] with the game's taunt sound effect.
83	* FanonDiscontinuity: Word of God proclaiming that Peppino's a PhonyVeteran at best hasn't stopped the fandom from depicting him as a genuine armed conflict veteran with PTSD.
84	* FanonWelding:
85	** Stemming from their FriendlyFandoms, a popular fanon cropped up that Peppino is the uncle of Madeline from ''VideoGame/{{Celeste}}''.
86	** Another popular fanon based on [[https://twitter.com/DreMeMoTo/status/1625308647180886017 a comic]] is that Kobeni from ''Manga/ChainsawMan'' is the daughter of Peppino, and got her [[NervousWreck severe anxiety]] from him.
87	* FountainOfMemes: [[spoiler:Pizzahead himself]] is quite the popular character to meme fans, with memes such as "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geuJ7ZmdEzs life unexpectancy]]" and some jokes related to his songs. His page on the ''Pizza Tower'' Wiki was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZYxwwWVC1w&ab_channel=JustDenys1 among the most vandalized ones back when the wiki was on FANDOM]]. [[https://pizzatower.miraheze.org/wiki/Pizza_Tower_Wiki:Moving_from_FANDOM That's one of the reasons it has moved to Miraheze]].
88	* FriendlyFandoms:
89	** With ''VideoGame/{{Antonblast}}'', as they are both 2D indie platformer games heavily inspired by ''VideoGame/WarioLand''. It helps that the developers of both games are friends and actively promote each other's games (even [[https://twitter.com/Summitsphere/status/1528117198656528385 making fun of people who think they are rivals]]), and Peppino was a playable character in ''Antonblast'''s predecessor, ''VideoGame/AntonballDeluxe''.
90	** After the game's full release, due to the game's heavy emphasis on precision platforming and speedrunning, the fans of the game received a fairly large alliance with ''VideoGame/{{Celeste}}'', with some fans even depicting Madeline and Peppino as a duo of unlikely friends due to both being [[CowardlyLion anxiety-riddled superhumans]] who spend their games [[ItsAllUpstairsFromHere climbing a really tall structure]]. When not depicted as being close friends due to both being transgender,[[note]]Some fans [[TransAudienceInterpretation depict Peppino as an anxious trans man]] to go with Madeline canonically being a trans woman,[[/note]] Peppino is depicted as either Madeline's uncle or at least a friend that's like an uncle to her. It's also commonly joked that [[https://www.reddit.com/r/196/comments/10vr0rg/pepino/ Peppino doesn't fully understand transgender subjects]] but tries his best for her and [[PapaWolf will not be happy if any transphobia is thrown her way]].
91	** Perhaps unsurprisingly, the game's fanbase developed a friendship with ''VideoGame/MortTheChicken'' since Mort outright appears in the game; in turn, a lot of people who played ''Pizza Tower'' ended up curious about just where Mort came from. It helps that the creator of Mort the Chicken is ''also'' a fan of ''Pizza Tower'', and even allowed Mort to appear in the game royalty-free.
92	** Fans of ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' enjoy the game due to one of its demos being in the 2019 Sonic Amateur Games Expo, as well as having a focus on technical, high-speed platforming.
93	** ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'' fans and ''Pizza Tower'' often overlap when it comes to the Collapsing Rift theme and stages. There's more than one remix where "It's Pizza Time", "Collapsing Rift", and "H-H-Hurry Up!" from ''VideoGame/WarioLand4'' have been remixed together.
94	** With ''VideoGame/TribalHunter'' of all things, with fans of both games drawing art of Munch getting involved in antics with Peppino.
95	** The game has some overlap with the ''WebAnimation/TheAmazingDigitalCircus'' fandom, due to the latter also starring a protagonist whose typical emotional disposition ranges from "anxious dread" to "apocalyptic panic attack", and whom is also bedeviled by floating hellions of dubious morality. Also helping matters is that both are heavily inspired by cartoons and other media from TheNineties, and the fact that the second episode of the show had one character outright do a Peppino taunt as a shout out.
96	** There's also some overlap with fans of ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'', mostly due to a semi-popular GameMod replacing Peppino with Moxxie as the main character.
97	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The game has a sizeable following in Russia, with several prominent fan artists in the community hailing from the country. There was even an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMPqbPwnZLY unofficial Russian play]] that recieved the ApprovalOfGod from Tour de Pizza!
98	* GoddamnedBats:
99	** Forknights are well-known momentum killers thanks to being [[KungFuProofMook invulnerable from the front]], and thus deal damage if Peppino attempts to rush them head on without scaring them. They are also the most common enemies in the first floor.
100	** While less common than the Forknights, Ranch Shooters are known to be a massive pain in the only level where they prominently appear in (Fast Food Saloon), as they can easily kill Peppino's momentum due to instantly firing a bullet the moment he enters their range of vision unless scared, requiring Peppino to parry them with very little margin for error. The fact they usually appear in tight corridors or areas where you can't jump without losing your progress definitely doesn't help.
101	* GoodBadBugs:
102	** It's possible to have Peppino unleash his rage on ''Gustavo'' by accident [[https://youtu.be/7tbz-pBeTZo?t=1115 during the final boss fight]], leaving the vulnerable boss frozen in place until Gustavo respawns.
103	** If a runaway bomb from The Noise is still in play during the high noon draw section of The Vigilante fight and it hits him, he'll be defeated during the close up, which absolutely fits [[CombatPragmatist The Noise's MO]] to a tee.
104	* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments:
105	** If the player gets all the Tower's Secret Treasures, during the ending, [[spoiler:Peppino is able to resurrect Pillar John and restore him to his true form. After the non-pillar John gives Pizzahead a good what-for for what he did, he is reunited with his brother Gerome and smiles happily; his brother even [[WhenHeSmiles breaks his usually unamused expression to celebrate in glee]], and even Peppino smiles a little at this moment. It looks like he was also able to help someone else out, too!]]
106	** The Vigilante's old Western boss fight is a chaotic shoot-out, with the cowboy Cheeseslime donning multiple forms of weaponry to fight...But one might notice the farmer Cheeseslime ghost that comes in from time to time, being a slow but SuperPersistentPredator. According to WordOfGod, this is John E. Cheese, the former owner of the Fun Farm... as well as the Vigilante's ''grandfather.'' The fact he comes in randomly shows that he wasn't summoned, [[UndyingLoyalty but came of his own accord]] to assist his grandson from beyond the grave!
107	** Gustavo's appearances show that despite Peppino being an anxious, nervous wreck about saving his restaurant, he's not alone. The friendly chef shows up during the levels, either to help Peppino out, save him, or guide him back to the entrance during Pizza Time. During the final boss fight, [[spoiler:with Peppino flying into an UnstoppableRage, Gustavo also willingly joins the fight and lets himself be thrown at the bosses to help his buddy out, with it being the only way you can make the Vigilante vulnerable]].
108	** In the final level, [[spoiler:Peppino escapes the now crumbling Pizza Tower. Not only does he help lead the way for Gustavo, Brick, Mr. Stick, Gerome, and [[VideoGame/MortTheChicken Mort]], but Pepperman, the Vigilante, the Noise, and Fake Peppino [[DefeatMeansFriendship join him too to escape with their lives]]. Peppino allowing this shows that despite the stress and anger they caused him, he's not leaving them to die. Snotty will also join you if you [[VideoGameCaringPotential didn't kill him]].]]
109	* HilariousInHindsight: It has not gone unnoticed that the Flying Patroller enemy in Don't Make A Sound resembles [[WebAnimation/TheAmazingDigitalCircus Caine's Head]] when sounding its alarm.
110	* IKnewIt: A Troper on the WMG page impressively managed to guess that [[spoiler:Pizzaface is really Pizza Boy in disguise]] two years before launch, thanks to oblique comments made by [=McPig=] during development.
111	* MemeticBadass:
112	** Since the game's mechanics, coupled with the level design not only allow, but encourage you to blaze through levels at top speed while barreling through enemies and obstacles, it's very common to portray Peppino as an unstoppable force that won't let ''anything'' get between him and his business. On top of that, [[spoiler:his [[RageBreakingPoint meltdown]] against a BossRush culminating in air-comboing Pizzahead before suplexing him into the tower]] shows that a truly furious Peppino is nothing to laugh at.
113	** Grandpa Pepper, that invulnerable old pepper NPC from the Pig City that just punches Peppino away if he approaches or attacks or whatever. It's telling that Peppino of all people is completely powerless against this guy.
114	** Thanks to [[https://pizzatower.miraheze.org/wiki/Noisette/Pre-release concept art]] by [=McPig=], fans agree that Noisette is one of the few characters that Peppino can't beat due to being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} and CombatPragmatist who can be [[BewareTheSillyOnes deadlier than her already deadly boyfriend]] under the right circumstances.
115	** Despite being heavily implied to be a dead spirit, [[spoiler:Peddito]] is this due to the fact that he ''permanently kills'' [[spoiler:The Doise]] with little-to-no resistance whatsoever. His appearance in the official ''Bring Your Own Class'' GameMod for ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' further lends credence to his reputation as an unstoppable force, as when used as a projectile he kills anything he touches in a single hit. Including [[spoiler:The Doise]], whom he relentlessly chases.
116	* MemeticLoser:
117	** Snotty, simply for being the only named character in the game who’s able to be KilledOffForReal, before [[spoiler:The Doise]] was added, at least. To the point where fans often joke about people who killed him in their first playthrough in a YouBastard sort of way.
118	** This fate would also befall [[spoiler:The Doise]], the other named character who can be permanently killed. Just about every fan media of [[spoiler:The Doise]] has him either getting killed or suffering some other unfortunate fate. Doesn't help that the game [[BlackComedy actively encourages]] mockery of his death, up to and including [[spoiler:rewarding the player his outfit for breakdancing on his corpse during the third phase of the FinalBoss]].
119	* MemeticTroll: Forknights, on account of their ability to potentially halt Peppino cold in his tracks thanks to the forks on their fronts.
120	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound:
121	** Ask anyone who's played the game how it feels to hear the P-Rank jingle after completing a level.
122	** The priest's blessing in Pizzascare is accompanied by a very satisfying jingle.
123	** The droning electric guitar that accompanies a mach run. A somewhat subtle, but beautiful way of saying "Get the hell outta my way!".
124	** The brief echoing funk beat that plays during the super taunt. Just like the mach run, a brief but beautiful way of saying how badass you are.
125	** The ItemGet jingle for the toppins and the treasures. Even the sound whenever you unlock a door (both normal and the one Gerome opens) is literally the audience cheering you on.
126	** Hearing a scared enemy ''scream''. It furthers your ingenious reward for rushing through levels at breakneck speed.
127	** Peppino lets out a loud scream each time he fights a boss, but during the final boss fight's third phase, that scream is a ''war cry'', because Peppino has had ''enough''. Hearing it, and the sound of [[spoiler:the NoHoldsBarredBeatdown he delivers to each boss during the boss rush]] is glorious and cathartic to hear.
128	* NarmCharm: The FinalBoss can accurately be described as an overweight chef fighting a giant pizza [[spoiler:and then a FightingClown]] to stop them from blowing up a Pizzeria. However the amazing atmosphere, [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic excellent boss theme]], and the CatharsisFactor in [[spoiler:Peppino finally flying into an UnstoppableRage and laying a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on the BossRush and then Pizza Head himself after being a NervousWreck the entire game]] makes the final battle genuinely grand and awesome despite the low stakes and absurd premise.
129	* NightmareRetardant: The last stretch of the fourth boss fight loses a lot of scare value on replays. When playing as Peppino, [[spoiler:as intimidating as Fake Peppino's final form ''looks'', he moves only a bit faster than Peppino's default ''walking'' speed, and with the post-launch patches removing his rubber-banding and the section being relatively straightforward to go through, it stops being tense and becomes a formality.]] The Noise's version of the fight [[spoiler:restores the rubber-banding, but also completely neuters his attack - The Noise scares him away if he gets too close.]]
130	* QuirkyWork: The game's animation was [[DerangedAnimation inspired by a lot of 90s and 60s aesthetics]], and [[AcidTripDimension it shows.]]
131	* RecurringFanonCharacter:
132	** Pizzelle, a RoleSwapAU version of Peppino who is The Noise, but with Peppino's clothes, and originated from a popular fangame called ''VideoGame/SugarySpire''. [[GenderFlip She]] quickly became extremely popular among the fanbase, and is featured in a ton of fan works and memes.
133	** Pissino, a goofy and mangled version of Peppino similar to [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]] who makes [[MemeticMutation memetic sound effects]] with just about every single action he does, originated from a shitpost-themed mod. He quickly became popular among modders, shitposters, and lets players for his goofiness.
134	** Baba, a killable easter egg character from the popular ''Scoutdigo'' mod who appears in a secret area, and when killed, turns into a creepy-looking reskin of Pizzaface that follows your every move, and {{Jump Scare}}s you upon killing you. He became popular for his SelfImposedChallenge potential, and [[SurprisinglyCreepyMoment surprisingly genuine scariness]].
135	** [[https://twitter.com/minuspal/status/1627046418727981057/photo/1 The Toppin Waifus]] (otherwise known as the Toppin Gals) are MoeAnthropomorphism versions of the Toppins, still comprising the same five Toppins but humanized with [[MushroomMan Mushroom]], [[PrincessClassic Cheese]], [[LazyBum Tomato]], [[{{Tomboy}} Sausage]], and [[WalkingSwimsuitScene Pineapple]], originating from a popular mod. Due to their [[MsFanservice designs]], they appear in a lot of fanmade content and memes. Though they are somewhat [[BaseBreakingCharacter Base Breaking Characters]] due to being yet another example of MoeAnthropomorphism in a time where that trope has been overused ad nauseam, as well as the fact that their creator, [=Minus8=], an NSFW artist, isn't really helping anyone who like them. The resulting backlash led to the artist leaving social media to escape harassment.
136	** Peppina Ramen is a RuleSixtyThree version of Peppino who originates from [[https://twitter.com/KetArtDragon/status/1642076351216664578 a fanart portraying Pizza Tower as a 90s anime]] which later inspired a mod that's currently in development. Her mod became popular upon its reveal, and she's often featured in fan works in which she's portrayed as Peppino's daughter or sister DependingOnTheWriter.
137	** Related to the above, a RuleSixtyThree MoeAnthropomorphism mod of Pepperman known as Peppergirl [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AEwx82coWk was later implemented]], with her version of the boss arena including a window in which [[TheCameo Pepperman can be seen spectating the fight]] between her and Peppina during the second phase. RuleSixtyThree MoeAnthropomorphism versions of The Vigilante (known simply as The Vigil), Noise (Noise-Chan) and Fake Peppino (Fake Peppina) were later implemented, with Noise-Chan and Vigil being planned on becoming playable in a future update.
138	* ScrappyWeapon: The pistol has a ChargedAttack that does tons of damage if it connects, which should in theory make it DifficultButAwesome. Unfortunately, it's borderline useless due to the fact that the pistol is only used in the two most chaotic boss fights in the game (Vigilante and Pizzaface's second phase), giving it a huge opportunity cost and leaving the player vulnerable to damage. You're generally better off [[MoreDakka pelting your foe with smaller bullets]] instead.
139	* SelfFanservice:
140	** In-game Peppino is a {{Gonk}}ish, noodle-limbed fat guy, yet fanart tends to [[StoutStrength beef him up]] into a BigBeautifulMan. The fact that some of the title cards and even one part of the intro stylistically depicts him as a tall, muscular guy certainly adds to that.
141	** The Toppins are short, stubby [[AnthropomorphicFood creatures based off of various pizza]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin toppings]], yet you can't walk 3 feet online without tripping over miles of fanart of the Toppins as [[MoeAnthropomorphism busty women dressed as their respective Toppin.]] Most of these designs were created by NSFW artist [=Minus8=].
142	* SelfImposedChallenge:
143	** One that quickly popped up soon after release was attempting to do a full run back to the exit while being chased down by Pizzaface (who chases Peppino after the timer goes up and will automatically kill him if he touches him). This is possible to do in every level except Wasteyard and Oh Shit!, but it requires nothing less than absolutely perfect movement and platforming with no room for error whatsoever to pull off due to Pizzaface's speed and aggressive RubberBandAI, since Pizzaface was designed to only be escapable if you were near the exit when time ran out. This culminated into a [[https://gamebanana.com/mods/429698 mod that adds Lap 3]] [[note]] Which also patches Wasteyard and Oh Shit to be possible [[/note]] where Pizzaface is chaing you during the entire EscapeSequence, followed by a myriad more mods that add even more laps to the point of absurdity.
144	** You can P-Rank Pepperman without having him knock away the Peppino painting seen at the start of the fight, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTVvLh08Tfw&ab_channel=Beniety as seen here]].
145	** Although The Noise's third boss [[spoiler:The Doise]] is extremely easy to P-rank or beat without wasting bombs on rematches, [[spoiler:due to him being KilledOffForReal]], some people have challenged themselves to do this in his first fight, [[spoiler:when he's still alive]].
146	** Fighting [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]] with darker costumes can make his fight harder, as the only way to tell him apart from his clones is the clones' darker costumes. Special mention goes to the Dark Cook costume, which is pitch-black, making it outright impossible to tell them apart just by looking.
147	** During the [[spoiler:Fake Peppino chase sequence]] in The Noise's campaign, his aggressive RubberBandAI that was present in previous versions makes a comeback. However, if the player gets caught by him, [[spoiler:The Noise simply scares Fake Peppino away with a demonic roar, turning him into a ZeroEffortBoss]]. Still, some players like to challenge themselves to not get caught by [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]], [[spoiler:even if there are no consequences for doing so]].
148	* SignatureScene: The third phase of the final battle is the game's most memorable moment. In response to [[spoiler:Pizzahead [[AmusingInjuries shrugging off all the damage]] Peppino did to him in the second phase like it's nothing, then trying to throw a ''BossRush'' at Peppino for his own amusement]], Peppino ''finally'' hits his RageBreakingPoint at these antics and [[spoiler:delivers a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to each and every one of them of them before piledriving Pizzahead into the concrete]], cementing him as a MemeticBadass in the eyes of many fans.
149	* SpiritualSuccessor:
150	** To the ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' series, natch, but more specifically the transformation-based gameplay from games like ''VideoGame/WarioLand3'' and using design philosophy from ''VideoGame/WarioLand4'' and -- of all games -- ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''; the latter being most apparent in regards to Peppino's super jump and its similarities to the Shinespark.
151	** In terms of artstyle, tone and humor, it's almost impossible to not see the ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'' influences, especially because of the often random, bizarre level themes and Peppino's access to guns.
152	** The game can be a video game adaptation of the ''WesternAnimation/WhatACartoon'' short Pizza Boy in "No Tip". Both are crazy 90s animations about a high-strung and insane pizza delivery guy who speeds through all kinds of chaos to deliver a pizza.
153	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: Not only does the game wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but the music also clearly takes inspiration from many sources and even taking samples from them:
154	** The music from the hub level is similar to the theme found in some areas of ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''.
155	** The intro to "[[https://youtu.be/ovju1aNan54 Pumpin' Hot Stuff]]" is very similar to [[https://youtu.be/qVXeWfFTFGo?t=57 a segment]] of Stardust Speedway's BadFuture theme in ''VideoGame/SonicCD''.
156	** Parts of "[[https://youtu.be/0-CLAPJ1PLs?t=54 Tunnely Shimbers]]" include a backing melody very similar to that of the RecurringRiff from ''VideoGame/{{Clock Tower\|1995}}''.
157	* TearJerker: A handful in the final level:
158	** [[spoiler:After knocking out the original Pillar John in the back rooms of the tower, the next room you enter is the Staff Only hub. If you pay attention to the background, you can see the "John mech" falling out of view, [[GoOutWithASmile smiling and giving a thumbs up]] presumably because he can now [[WhoWantsToLiveForever finally rest]] after being cursed by Pizzahead.]]
159	** [[spoiler:While collecting all the characters to escape from the tower with you, Gerome is the last one you collect, found in front of the pile of rubble where John Gutter's gate used to stand. Being that John Gutter was effectively a garbage dump for defective John clones, it's possible that Gerome was mourning his brother there during the tower's final moments. Since it's close to the entrance, too, it would give him as much time as possible before Peppino arrives to escort him out.]]
160	** Both of the above are made even more depressing if you didn't collect all Tower Secret Treasures; [[spoiler:In the post-credits scene, John remains dead after the collapse of the tower, and Gerome can be seen [[HatsOffToTheDead holding his hat]] and solemnly mourning his brother's sacrifice.]]
161	** Even the soundtrack itself can elicit a few tears. It's a triumphant remix of "IT'S PIZZA TIME", yet some segments are slow-paced and even melancholic. Even the track itself is named "Bye Bye There!", as if it knows that it's the end. It hurts to say goodbye.
162	* ThatOneAchievement:
163	** Getting the "War Camo" outfit requires you to complete WAR on the first attempt you play it on [[note]]Per save file, but it thankfully carries between save files[[/note]]. It's already ThatOneLevel, but on your first attempt?
164	** "Face Off", earned by defeating the FinalBoss without taking any damage. That means getting through ''all 4 phases'' without getting hurt ''once''. Given the completely random nature of the boss's attacks during the second phase, it is ''very'' easy to take damage, meaning you'll have to be very good at dodging or else you'll be restarting the fight.
165	** Trying to get the P-Ranks sounds simple at first glance (do everything in a level (do both laps, find all the secrets, get enough points to earn an S-rank) without losing your combo), but they can be some of the most unforgiving and frustrating challenges in the game, as they require you to speed through and master the stages and bosses flawlessly with little-to-no leeway, and if you lose your combo before finishing the level (which is very easy to do), or if you get hit in the boss stages, well, you can say goodbye to that P-Rank, as your only option at that point would be to restart the stage or boss and try again.
166	* ThatOneAttack:
167	** The Noise's Pogo Stick is arguably his easiest attack to dodge... until he takes the bombs out. When combined with his more aggressive pogo jumping, this creates an attack that's surprisingly hard to dodge or even [[GameBreaker parry]]. If you're stuck in a corner, then good luck not getting hit. The worst part is that, due to The Noise's unpredictable nature, he can use this attack ''as soon as the fight starts''. [[FromBadToWorse And then he brings the Noise Crusher out in his second phase...]]
168	** The attack where [[spoiler:Pizzahead throws a Stupid Rat at Peppino like a baseball isn't super hard to dodge, but then the remains of the Pizzaface mech start dropping gears into the arena which move toward the direction that Peppino is currently standing. This means that sometimes the Stupid Rat projectile will synchronize up with the moving gear, ''guaranteeing that Peppino will get hit''. This attack is the complete and utter bane of trying to no-hit Pizzahead because of this]].
169	* ThatOneBoss:
170	** The Noise (fitting, given his rivalry with Peppino) is a major WakeUpCallBoss. His attacks are almost entirely randomized, meaning his attacks are quite literally unpredictable, unlike the previous bosses. Combine that with the fact that several of his attacks (Such as the pogo-stick-bomb combo attack, and the jetpack attack) sweep a large amount of the arena, and the fact that after every single time he becomes vulnerable, he spins around, dealing damage if you reach him just too late, and you understand that this fight isn't easy in the slightest. [[FromBadToWorse And then combine all that with The Noise using fake-out duplicates, Noiseys and the Noise crusher in the final phase]].
171	** [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]] is the game's hardest boss prior to the FinalBoss. Don't let their seemingly measly 6 HP (the lowest of any boss) fool you: they come at you with fast and erratic attacks, summon clones which use the same attacks which you have to dodge all at once to the point of resembling BulletHell, and unlike other bosses, they never leave themselves open to attack and have to be stunned twice to damage them. Their second phase is also highly chaotic, since you have to keep track of the real one while dodging the clones, a task made harder if you equip alternate, darker costumes since [[spoiler:Fake Peppino and his clones copy your costume]]. Then you have to navigate a fast-paced and claustrophobic EscapeSequence, in which [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]] catching up to you deals 2 damage, the only non-OneHitKill attack in the game which does more than one damage, at a point when you're not likely to have much health left if you're not P-Ranking the fight.
172	* ThatOneLevel:
173	** '''WAR''' is easily the toughest level in the game. Other levels might be difficult to get high ranks on; this one is just hard to minimally complete. If you're not going for OneHundredPercentCompletion, it's best just to collect all the Toppins in the other levels and skip this one on your way to the FinalBoss.
174	*** Once Peppino picks up a shotgun at the level start, it instantly triggers a countdown of a measly ''forty seconds''. If it reaches zero, it's an instant game over. Shooting or destroying monitors around the level extends this time limit by an equally measly thirty seconds each[[note]]giving the player a total time of '''4 minutes and 40 seconds''' if they can collect all the monitors on a normal run, and '''7 minutes and 10 seconds''' if the monitors given for Lap 2 are included[[/note]]. The tight time limit punishes players who still struggle with getting to the exit quickly during Pizza Time, and all but requires being proficient with Peppino's [[AdvancedMovementTechnique advanced abilities]] and controlling him at Mach 3+ if you expect to win.
175	*** The timer does ''not'' stop while Peppino is inside a secret area, meaning you ''have'' to go as fast as possible if you want a P rank. The second secret in particular has your speed slow down to a crawl as it puts you in a cluttered labyrinth where you have to escape guided missiles from the Cardboard Tanks. One single hit and your combo is over.
176	*** As devastating as the Shotgun is, firing it kills all of your momentum. It also overrides your default grab when equipped, which can and ''will'' [[DamnYouMuscleMemory screw with your muscle memory]] when you attempt to climb up a wall or try to squeeze a bit more distance from a jump. This isn't much of a problem in ''Don't Make A Sound'', where the distance to the exit is shorter and the only real threat is Toppins Monsters which can only slow you down, but here it can be a killer due to the strict time limit.
177	*** Ironically, it's actually one of the easier P-Ranks, as your shotgun kills enemies quickly, there are many chances to keep your combo up, the path is straightforward (it's the only level with secrets out in the open along your main path), and if you're going for a P-Rank anyway, you're probably skilled enough that the time limit isn't much of a constraint.
178	** Aside from WAR, '''Pizzascare''' is another level that's particularly challenging. Largely due to its convoluted gimmicks such as the Ghost King, its large and confusing layout, and overall, just not being a very simple level to play through, [[ThatOneSidequest much less P-Rank.]]
179	* ThatOneSidequest: Getting a P-Rank is difficult no matter which level you're attempting it on. However, some P-Ranks take it to another level entirely:
180	** '''Bloodsauce Dungeon''' has a relatively thin vertical structure which is unintuitive to traverse, making it tricky to build up momentum and easy to fall into hot sauce. These factors make it easy to run out of time when climbing through two laps. On the Noise campaign, these problems become even worse as the level is early enough in the playthrough you're probably still adjusting to all of Noise's differences in how he controls and handles, and despite having an on-demand Super Jump, you may still flub your muscle memory compared to Peppino and find it extremely difficult to get through the vertical sections with your combos intact or with enough time left to make it on Lap 2 until you practice and learn more of The Noise's nuances.
181	** '''Gnome Forest''' has a notoriously difficult P-Rank, for many different reasons:
182	*** Gustavo and Brick handle much differently from Peppino, and possess overall slower and less flexible movement. They can't drift to maintain speed (meaning it's harder to barrel through dangerous enemies by scaring them), can't climb walls like Peppino, and it's generally much easier to make mistakes while playing as them. While the game gives you a tutorial area that doesn't break your combo to get used to the duo, the rest of the level isn't as merciful.
183	*** It's one of the longest levels in the game, and its cramped, maze-like structure makes it drag on even more. Yet, the game expects you to run full speed for most of the Toppins, since you have the deliver several Gnome Pizzas scattered throughout the level under relatively strict time limits to earn them.
184	*** The enemies in the level are very annoying. Special mention goes to the Pickle enemy, which, if it sees you, will teleport to your location and electrify itself after a brief delay. Not only does this mean that they will often teleport out of your way just before you can kill them (since the level design and Gustavo's heavier controls mean you often can't charge at them to scare them), it's very easy to get damaged by this attack, and if you take the hit you have a very narrow window in which to actually kill the thing to maintain your combo. Other enemies in the level include the Noise Goblin, which fires an arrow that can pass through walls, and the Pizzard, which will swiftly fire a lightning bolt straight ahead to damage you if you approach them slowly enough that they don't get scared.
185	*** The last secret is hidden very deviously[[labelnote:Spoiler]]It's found in Peppino's brief section at the very beginning, but it's barricaded by John Blocks until Pizza Time, leaving unaware players bumbling around with Gustavo further along the level trying to find the last secret and costing them a P-Rank. Though not the only collectible hidden during an escape sequence, the game rarely puts them that close to the exit.[[/labelnote]], so you will likely miss it on your first playthrough and have to run through this MarathonLevel again. Its positioning[[labelnote:Spoiler]]It isn't the only secret located in the same room as the exit, but it ''is'' the only secret that is positioned ''after'' the Lap 2 portal, meaning that you have to remember to get it ''after'' precisely running through the full 2nd lap[[/labelnote]] also means that, under pressure of trying to get a P-rank, you might make a mad dash for the level's exit and only remember that you need to grab the secret as you've already entered the door, forcing you to replay the ''entire'' level. And ''then'' the actual secret itself is a rather precise vertical climbing challenge that requires quick reflexes; if you make a mistake you'll plummet off the stage, which could leave you without enough time to recover your combo if it happens.
186	*** To top it all off, there is one specific room that gives you ''barely'' enough time to reach a score pickup that will maintain your combo. This wouldn't be so bad if the room were a straight run, but before you reach the pickup, you must purposefully stop just short of hitting a wall so that you can bounce up some mushrooms to the next floor, then immediately begin barrelling in the other direction. If you simply keep running into the stack of mushrooms, Brick will bonk into the wall and you'll lose enough time that your combo will drop before reaching the pickup. This room also appears relatively late into the level (only a few rooms before Pillar John), meaning that if you fall for this trap, you'll need to drag yourself through the whole thing all over again. Have fun! [[note]]Like the Pizzascare ramp below, this section and other similar sections were changed to have Rat Fairies to maintain your combo.[[/note]]
187	*** All of these frustrations (namely the precision room and the last secret) have persisted through a few updates that make minor tweaks to level design, meaning they're unlikely to ever be patched out.
188	** '''Peppibot Factory''' has a number of sections which must be played perfectly to maintain combo, where even the slightest mistake can end your run, and there are electric plugs everywhere. The Pizza Box transformation, unique to this level, has jumps that progressively lose height the longer you're in the air, and an attack which can easily bump you off a wall, which can launch you away from holes you're supposed to go into and into hazards like electric plugs. Pizza Time in particular has a number of aggravating elements, including reverse speed boosters, a short time limit, an easily missed & awkward to reach secret room just before a point of no return, and a Lap 2 room where you have to throw a bomb at a Stupid Rat from an awkward angle in order to access the portal.
189	** '''Oh, Shit!''' has numerous gimmicks which can complicate any P-Rank attempt. The Ninja Slices scattered amongst Pizza Boy cutouts are hard to fight with Peppino's main moves, the time it takes for Peppino's cheese ball form to crash can break your combo if you mess up with it, and the water streams and bananas can slip you up easily.
190	** Finally, '''[[BigBoosHaunt Pizzascare]]''', according to many guides, is the hardest level in the game to P-Rank, because it's absolutely crawling with [[KungFuProofMook Kung-Fu Proof Mooks]] in the form of the Ghostknights, very precise jumps which require running at high speeds to clear, and some seriously unforgiving secrets that can only be accessed during Pizza Time and are difficult to speed through without getting hit. A section just before the Lap 2 Portal/goal used to be particularly devilish, with a ramp (used to send you upwards earlier in the level) that can send you upwards, causing you to lose your combo time [[note]]The Halloween 2023 update nerfed the ramp by making Gustavo fall and destroy it during Pizza Time.[[/note]] . And keep in mind, you have to go ''fast'', leaving very little room for error.
191	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The game went through many different demos and tried a lot of different ideas that would eventually be added or scrapped in the final game, and with [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/PizzaTower over 5 years worth of demos, teasers, dev blog updates, and backer previews]], it's perhaps unsurprising that at least ''something'' changed would spark divisive reception. But to keep it brief:
192	** One of the builds removed the grab dash and wall jump, and nerfed the super jump, ironically putting the game more on the level of ''VideoGame/WarioLandSuperMarioLand3'''s more slower and meticulous design philosophy; player feedback brought it back not long after.
193	** The addition of hitstun was contentious among speedrunners who saw it as the game being dumbed down.
194	** One big update was very combat focused, giving Peppino new melee attacks, a buzzsaw that uses fuel, a parry, a pistol with ammo, and a heat meter that made enemies stronger; however, only the parry survived into the final game more-or-less unchanged, to the sadness of some players who felt those made the game's combat much more unique.
195	** On a few occasions, entire songs, levels, and even playable characters were scrapped, to the dismay of people who were excited for them.
196	** Fans were saddened by the loss of a [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pizzatower/images/5/5a/IT_SEEMS_TODAY.png/ few]] [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pizzatower/images/f/f4/Rreeeee-export.png/ taunts]] that didn't make it into the final build of the game.
197	** The fourth boss' AdvancingBossOfDoom phase originally had powerful rubberbanding, such that he would always be close to Peppino and this discouraged reckless play to keep from bouncing off straight into him. Updates made the boss crawl at a constant pace to alleviate the difficulty, but the drawback is that all the thrill of the chase is gone. You'll never see the creature on-screen if you're the slightest bit skilled in the game. As an in-joke, the rubberbanding is back and more agressive in The Noise's scenario, but The Noise will just angrily drive the boss away if he does get caught.
198	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
199	** As a result of him being KilledOffForReal, The Doise can't be fought during the BossRush. Even if you use the trick that revives him for his boss fight, he still remains dead for the boss rush.
200	** Some fans were also disappointed about the lack of a [[PaletteSwap Hardoween palette]] for The Noise.
201	** Many fans were upset that there was no exclusive boss fight against Peppino when playing as the Noise.
202	* TransAudienceInterpretation: The game's frequent comparison to and FriendlyFandoms with ''VideoGame/{{Celeste}}'' (especially an infamous tweet calling it "Celeste for weirdos") has lead to internet users tongue-in-cheekly calling Peppino a trans man to Madeline's trans woman. The former's heavyset build stands out against typical portrayals of trans men as either effeminate-looking or rich with TestosteronePoisoning also factors into the popularity of this portrayal, giving many trans fans an unconventional yet still positive portrayal of a trans guy to enjoy.
203	* UnexpectedCharacter: Absolutely ''nobody'' had expected ''VideoGame/MortTheChicken'', a character from an extremely obscure [=PS1=] game released in 2000, to appear in the game as a power up in Fun Farm.
204	* UglyCute:
205	** The Stupid Rats may be... well, rats with FishEyes, but their cartoony designs, large pupils, and chubby, seemingly amorphous bodies make them just plain adorable. Brick, the [[TokenHeroicOrc playable Stupid Rat]], is especially cute.
206	** The Noise is a small creep who's just as weird-looking as the rest of the cast, but thanks to his energetic animations, he comes off as rather charming.
207	** [[spoiler:Fake Peppino]], despite being a deformed doppelganger monstrosity, can look rather [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pizzatower/images/5/57/Fake_peppino_idle.gif adorable]] in his IdleAnimation. Generally there are times where his smile is less "monstrosity out of the UncannyValley" and more "subpar but enthusiastic imitator trying his best".
208	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: It would be easy to assume that this game is kid friendly like the ''Wario Land'' series, but it's actually rated 14 for violence and language due to things like firearms, the Noise giving Peppino [[FlippingTheBird the middle finger]], several instances of swearing (the resident [[DownTheDrain sewer level]] is named "Oh, Shit!" for example), and one of the Toppin Monsters resembling a person whose head was replaced with a bleeding sausage.
209	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Some have interpreted the game as somewhat of a commentary on shady business practices of large corporations when dealing with smaller competitors. Pizzaface has a massive corporate empire in the tower, spanning from various restaurants (Golf, Fastfood Saloon, Don't Make A Sound), production centers (Fun Farm, Peppibot Factory), and even a tropical vacation resort (the third hub). He threatens to shoot Peppino's Pizza with a giant laser, mirroring how larger businesses will throw money around, rather than using the actual quality of their product, to remove small businesses. [[spoiler:And the real final boss Pizzahead]] seems to perfectly mirror Mascots from large chains like [[UsefulNotes/McDonalds Ronald McDonald]], a happy-go-lucky face hiding a darker corporate side. Peppino by contrast, while down on his luck, and not perfect, is genuinely passionate about his job. [[spoiler:This passion allows him to defeat Pizzahead despite everything he throws at him, showing the true triumph of the small businessman.]]

Context YMMV / PizzaTower