Pizza Connection 3 Review for PC

The first Pizza Connection was released in 1994 when Tycoon games were on the rise. This humorous business strategy lead to two more installments. Pizza Connection 1 and 2 (released in 2001) were a fan favorite. This tycoon style series was a cult classic that left its fans wanting more. So Assemble Entertainment answered the cries for more. Pizza Connection 3 was released March 22, 2018, about 17 years after the second game. With the new advances in computer gaming, fans were excited to see what Assemble Entertainment were going to do.

Obviously, the graphics were improved over the 25 years and 3 games but fans are not happy with the results. Fans were excited for the Pizza Empire with a side of gangster, that they had come to know and love, but were disappointed. Many reviewers on Steam complained about the game being lifeless and riddled with bugs. The game is very laggy and loads very slowly. It often crashed when I tried to start it on me (relatively new) computer. Reviewers also seemed appalled by the price of the game compared to what you get. On Steam, the game by itself costs $29.99 but the bundles can cost over $40.

As someone who grew up playing tycoon games, I was really disappointed in Pizza Connection 3. I agreed with the many upset reviewers. The game is filled with bugs and lacks the structure and management needed in a good tycoon game. The challenge is in keeping your empire running but there has to be certain mechanics that have to be in place to allow for business growth. Without knowing what your customers want and how to keep them happy, the game is, therefore, impossible to succeed at. My favorite part of this game is getting to create the pizzas you sell but that is such a small portion of the game play. Plus making exotic and crazy pizzas is not good for your business. To succeed you have to keep up with similar ingredients to save storage space. Very quickly I was in the negatives and the last “First Step” was to make over $3,000 but I wasn’t profiting at all.

With all that being said, I feel like with updates and the developers fixing many of the bugs, this would be an enjoyable game. The soundtrack is great and I really do enjoy the art style of this game. I think this game is very over priced and suggest trying to get it when there is a Steam sale going on. The price of the game is why I think there are so many negative reviews. If this were much cheaper, or even free, then I think people wouldn’t be so upset by the game play and the bugs. With this game being at the price it is, people expect a well developed game with minimal issues. I hope that Assemble Entertainment takes the criticisms of their players and improves Pizza Connection 3. It has a lot of potential and I know the players, myself included, would be willing to give this game another shot as it is updated.

Pizza Connection 3 is available worldwide for PC, Max, and Linux via Steam.