Polar Panic
Verdict: Nice puzzler
In a Nutshell: Block pushing, timed puzzler.
(from the publisher’s website)
“Hunters have invaded the Arctic! Mr. Big, the CEO of Globoco, has decided to drill in the Arctic. Unfortunately, Polar and his family are in the way, and he’s hired hunters to clear them out by any means necessary.
Help Polar rescue his family by battling the hunters, and Mr. Big in frantic arcade play. Use iceblocks, dynamite crates, and anything else handy to drive Globoco out of your territory. Once the arctic is safe, master all 50 devious stages of Puzzle Mode.”
- Fun Rating: Fun
- ESRB: E
- Players/Mode:single player/campaign,single puzzle; multiplayer/co-op gauntlet
- Game Duration: 3-7 hours
- System: XBLA, PS3
- Developer: Eiconic Games
- Website: http://www.polarpanic.com/
- Cost: 800 points on XBLA
- Demo: Available on XBLA and the PlayStation Network
| Would I play this again? | Maybe |
| Would I recommend this game? | Yes |
| Was the story good? | It was OK |
| Was the music good? | Yes |
| Were the graphics good? | Yes |
| Was this game difficult? | Yes |
| Was this game frustrating? | Not particularly |
| Was this game offensive? | No |
| Was this game worth your time/money? | Yes |
Playing the game
You are a pissed off polar bear trying to push the greedy corporation out of the Arctic. In order to do this, you’ll need to get through the various types of enemies that have been sent to stop you by crushing them with ice blocks. Some levels give you the chance to free some of your fellow bears but usually require some puzzling to figure out how to get to them.
Each area has various types of blocks. Snow blocks break on the first push. Ice blocks will slide unless they’re up against something in which case they will break when you try to push them. Ice blocks can also be use to bridge gaps by simply sliding them into the hole. Dynamite blocks will start a 3 second timer if you push them while they’re up against another block, otherwise they’ll slide and explode on impact. There are other bonus blocks like freezing the enemies and extra time that are enhance ice blocks.
In addition to the main story game, there is a puzzle mode where you’re trying to get from the start to the finish and a gauntlet mode where you’re trying to rack up as many points, and kills, as possible.
What the game gets right
As far as basics for casual/puzzle games, this game gets them right. The maps for the game had a nice even difficulty ramp and provided some nice challenges, especially on the levels where you have the chance to free other bears. And, the art and music were really good.
Where I think this game particularly shines are the boss fights. While not every level has a boss battle at the end, they increase with difficulty equal to the main maps and are based on logic instead of thumb speed. Not sure what it is about arcade style games with boss fights but they always make me smile.
What the game gets wrong
The cave-man speak for the bear is a little annoying. If this is a sentient bear that isn’t outrunning and chomping the enemies parts off, then why can’t he speak the Queen’s English?
After every story or puzzle level you get a grade for your score and time which is kind of harsh. Just let me see my score compared to other scores, not some theoretical, developer “I made this and know all the solutions” score (unless, of course, it actually IS comparing me to the other XBLA scores in which case, disregard).
Sum it up
As far as bonus things go, I had a hard time completing a level while another bear was still caged up so, for me, adding that extra bit of challenge was definitely a plus. All in all, I enjoyed the time spent with the game and look forward to finishing it up sometime soon.
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