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Downstream Panic Review for the PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Downstream Panic Review for the PlayStation Portable (PSP)

A Highly Imaginative and Unique Puzzle Game

It’s no secret that I love puzzle games. I always look forward to reviewing them as it’s a well-deserved break from blowing off the heads of aliens or spending months leveling-up a wizened wizard in a role-playing game. I treat puzzle games like a smorgasbord of mini-games. You can play them in bite-sized chunks, which is recommended since many of them tend to get repetitious, using the same formula only to increase the difficulty and change the background. They also make the perfect rental.

Downstream Panic screenshot

I don’t always get a chance to play these games to the bitter end, but I don’t feel guilty about it and neither should you. Rent the game, play it until you get bored or frustrated, and then send it back and get a new one. It’s that simple. Puzzle games lend themselves to be great rentals because there isn’t a storyline to make it feel as though you didn’t complete it, but you do run the risk of addiction.

Downstream Panic is a highly imaginative puzzle game. It has a unique presentation and a gameplay style that may at first seem familiar, but it’s a composite of various games. When put into action, the gameplay is truly original. You can expect to get addicted, but you can also expect to get frustrated. This game isn’t easy, and there are elements of trial and error as well as pure dumb luck. Some technical issues conspire to make it more difficult than it should be, although I’m sure unintentionally.

Describing this game in words does little justice to it. You really have to see it, but allow me to attempt to relate it to you. Think of the game Centipede, but instead of a virtual centipede, a stream of water flows from the top of the screen on its way to the bottom. In this stream are numerous fish that you must help guide. Various obstacles will influence the direction and flow of the stream. It’s up to you to manipulate these obstacles with various tools and techniques so that the fish in the stream make it safely to their destination at the bottom.

Downstream Panic screenshot

That’s a general overview; now allow me to elaborate. The water follows a very convincing physics program that makes it appear naturally fluid. It flows, drips, spills, pours, rises, and ebbs in a surreal, fairytale-style environment. Obstacles in the environment consist of floating islands on which various trees, flowers, and other shrubbery can be grown. Then there are these globular forms that branch out to a variety of shapes. Mostly they conform to circular and U-shaped forms, which act as containers for the water. The water bounces around these various obstacles not unlike an organic pinball playfield, and can become trapped in the U-shaped globs. You can direct the path of the water, and ultimately the fish that swim in it, in numerous ways using the various tools at your disposal. You will also have to be careful to avoid the piranhas at the bottom of the screen. The more fish you end up with at the end of each level will determine how much money you earn. That money will come in handy in a later mode.

There are several ways to direct the path of the water. Seeds let you grow plants and trees on the floating islands. This floral growth will stop the flow of water in a specific direction and divert it to a more desirable location.

Downstream Panic screenshot

Wind-blowing fans will allow you to push the water over a flat surface, similar to that of a bridge. Then there are the explosives. The environment is destructible. They come in the form of rockets and are used to blow openings into the various globular shapes that trap the water. You can also try to unleash boulders and have them roll down slopes and knock out other parts of the environment. Knowing exactly where to target these tools, and when, in an effort to get the water to flow where you want it to go, is a huge part of the gameplay.

Downstream Panic screenshot

Before each level, you can check out the playfield to see what path the water should take. You can examine the screen from the bottom to the top, which is a good way to plot your strategy. I call this the completion-backward principal. You can think of the playfield as a maze. It can help to see where you want to end up. Each level becomes more complicated, but to keep things interesting, new tools are introduced often. When a new tool is introduced, the gameplay is simplified to help you get used to using the tool, implementing it for future strategies. But don’t get too cocky because as soon as you get a handle on your new tool (pun reluctantly acknowledged), the difficult increases rather sharply.

Money earned from bringing your fish to safety can be spent to purchase tools in the Free Play mode. You can buy as many rockets as you can afford. It does make things a little easier, but only because you’ll be able to have a few more chances at getting it right. Survival mode is tough. The fish do not get restocked at the end of each level; their loss is cumulative. When you lose your last fish, it’s game over. There are no multiplayer modes, but a game like this doesn’t require them.

Graphics are colorful and imaginative. The fish have a cartoonish look about them. They animate well, and despite blindly following the flow of the stream, they do possess charm and character. It’s what makes us care about them. The water animation is impressive. It’s not perfect; the water tends to act more like a mist, but considering how difficult it is to render water, the result is believable. The environments are fully destructible. They are simple, but designed to be unobtrusive. It would be easy to clutter the screen with superfluous detail. We have a clear view from top to bottom. The tunes are catchy, if a little simple. You will also notice plenty of repetition with the textures, but thankfully the gameplay is engrossing enough to distract your attention from such observations.

Unlike a lot of puzzle games, Downstream Panic has a decidedly organic feel to it. It feels as though you’re playing in a virtual eco system. Rent it for sure.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.4 Graphics
Simple, colorful, and easy on the eyes. 3.1 Control
Some tools are extremely touchy and unforgiving. 4.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Catchy, upbeat arcade-style tunes. Cartoonish sound effects. 4.3 Play Value
Fun and addicting. It can be quite tough and frustrating in some levels. 4.3 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • In Downstream Panic players will save their scaly sea-friends in more than 80 different levels with five different customizable environments.
  • Three different game modes (adventure, free play and survival) bring more of a challenge to the aquatic mix.
  • With more than 10 hours of standard gameplay and downloadable content, Downstream Panic! aims to offer more than just the average PSP system puzzle fare.

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