Developer: Pastagames
Publisher: DotEmu
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4, iOS, Android
Tested on: Xbox One
Pang Adventures – Review
Remastering popular video game franchises is something we’ve grown used to but breathing new life into a classic formula is something we rarely see. The two Pang brothers are back for another round against the deadly alien-spawned bubbles in Pang Adventures, a sequel to the classic platform shooter series Pang which adopted the name Buster Bros.
Story
Several eye-witnesses have confirmed the presence of enormous spacecrafts hovering over islands, large cities and other tactical regions. Even more ships are on their way to a numerous of unknown locations around the globe. It is clear that the aliens have returned to claim Earth as their own once more and they are sending in an army of deadly bouncing attack balls. The human kind is praying that the infamous Pang brothers will come to their rescue as they are the only hope for the survival of the human race. Naturally the two brothers have witnessed the news reports and fly out to Bora Bora, where the first alien ship was sighted and their grueling adventure begins.
Graphics
The visuals of Pang Adventures is a miss or a hit, depending on the type of gamer you’re talking to. As the game continues the retro arcade franchise, many would’ve wished the visuals would bring out the visual aspect of continuing a retro classic. This is not the case and while some might feel that the visuals are simply generic, we found the graphic style charming.
It’s slightly cartoon-styled with a bunch of bright colors that make up the foreground or in this case, the playground. The backdrops feature important landscapes of each region that you are currently “freeing” from the alien bubbles. In Bora Bora you’ll see nothing but sand and ocean while the Artic showcases igloos and ice mountains. Each region has a specific color theme and the alien balls change colors every once in a while to ensure a good contrast between the playground and the backdrops. The rest of the visual design is fairly mainstream and simplistic.
Sound
The sound design has certainly received a major modern update and we highly doubt players would be able to dislike this modern feature. The classic game sounds can still be heard, especially the “pang” when a bubble bursts but the sound effects in Pang Adventures is less raw. The soundtrack itself that can be heard in the background throughout all the game modes has a certain electronic techno beat to it, mixed in with several sound elements that are specific to the locations you’re visiting.
Gameplay
As for the gameplay, the arcade aspect of the Pang series has not gotten lost in translation. The player can move left and right to dodge the incoming attacks while shooting your spear-gun in a straight line towards the bubbles whom in turn split into smaller bubbles and the cycle would begin anew. Certain specials weapons can be shot in a small arc but for the majority of the time, the player is forced to shoot straight up. This was a typical trait in the classic platformer and this trait was implemented once again, giving veteran players a nostalgic feeling.
Since their last invasion, the Pang brothers have upgraded their arsenal but their favorite weapon is the classic slow-shooting spear-gun. Once in a while enemies will drop other weapons that the player will require to pick up before using it to clear the level. Machine guns are as always pretty epic to use but a flamethrower can make quick work of the smaller balloons. The latter has a pretty short range however so you may need to think about your actions before choosing the typical spray-and-pray attitude.
Not only did the Pang brothers improve their weaponry, the Aliens did so as well. Their simple but deadly bouncing balls have received quite some upgrades and the brothers must now dodge electric, explosive and lava variants of bubbles. Aside from the bouncing bubbles, there are quite a few other enemies. Crabs for example can help the player “pop” those balloons but they can harm the player as well so avoiding them while using them to your advantage is certainly a great strategy to use. As soon as the Pang brothers have cleared a region, they fly out to the next area only to be met with one of the Alien Commanders. This is the first game in the Pang series that features boss fights and they are as vicious as their alien-spawned bouncing balls.
The difficulty curve seems rather uneven as certain levels are a walk in the park while others are simply unnerving to even complete. However this is also part of the charm. Arcade games were difficult and if you died in the original game, it would end right there. In Pang Adventures you can retry a level as many times as you want so a part of that charm is lost and the difficulty curve helps to balance it out. Noteworthy is that you can revive your buddy which decreases the difficulty curve in co-op by a lot.
There are bound to be some other game modes in a two-player co-op game and this is exactly the case. There is the storyline mode in which you visit one location at a time and there are more than hundred levels to annihilate the alien forces. The second game mode features the real arcade experience in which you need to save the world with only three lives. The third and last mode is the panic mode which is pretty self-explanatory. Comprised of 99 levels of continuous battle, the panic mode will put your skills to the test while you try to keep your head cool. Trust me, it’s much easier said than done but with a little practice, you may find yourselves in the leaderboards someday.
Conclusion
Pang Adventures may be a completely new game in the Pang series but the core shooter mechanic is still intact, albeit with quite a few modern twists such as a stellar sound design, cheery graphical features and a plethora of new weapons on both the hero and the villain sides. The nostalgia is dripping off from this title but it is also a great modern platform shooter that any kind of player will be able to enjoy.
Pang Adventures – Review,
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