Panic Porcupine is a new precision platformer for Nintendo Switch. For those who haven’t heard it, it’s literally a combination of Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Meat Boy. It looks like a game for SNES/Genesis and plays like a pinball he machine for masochists.
Panic Porcupine requires players to perform very specific maneuvers, with just the right amount of momentum and speed, to survive a variety of spikes, saws, projectiles, fire, and random holes scattered throughout each level. I have. Each area has 10 courses, and usually the 10th course has some kind of boss. The overworld in each area reminds me of Super Mario 3. Players move to the next level along a linear path. A certain amount of levels must be completed before proceeding to the next area.
Your goal is to defeat Dr. Robotnik’s clones and save all Chickards in each level. There are also eggs you can collect if you are the completionist type. Eggs can be hard to come by and I didn’t have the patience. But if you like a good challenge, this will definitely increase the difficulty. I personally tried to fly through each level as quickly as possible without becoming porcupine meat.
This is difficult if the timing is not very good. you will die repeatedly. That part is inevitable. But getting through difficult areas can be very rewarding. However, after the first few levels, it starts to feel like a never-ending cycle of frustration and brief elation. Sometimes you want to run fast without worrying about dying. The levels are short, but if you die you have to start over. Therefore, it is recommended that you first acquire the difficult chickavard.
What I really didn’t like was having to have a lot of momentum to get out of certain nooks and crannies. Panic Porcupine does not have a charge ability like Sonic the Hedgehog. So it’s frustrating when you get stuck in a U-shaped tube and the only way to get out is to get fast enough to get out the other end. I found myself getting stuck several times. This didn’t happen often, but when it did, it took a while to say the least. It feels strange to be “stuck” in a situation like this when the rest of the game feels so fast-paced. I also found it odd that a lot of it was copied from Sonic, but that it didn’t have the charge ability. I’m not sure if it’s some kind of liability or trademark issue?
Panic Porcupine doesn’t give you much time to look at the scenery. Beautiful backgrounds and graphics don’t mean much when death is right around the corner. However, the game has a fun retro feel to it. The look and movement of the characters reminds me of the old Looney and His Tunes games on the SNES. The game also has a strong late 80’s to his early 90’s vibe. It’s very colorful and the music is fun and bright. You can even save your progress to a floppy his disk…if you’re cool enough to figure out what it is. The sparse cutscenes and dialogue are enjoyable. The game is fully aware of how much it’s been influenced by other popular titles, and it teases the similarities quite a bit.
Overall, Panic Porcupine is fun when you’re winning. But if you get stuck in a level and have to do the same thing over and over again to catch one bird, the game can become very frustrating and repetitive. But stick with it. For better or worse, a game like this is a trial-and-error approach, perhaps with a bit of panic. If you want something more relaxing, you might want to skip the Panic Porcupine. But it’s a good game for players looking for a retro and challenging experience.
