Push Panic Review
PROS
- Frantic block-tapping gameplay.
- An elegant mixture of pacing with power-ups that tempt you to wait one second longer.
- Color eye-candy visuals and smooth effects.
- Live online score comparisons.
CONS
- 'Classic' mode is too slow to progress; hard to use as a practice tool.
- Buggy 'slowdown' issues with iOS 4.1.
VERDICT
Push Panic is a perfect companion for those who want to blast away a few spare minutes or those who want to push the boundaries of their high-score skills; a great addition to anyone's collection.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
At this point, trying to create something that feels new in the three-match style of arcade puzzle gameplay is one heck of a challenge, but Appular seem to have cracked the formula with Push Panic by taking a new direction. Instead of allowing blocks to disappear all by themselves, players will need to match up the tiles by tapping (or 'pushing') them, while preventing the screen from filling up and spilling over.
At first the challenge seems almost unworthy of trying, merely awarding points for tapping blocks as they randomly tumble down the screen and waiting for the largest combination possible before clearing them out. However, while the classic mode may be slow to take off, it's really just a training ground for those willing to dive in to the alternative 'Color', 'Time' and 'Score' Panic modes. 'Manic' doesn't even begin to cover the gameplay as you either attempt to score huge points while preventing more than eight of the same color appearing on the screen; play within a time limit; or attempt to reach obscene scores in an endless mode.
Outside of restrictions like running out of time or having too many of the same color on screen, the real challenge of Push Panic comes from attempting to maximize your combo while not allowing your screen to fill up too quickly. This is further complicated by power-ups that allow you to chain together colors, multiply your combo score and even select mass amounts of blocks instantly.
Much like other arcade titles, Push Panic is all about high-scores and perhaps one of the best features is its 'live' score system that keeps track of your current position in the boards as you progress. This is a huge motivator and an excellent way to keep players coming back for more. Push Panic may start off slow, but once you're in things only start to get better over time.
Screenshots
$1.99
