The lights are on
The 2D action/platformer is a common genre for indie
developers to tackle, but not an easy one to innovate in. Gamers have been hopping
over bottomless pits and onto the heads of enemies for decades, but every once
in a while we get a taste of something new. Last Limb Games' food-themed Organic
Panic pits fruit and vegetable warriors against an army of meat and cheese, while
throwing together a grocery list's worth of ambitious features: completely
destructible environments, physics-based gameplay, fire and liquid simulations,
couch co-op and competitive multiplayer, and an in-game level editor that
allows players to build and share levels. In the early preview build of game we
played, Organic Panic's ingredients are blending together nicely.
Last Limb Games is just a week away from the end of its Kickstarter
campaign, but has been working on Organic Panic for five years. While the
preview I played was still very much a work-in-progress (many of the storyboard
cutscenes are still rough sketches), it provided a good idea of the abilities
players have at their disposal. These abilities allow you to alter the 2D
landscape, which, similar to the Worms series, is completely destructible. However,
Organic Panic's levels are also physics-based, so if you blast through a ledge
that an enemy is standing on, the remaining structure tumbles realistically to
the ground instead of staying magically suspended in the air like a Looney Tunes gag.
Each member of your produce army has a unique power. Organic
Panic's cherry can spew streams of dirt that injure enemies and chew through
certain materials. The carrot and kiwi's powers are also element-based,
allowing them to shoot jets of fire and water, respectively. These elements
behave realistically as well; water flows and pools in contained areas (which
can be used to drown enemies), and fire burns flammable materials and ignites
explosive objects. Players control the direction of their projectiles with the left
analog stick, which can be imprecise at long distances but allows for quick
adjustments to your aim.
The sample levels I played were an entertaining if sometimes
unbalanced mix of action and puzzle-based gameplay. Organic Panic's meat and
cheese enemies are considerably stronger than your vegetarian forces, and often
tote guns, flame throwers, or explosives. Taking them down usually requires
figuring out how to use the environment to your advantage. Even though I
died frequently, quick restart times minimize the frustration. Later levels let
you swap characters on the fly, allowing you to switch between abilities as
The build I played didn't contain Organic Panic's in-game
editor, but Last Limb says that all of the campaign levels have been built with
the tool, and that the game has a system for sharing user-made levels similar
to LittleBigPlanet. I also didn't have a chance to check out the co-op mode,
but given how manic the single-player action is, it should be a lot of fun,
even if it is nonstop chaos.
Organic Panic is only halfway to its modest
$40,000 goal, which is distressing given how far along (not to mention fun)
the project already is. If you're a fan of games like Worms and LittleBigPlanet
you should check the Kickstarter page for more information, and vote for the project on Steam
Greenlight. If all goes as planned, Last Limb will release Organic Panic on
PC and Xbox 360 this October, with ports to other platforms coming later next
Email the author Jeff Marchiafava, or follow on Google+, Twitter, and Game Informer.
How come Worms could never make the switch into physics gameplay? Never understood why they kept rehashing the same old game.
Thanks everyone for checking out this preview. We hope it entices you to back us in these final days. We're less than a week away and still need quite a bit. But with your help and with great press like this piece, we're confident we can make it! :D
THEY MADE IT! THEY MADE THE GOAL!
This great looking game is going to see the light of day! Glad I backed the kickstarter. You can still get the reward from their website if you still feel like contributing.