Pandemonium! (video game)
| Pandemonium! | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) |
Additional work by:
|
| Publisher(s) |
PlayStation, Sega Saturn & Microsoft Windows N-Gage |
| Composer(s) | Burke Trieschmann |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows, Symbian 9, N-Gage,[2] iPhone OS[1] |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Pandemonium! is a 1996 platforming video game developed by Toys for Bob and published by Crystal Dynamics for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Microsoft Windows, N-Gage,[2] and iPhone OS.[1] Pandemonium! features Fargus, a joker, and Nikki, who unwittingly casts a spell that destroys the town. The goal of the game is to reach the Wishing Engine, where they can wish the town back to normal. For each level, the player can choose which character to be. Each has a special move – Fargus can deliver a special spinning attack, and Nikki can double jump. The game consists of a great variety of unique gameplay objects, such as watermelons, clouds, spider webs and logs.
Gameplay
Pandemonium! employs "2.5D gameplay". While the game renders polygons in a typical 3-D fashion, gameplay is 2-D. The area of gameplay can be described as a two-dimensional surface twisting and bending in a three-dimensional world. Occasionally, this surface will overlap itself.
Plot
In the land of Lyr, an unpopular carnival jester called Fargus, and his stick-puppet Sid, are seeking a new career. Meanwhile, a talented acrobat named Nikki, bored of carnival life, runs away to pursue her dream of being a wizard. Fargus, Sid, and Nikki meet at a "Wizards in Training" seminar at Lancelot Castle. The seminar turns out to be rather boring, so during a break Nikki and Fargus steal the speaker's spellbook and take it to the high balcony overlooking the village.[4]
Nikki begins practicing with the magical book. Fargus and Sid urge Nikki to perform a 10th level spell. With a few magical words, a green monster called Yungo appears and consumes the entire village. They search the book for how to get rid of the monster. The book reveals that they'll have to obtain a wish from the Wishing Engine. With a map from the book to help them, they set off on their journey.
When they find the Wishing Engine, it tells them to speak three wishes. Fargus wishes for a chicken just to confirm that it works. Nikki wishes that the village was returned to as it was before the spell was cast. Nikki and Fargus are then teleported back to the top of Lancelot Castle. Yungo spits out the village and is pulled back into his own dimension. Nikki ponders what happened to their third wish, and Fargus guiltily admits that out of desire to share his joy with the world, he wished that everyone back home could be just like him, inadvertently turning everyone in the village into Fargus clones. Nikki and Fargus resign themselves to another trip to the Wishing Engine.
Development and release
Early in development it was planned to record hundreds of one-liners for the player characters, similar to the earlier Crystal Dynamics game Gex.[5]
The Saturn, PlayStation and PC versions have 18 levels, while the N-Gage version has 11. In the PlayStation and Saturn versions, progress is saved using a password system. The Japanese version of the game has considerable changes to the story, characters and cutscenes and is distributed by Bandai.
Reception
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The game received mixed scores.
Sequel
Pandemonium 2, the sequel to Pandemonium!, was released in 1997 for PlayStation and PC. It was released in Japan as Miracle Jumpers.
Notes
References
- 1 2 3 "EA Mobile Unleashes Six New Games on Apple App Store". Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
- 1 2 "EA Mobile Strengthens Commitment to Nokia N-Gage With New Global Games Line-up". Electronic Arts Inc. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
- ↑ Pandemonium for iPhone release information, GameFAQs.com.
- ↑ "How it all Began...", Pandemonium! instruction manual. Pages 6-7.
- ↑ "Pandemonium". GamePro. No. 93. IDG. June 1996. p. 32.
- ↑ http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198253-pandemonium/index.html