Written by: Alex

 

 

 

I have a soft spot for games with puzzle elements. I would never declare myself amazing at them, but I have always enjoyed a cerebral challenge, and where strategy games often leave me cursing my own lack of dedication to learn the system puzzlers offer just the right amount of effort to reward I’m looking for. With this in mind I was excited to jump into "Polar Panic", Eiconic Game’s latest XBLA title (and PSN if your counting).

 

 

It would be hard to say a puzzle game really needs a story, even one with a focus on action. None the less the fifty levels of the single player campaign do have a rather twee story tying the whole experience together. Revolving around the lead character, Polar (the polar bear) in his quest to liberate his family from the evil Mr Big, it provides a forgettable backdrop to the proceedings.

Mr Big’s motivation for capturing Polar’s family is hazy. It seems to centre on his companies mining the North pole for its natural recourses, but where a family of polar bears featured in that equation I forget. Their capture seems all the more unwise as the incredibly resourceful Polar reigns down all kind of icy death on every obstacle Mr Big throws at him in his quest.

 

 

It’s a cute story for kids but I can’t imagine the story mode attracting many young players due to its rather punishing difficulty. I can only assume the story is in place just avoid the game acquiring the moniker ‘Killer Polar Bear Rampage’.

 

 

While I have just spent a good chunk of your time explaining the story this mode is actually the weakest part of the game. Like every game mode you spend your time pushing or smashing a variety of blocks with in a maze like arena (viewed from the top-down) that is made up of said blocks. In the story mode however you are forced to solve the relatively simple puzzles while juggling hunters who are out to kill you and a time limit. Combining all these elements makes the 50 level of the story mode unforgiving and frustrating, which is a shame because both puzzle and survival modes are significantly more engaging.

 

Puzzle mode removes the enemies and time restrictions, putting them on a back burner in favour of solving 50 predesigned puzzles as you make your escape. You find yourself needing to clear paths through blocks, building bridges and activating switches to achieve your simple goal of reaching the exit. At the end of each stage you are rewarded with a letter grade for your efficiency of moves and speed. Of all the modes this one kept me coming back, and as the levels progressed and things more devious I began to feel accomplished just for managing to solve puzzle at all, forgetting all about my bonus for time and moves, instead enjoying the challenge of the task at hand.

 

 

Survival it the games final mode, in which you are forced to survive as long as possible as wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemies hunt you down within the mazes. You can fight back of evade these enemies, but unless I am just useless at this mode (which is possible), eventually you will die as the numbers become overwhelming.