The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
Our latest entry takes a look at the PSOne Classic, Pandemonium.
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Developer: Toys for Bob
Region(s) available: North America
Players: 1
Developed by the irreverently-titled Toys for Bob, Pandemonium centres on Fargus the Joker and heroine Nikki, who are on a quest to reach the Wishing Engine in order to restore their hometown to normal, after the pair inadvertently destroy it. A platformer by trade, Pandemonium utilizes a 2.5D template, namely where objects are rendered in 3D though gameplay remains a 2D-based affair.
Pandemonium offers a variety of power-ups and abilities to punctuate the bread-and-butter platform-hopping and baddie bashing. Chief among these include the red, blue and green orbs, which allow you to unleash a variety of spells against foes, such lobbing fireballs at them or shrinking enemies down to size. Suffer a hit however, and you’ll lose your powers.
Also on the table is the ability to transform into a variety of animals, which is triggered by passing into a certain area. Players can assume the form of a frog, rhino, turtle and a dragon throughout their journey, each one possessing its own unique ability. For example, the rhino can bulldoze its way through enemies with ease, while the turtle can render itself invulnerable by taking refuge inside its shell. Pandemonium also takes a leaf out of Zelda’s book by displaying you remaining health in the form of hearts, with more obtainable via special bonuses.
Of course, what would a platform game be without the chance to snap up heaps of collectibles? Exactly. Fortunately, Pandemonium features ample treasure to hunt down on each level, with an extra life awarded to the player for netting 300 goodies. Furthermore, gobbling up enough treasure will also activate one of two bonus stages, where you’ll have three “tries” to obtain yet more treasure items in order to bag extra lives.
Pandemonium became a cult classic upon its initial release, and obviously turned in a decent performance enough for the developers to churn out a sequel, Pandemonium 2, in 1997. Unfortunately, the follow-up has yet to make the transition to PSN.
Join us again tomorrow as we glance Inside PlayStation Network once again.