Downstream Panic! Review (PSP)

Downstream Panic! is the newest in a long line of puzzle games to hit the PSP. It feels like a conglomeration of LocoRoco and Plinko (a game featured on The Price is Right). In that game, contestants drop chips from the top of a board covered with pegs, hoping that the chips will bounce into the desired location at the bottom. Switch out fish for chips and throw in a variety of items to guide the flow of water, and that's this game in a nutshell.

Although it follows a basic premise, Downstream Panic! is quite challenging. There are over 80 levels in the game, each increasing in difficulty thanks to increasingly complex game boards and the slow introduction of new enemies and tools. At times, Downstream Panic! will provide tips before the level begins, but often you'll need to use the old noggin to discern how to utilize new play elements. The diversity of tools is excellent, featuring the likes of bombs to destroy terrain, fans to turn windmills, plants to block the path of flowing water and a freezer to freeze the water briefly. Armed with a set amount of tools for each level, you can buy more from the shop with your earnings.

Since the overarching structure never changes, it's possible to grow bored of the game, but the level designs are so good that it will always have you wanting to try just one more before putting down your PSP. Many of the levels are quite brain bending, but there is no punishment for making mistakes; you can replay a level as many times as you like, allowing for plenty of experimentation. There is not one, predetermined method to complete a given level, but there is always a best way, which will usually involve you memorizing the steps and mastering the timing.

The Adventure Mode is the dominant mode of play in Downstream Panic!, which will have you tackling every level in sequence, earning money along the way. The game also provides a Free Play mode to replay a specific level again in order to uncover all of its secrets and collect all the items, as well as Survival Mode, which spices things up by giving you 100 fish and forcing you to beat the majority of the game without losing them all. These, plus the constant introduction of new enemies and level items (like clouds, ice bridges and teleports) keeps the game fresh.

Aesthetically, the game feels like LocoRoco, with a serenely cheerful ambiance. There is not much visual change from level to level, although you will experience the four seasons, which provides visual differentiation and a few game play nuances. The music and sound effects, too, seem to imitate LocoRoco, with chirpy noises emanating from the fish and a repetitive but youthful soundtrack. Everything animates well and looks incredibly sharp, and there are a few humorous movies scattered throughout that provide a semblance of a story.

Downstream Panic! is not perfect, as sometimes the placement of the items must be so specific that it takes several tries to get everything right, thus making the game play somewhat tedious. Still, there is no denying that the game's charm and addictive puzzle designs are sure to please fans of the genre.