30 seconds to Survive!

DotEmu are known for bringing across a number of classic retro games and bringing them over to the Nintendo Switch. They’re latest title, Pang Adventures, which is an Arcade classic, is out now on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a game that will offer you a different experience to the ‘big hitters’ that we’re usually used to. If you’ve not played this before, think of it a lot like Space Invaders, as it plays out like that. After my hands-on with Pang Adventures on the Switch, I have to say that I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Enjoyed it yes, but only because you have to fully appreciate the game for what it is. It’s not going to offer the most deepest or complex of gameplay experiences, but what it does offer is a few hours away from all those hardcore RPGs that we’re all desperate to get away from right?

The story is pretty simple to explain, as you take on the role of a young boy who is set out to save the earth from an Alien Invasion. You have to travel to different locations and complete 15 levels in that location, as well as a boss in order to progress. The main tour mode lasts around 5 – 6 hours, so it may be the case of you complete it in one session.

Gameplay wise, it’s also pretty simple to navigate. You have to do each level within the 30 second time limit. Mostly, it can be done way before then but as you get through the game, it can get a lot harder. For some reason, I found the difficulty to ramp up quite a bit after the first couple of hours. Your main objective is to destroy all the balls in the area without getting hit. Unless you have a shield power-up on you, you will get killed with 1-shot from the balls, so it is up to you to navigate the space you have in order to evade the balls to get killed.

You really have to think strategically of how to complete each level. For example, you can’t really go all in and shoot every ball in sight. Yes, that’s the objective but sometimes the balls can split into smaller balls which can be a right pain. You need to decide which part of the level you will put your focus into first. It took me a few attempts in order to get the order right of what I wanted to take out first and leave until last, but I got there in the end. Yes, this game is designed for a much younger audience but I like the fact that the game requires you to think and and tactically be aware of what you are required to do.

You are aided though in levels, especially when it starts getting more and more difficult. Helpful crabs will be around in order to pop balls with their claws when they enter their path, so it’s always good to try and focus on the ones that are no where near them. You’ll also get helped by different power-ups, such a machine gun that will greatly help you and a before-mentioned shield. The shield is a god send, especially when you have too many balls coming at you and you just know you won’t be able to fend them all off.

Boss fights I found to be quite difficult. A tip I will give you however is to watch their patterns. You need to see how they attack and when they attack, because if they do attack and you’re not in the right space to avoid it, it’s instant death. This game can get very frustrating at times, but like I mentioned before, it does require you to think.

Pang Adventures performs really well on the Nintendo Switch. You also have the option to play local co-op. I tried this out and the levels were so much easier to do, especially when you and your friend are discussing what you are both going to do throughout the level. There is also other modes after you’ve completed the main tour. This includes a Panic mode which acts as a kind of Survival based mode.

A Nintendo Switch Review Code was provided by Indigo Pearl