Currently scheduled for release early in February, Downstream Panic is an environmentally friendly puzzle game in which you assume the role of a conservationist attempting to guide fish and other small sea creatures back to the ocean. The ocean can be found at the bottom of each level, the aquatic life starts at the top, and there are all manner of puzzles and predators in between the two, which makes it impossible for gravity to simply do your work for you. GameSpot recently had an opportunity to play through the first 20 or so levels of Downstream Panic, and they're pleased to report that its blend of Lemmings-style gameplay and LocoRoco-style visuals and audio really sucked them in.
Downstream Panic! is an unpredictable, fast-paced, tactical puzzle-action that places players in the position of a sea-creature preservationist out to save the world from a fantastic cyclone that has blasted the world's fish into the Earth's atmosphere.
Yes there are other fish in the puzzle game sea, but Downstream Panic's Lemmings-esque gameplay is hard to resist. Sheparding your fish back to the sea and using the game's cotierie of bombs, nets, fans, harpoons, and other tools to navigate through and influence the title's 80 environments is both fun and challenging.
If there's one drawback, it's that it often feels like there is only one solution to each board, which isn't a huge crime except that it puts a damper on the Free mode, where you're allowed to buy extra (albeit sometimes superfluous) equipment to help you in your cause.
Downstream Panic is perhaps the first sleeper hit of the year for the PlayStation Portable. Fans of the puzzle genre should really check the game out, as for a mere $30 it offers a plethora of entertainment and fun. Its addictive gameplay will make sure that you play through all 80 missions, and come back for more. Furthermore, it features a solid amount of depth, and its presentation is quite easy on the eyes. Pick this one up.
Graphics - 7.5
Gameplay - 8.5
Sound - 8.0
Control - 8.0
Replay Value - 8.5
Overall -
