Organic Panic – Early Access Preview

Organic Panic is a game that indie developer Last Limb has been working on for six years .

. It is a physics based action-puzzle-platformer that throws players into the midst of, what may be, the grandest of all food fights. It’s fruits and veggies vs. meats and cheeses, and they both get a little ruthless. Actually, both sides get really, really ruthless against each other. The meats and cheese utilize machinery and firearms, and will not hesitate to pump some lead into an approaching, healthy food. Meanwhile, the magical fruits and vegetables are not against taking advantage of the fact that the meat and cheese baddies can’t swim. But I suppose all is fair in food and war.

This charming and humorous title is still in beta, and shines with the passion the team has tirelessly poured into it. Players are introduced to the battle between the food groups through a charming, comic book style presentation that coincides flawlessly with the game’s overall style and vibe. The healthy food items are the good guys, whom the player controls during the storyline. Each one has their own unique abilities, be it control over fire, gravity, water, and earth, with each having their own uses in a given level, as well as a few other perks, such as Cherry being the fastest, and Carrot being a bit slower but gaining the ability to scale walls and ceilings without breaking a sweat.

Gameplay itself is relatively straightforward: Get to the goal in each stage, overcoming the obstacles and bad guys along the way. Some levels may require the switching of characters and the flipping of multiple levers, and at times can leave you a bit stumped. Never does it feel impossible or overly challenging, though. Replaying levels, either for the fun of it or going for a better score – you gotta get those gold medals, after all – can lead to the discovery of a different, more efficient way of completing the challenge at hand.

Everything works well, too. The puzzle elements are backed by solid platforming that involves all manners of maneuvers. Running, jumping, wall jumps, swimming, rope swinging, you name it, it is all here and executed well, and with a controller in hand, the controls are spot on. Levels are completely destructible, which can bring both great joy and sorrow. If you’re like me, you can get carried away with the destruction of things and screw yourself over, the end result being having to restart the level. But at least it is fun up to the “I shouldn’t have done that” part.

I do feel that co-op could use a bit of a tweaking or two, but not in the gameplay department, as it plays just as the story mode does. As of now, it doesn’t seem possible to play using both a controller and keyboard, as the keyboard and controller were both in control of Player 1. My buddy and I had to round up another controller just to give co-op a spin, which is somewhat disheartening for those that prefer keyboard and mouse over a controller. I also feel that this game is screaming for some insane, challenging, four-player co-op action. Luckily, a Versus mode is in the lineup to be added, so there is still more to look forward to for those wanting to get friends involved.

One of the neatest features of the game is the level editor, which also happens to be how every level in the game was made. Yes, Last Limb made each level already packed in the game with a controller in hand, and within the in-game editor, and we can do the same. It isn’t some bonus feature thrown in as fan service for the building-buffs, it is the maker of all the goodness players will rampage through.

As Organic Panic is still in Early Access, some of the edges are not perfectly smooth yet, but I walk away from the game with a good impression and high hopes for the final version. The game already offers some good fun, and the problems I encountered were very minor – a few collision problems, and liquids reacting to some unseen force. Mastering levels and achieving golden medals have been keeping me coming back for more. It is easy to see the praiseworthy amount of work that Last Limb is putting into the game, and it is definitely one that fans of platform-puzzlers should keep on their radars.