Panic Park

Panic Park is an arcade game developed and published by Namco in 1997, and released on the arcade system board Namco System 23 in dedicated cabinets with 33" or 50" monitors.

Panic Park
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
Platform(s)Arcade game
Release1997
Genre(s)Party game
Mode(s)single-player, multi-player
Arcade systemNamco System 23

Controls

The game's unique controls are two horizontally moving levers, one for each player. Both levers move in an arc across the front of the game, but will collide when their handles are close together. The levers cause players to physically push each other aside as they direct their avatars to collide on screen, impeding each other's progress both virtually and bodily. This is reinforced by the message, "Push One Another!" in the game.

Gameplay

Solo Play

1-player Solo mode[1] starts with a short practice round; then the machine chooses 5 rounds (default setting)[2] from a group of 20 minigames. In each round, the player must collect a certain number of items and/or survive attacks to win. The game selects Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulty for all but the last challenge. The final round is chosen from a select group of 5 minigames, with difficulty on a graduated 1-15 scale based on the player's performance up to that point. A single player wins the game if a majority of the rounds are won.

Panic King

In the 1-player "score attack" Panic King mode,[3] one minigame is offered as an endless challenge; the player gets two chances to beat the highest score recorded for that game, and can enter their initials for a win. The Panic King challenge is selected according to the game's internal clock.

VS Play

2-player Match Mode (Red vs. Blue)[4] begins with a short practice round, followed by 5 competition rounds (default setting)[2] selected from the full set of 25 minigames. For each round, the game sets Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulty. 1 point is scored for a win on each round (judged by number of items collected, survival, remaining lives, or by the opponent having lost all available lives for that mini-game). If turned on, an extended play feature may allow 2-player games to be extended with an additional buy-in. The final winner, if any, is determined by the number of points awarded in all rounds.

List of Minigames
Name Description 1-player feature games
Balloon Panic Survive bird attacks and mines while flying to the top of the Space Panic platform.
Bomb Panic Collect falling coins, avoid falling bombs.
Bridge Panic Stay on the wooden bridge.
Buffalo Panic Evade an oncoming stampede of bison in a narrow canyon. Panic King mode during February and August
Cactus Panic Run to the horizon while avoiding cacti.
Chick Panic In a narrow canyon, survive a stampede of giant peeping chicks.
Chicken Panic Collect chickens from barn and yard while avoiding larger animals.
Conveyor Panic Collect coins while avoiding large cartons.
Electric Panic Avoid electric shocks on a grid. Final round for difficulty levels 2, 7 and 12
Fire Panic Run through the doorways of flaming walls. Panic King mode during June and December
Hammer Panic Find safe platforms to avoid being crushed by swinging hammers. Final round for difficulty levels 3, 8 and 13
Ice Panic Collect coins and avoid penguins on the slippery ice.
Jumping Panic Jump onto pillars, and escape before they collapse. Final round for difficulty levels 5, 10 and 15.

Panic King mode during April and October

Missile Panic Avoid blocks while keeping a missile balanced. Panic King mode during March and September
Mole Panic Collect coins in a field while avoiding moles and other hazards. Panic King mode during May and November
Money Panic Collect falling banknotes in a basket.
Ring Panic Position your character to capture falling rings around the body.
Rocket Panic Fly down a narrow corridor with a jetpack, avoiding pillars. Final round for difficulty levels 1, 6 and 11
Shark Panic Run down a narrow, slipshod pier and avoid falling into shark-infested waters. Panic King mode during January and July
Space Panic Keep your balance atop a shaky, stratospheric platform. Final round for difficulty levels 4, 9 and 14
Superball Panic Collect bouncy superballs.
UFO Panic Avoid being abducted by a persistent UFO.
Vase Panic Collect flower vases tumbling off a florist's shop while avoiding falling bombs.
Volcano Panic Collect coins while avoiding flaming lava falling from a volcanic eruption.
Wall Panic Collect as many coins as possible while flying toward a wall, "playing chicken."

When collected, large coins are worth 10x.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Panic Park on their July 1, 1998 issue as being the third most-successful dedicated arcade game of the year.[5]

References
  1. "Videogiochi Da Sala Giochi Ep 33:Panic Park". www.youtube.com. 2017-03-03. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  2. Panic Park Operator's Manual. Namco, Ltd. 1998.
  3. Panic park (panic king mode), retrieved 2020-06-09
  4. Video Gameplay Series - Panic Park, retrieved 2020-06-09
  5. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - 完成品夕イプのTVゲーム機 (Dedicated Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 567. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 July 1998. p. 21.
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