Trash Panic
| Trash Panic | |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Aspect ratio | 720p |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
| Release date(s) | JP March 19, 2009 NA June 4, 2009 EU June 4, 2009 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Two player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E PEGI: 3+ |
| Media | PlayStation Network download |
| Input methods | Dualshock 3, Sixaxis |
Trash Panic (ゴミ箱 Gomibako) is a puzzle video game for the PlayStation 3 developed by SCEJ. It was released in Japan on March 19, 2009 on the PlayStation Network download service, and has been compared to Tetris in terms of gameplay,though the object of the game is to compact items of garbage, not remove rows of blocks.
A Spring 2009 release for both Europe and North America was announced in conjunction with an Earth Day promotion in the PlayStation Store.Though Europe was afterward given an official release date of May 28, 2009, only a preview trailer for the game was released as a part of the PlayStation Store Update for both the NA and EU regions on that date.
Gameplay
A stream of garbage is carried via conveyor belt toward a garbage can in the middle of the screen, and the object of the game is to break down the garbage by strategically placing it into the can based on the items available before the can fills to overflowing. If three pieces of undamaged garbage fall out of the trash can, the game will end. Players may process garbage by setting fire to burnable items, some garbage will decompose when placed near the correct substances, and lighter or fragile objects (a television, for example) may be smashed by heavier ones (a bowling ball). The stream of garbage will continue to drop into the trash can until either the player successfully compacts a certain quantity of items or the trash can is filled to overflowing
Items of garbage in the game start off small, with things like pencils, pens, staplers, erasers, and other office trash. As the trash items gradually become larger (eventually becoming space stations, comets, meteors, and the like), the trash can becomes larger to compensate, eventually coming to sit on top of Planet Earth itself In addition to normal trash items, at the end of every level is a larger 'boss' item that must be compacted, and every so often a special piece of trash will fall that must not be compacted (items which are assumed to have been thrown out by mistake, jewelry for example). If the special trash is destroyed on accident, the player's Ego score will be penalized, and 'penalty trash' consisting of yellow balls will be released into the trash can to fill space more quickly.
The scoring system is divided into two categories depending on how the player chooses to dispose of or compact their garbage to progress through the stage: Eco (Ecological) versus Ego (Egotistical). If the player groups together biodegradable items so that they decompose naturally and smashes much of their garbage into smaller, more compact pieces, their Eco rating will rise. Should the player choose to burn much of their garbage, however, their Ego rating will rise instead. The player's score does not directly affect game progress—so long as the trash is compacted sufficiently, the game will continue regardless of Ego or Eco rating—but higher overall Eco ratings will help to unlock extra levels and modes.
Main Mode
The player will progress through a series of six stages, each increasing in difficulty.
Unlimited Mode
The player will attempt to compact garbage for as long as possible until their trash can finally overflows
Versus Mode
Two players may battle one another or one player may battle the CPU in a splitscreen version of the game.
Mission Mode
The player must fulfill a variety of "waste management" missions.[9]
Online Features
Online leaderboards and trophy support will be available for both single player and multiplayer high scores via the PlayStation Network. In addition, players will also have the option to upload up to 10 minutes of a gaming session to YouTube.
The Good
- Innovative concept
- Challenging difficulty
- Addictive gameplay.
The Bad
- Frustrating rubbish glitches
- No save function
- Trial and error will be off-putting for some.
You have to treat garbage with the utmost respect in Trash Panic. This unique puzzle game will throw plenty of detritus at you, and you'll have to carefully consider each piece to gauge what effect it will have on your trash can's compactness as you try to cram as much junk in there as humanly possible. You'll feel a real sense of achievement as you clear seemingly insurmountable amounts of garbage, although this reward will come only with patience, skill, and careful planning. This makes the game's occasional level-wrecking physics quirks even more galling when they happen, and will probably cause some players to abandon the game out of sheer frustration. But those who stick with Trash Panic will find it a challenging and addictive experience, and though it doesn't have the long-term appeal of the giants in the puzzle genre, it still ranks as one of the better mind-benders available on the PlayStation Network.
Tetris may be the most oft-compared game to Trash Panic, but the similarities begin and end at the two games' rectangular play fields. There are no lines to clear or gems to match here; instead, you're given a set amount of garbage, and it's up to you to fit all of the steadily falling junk into a trash can. Most of the time, you'll do this by breaking and compacting garbage, with each piece having its own unique physical properties. For example, if you smash a light bulb, it will easily break into pieces, but harder items such as computers, rocks, and even entire mountains will take several hits from other tough objects before they crack. Other items such as mattresses, erasers, and clouds don't break at all and will have to be carefully managed to take up the least amount of space. If three objects fall out of your can, it's game over. The sheer variety of junk that you'll come across in Trash Panic is impressive, with the items getting larger in every level of the game. By the time you reach the secret sixth stage, your garbage can literally covers most of the northern hemisphere of the globe. You'll start off with common office and household items such as pens, lighters, and ovens; move up to larger items such as cars and barrels; and eventually tackle behemoths such as buildings, entire dams, giant squids, and even orbiting space stations.
Occasionally, firelit objects, explosives, or special decomposition balls will appear, letting you more quickly dispose of broken trash. These are--for the most part--rare occurrences, and you'll need to plan for them to maximize their destructive capabilities. For example, decomposition balls need plenty of water to operate, so you'll need to make sure you break enough water-bearing objects by the time the ball arrives, as well as have a clear path for the ball to reach water. Fire is also extremely useful, but you'll need accelerants such as flammable objects or even oil to make sure that the fire spreads and destroys as much as possible.
When you do get a fire going, holding down the L2 button on the controller will close your trash can's lid, allowing the heat to rise and the fire to spread (although closing the lid for too long will deprive the can of oxygen and consequently douse any bonfires that you may have lit). The rest of Trash Panic's controls are similarly simple. As garbage falls into your can, you can position it left or right, rotate it with the X or circle button, and press the triangle to cause it to slam down hard. If your garbage pile is filled with gaps, a quick waggle of the controller will shake the trash, hopefully closing up any pesky holes.
Although the controls are simple, you'll have to come up with some pretty complex strategies to get past Trash Panic's levels, and the game is at its most compelling here. Dropping in items without forethought will simply not do; you'll need to have an object-by-object plan to succeed. In fact, in the game's later stages, one misplaced object or unbroken piece of trash can result in disaster, making an entire level a failure. For instance, in Trash Panic's sixth level, a fiery comet will appear only once. If you fail to create a clear path to something flammable when this comet comes, your sole chance of clearing the level goes up in smoke.
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