Pandemonium

Developer - Crystal Dynamics
Publisher - BMG
Players - 1
Extras - None

The bit on the box

"The fastest 3D character action game! Moving 3D camera showcases the huge, highly detailed 3D worlds."

Graphics

Pandemonium was my first venture into the world of "3D" platformers, and I must say my first experience was a decent one. The graphics are bright and detailed, and even though it is not true 3D, it gives a good feel of it. The moving camera generally gives the best view of the action, and thankfully doesn't shift in mid jump (One was guilty of this), though it can still make you feel a bit giddy if you are not used to this sort of thing. Though Crash Bandicoot is a good platformer in it's own right, alot of people, including myself, found the graphics in Pandemonium more appealing, perhaps because of the more side-on view, which of course feels more natural for a platform game.

Sounds

It appears that Crystal Dynamics put so much work into the graphics, that the sound effects and music took a back seat in the development process.There isn't anything astonishing about the sound effects, they resemble the effects used in countless other platform games, although they have sneaked in some more comical noises (like the enemies that lope along saying "duh, duh"). The music is an unusual mix, sounding a little like modernised folk music, and while some of it is catchy it is basically used to cover up any annoying reptition from the effects, and so serves more of a functional use than a cosmetic one.

Gameplay

Even though Pandemonium looks on the surface to be a 3D game, the control and style of play is the basic old style platform formula. The player moves the character left and right, presses a button to jump and another to do some attacking special move which can be different depending which of the two characters you chose. You can also swap characters between levels, in case you find one easier to use in a particular stage than the other. When a level is completed it can be replayed at any time, so the player can backtrack to collect more extra lives if they need them, which can be accomplished by finding an ankh, or by collecting a certain amount of gems. If enough gems are collected you can also get access to one of two bonus levels, in which more lives can be won. Some levels allow the character to morph into an animal of some kind, but this doesn't offer that much in the way of gameplay differences (except for the Dragon, which flies through it's stages).

I feel a verdict coming on

Pandemonium's main fault is it's level of difficulty. With 18 levels on offer you are led to believe there is alot of gametime here, but unfortunately the game is far too easy, I guess to appeal to the younger player. This is a pity because this title has enough in it to appeal to all and sundry, as the gameplay is good (although platform jumping can be a little pixel-perfect) and it isn't overly cute (in fact some monsters look ugly). I personally had fun playing it, though a couple of levels caused extreme frustration because of seemingly random events (like flying fish or gusts of wind). Whether other people will like Pandemonium is another matter, and I would reccomend trying before you buy. All in all, an average platformer with good graphics.

Review by D.R.T.Barrett