Review Rocket Panda (Mega Drive) - A Cute And Cuddly New Addition To Your Sega Library

With its cute visuals, accessible gameplay and addictive gameplay loop, Rocket Panda is a new game for the venerable Sega Genesis / Mega Drive which has gained a fair bit of attention over the past few weeks.

Developer Space Pants Games raised a respectable $23,405 via crowdfunding to help its development, and publisher Mega Cat Studios has produced a physical version, which is available with a full-colour manual and packaging.

The core focus of the game is guiding the titular rocket-powered panda around a series of stages, collecting both badgers (a number of which are required to exit each level) and biscuits (which add to your score). While it initially feels like a multi-directional shmup, your panda lacks the ability to attack enemies with projectiles; instead, you have a limited number of dash attacks which you can use to take out foes. These are replenished by grabbing cups of tea.

There are sixty stages in the game and seven unique bosses to defeat, so there's plenty of content on offer to keep you coming back. You can also adjust the difficulty level; on the higher settings, you'll have to pick up more badgers before the level's exit opens, and taking a hit means you lose a badger – all of which forces you to be as skilled as possible when navigating the hazard-filled stages.

Rocket Panda reminds us a lot of the first James Pond game, which is no bad thing, and its visuals and audio are pleasing rather than dazzling. It's perhaps not the game that shows off what the 16-bit console is capable of, but it remains an enjoyable romp nonetheless – and one which can become increasingly challenging on the higher difficulty settings.