Console Corner: Pang Adventures Nintendo Switch review

Iconic Pang is back with a bang.
Pang is back and it is more addictive (and harder) than everPang is back and it is more addictive (and harder) than ever
Pang is back and it is more addictive (and harder) than ever

No game has done more for the action puzzle genre than one its founding fathers Pang.

Anyone growing up in the 80s and 90s will remember the harpoon bubble popping addictiveness of this zany video game.

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It was so simple and all-consumingly addictive it become an international hit.

Pang is back and it is more addictive (and harder) than everPang is back and it is more addictive (and harder) than ever
Pang is back and it is more addictive (and harder) than ever

Also known in other regions and guises as Buster Bros and Pomping world you have to fire your vertical harpoons to pop the bubbles which get incrementally smaller but follow different trajectories just to make things maddeningly fun.

Now 30 years on it feels like destiny fulfilled that Pang Adventures has been brought to the new generation on the fantastic Nintendo Switch.

Anyone familiar with the original will feel instant nostalgic gratification when loading up Pang.

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There are three modes namely Tour, Panic and Score Attack - the latter of which unlocks when you finish Tour.

And this is the best place to start as it is essentially the game’s single player campaign and therefore the best way to either re-familiarise yourself with things or get to know this genius video game.

In Tour you travel the world - even to Scotland - clearing stages, and defeating bosses from the invading Alien threat.

It is great fun and I don’t know if it is just me or by design but it feels SO much more difficult than I remember, but in a good way so that when you do complete a particularly challenging level it is hugely satisfying.

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Panic mode sees you taking on 99 levels and a huge influx of bubbles with limited lives and the speed and quantity of bubbles increasing as you go.

Score Attack is reserved for Pang-loving mad hatters who think they can clear Tour mode with just three lives and no continues! Safe to say I tried four or five times and it is not happening (for me anyway!).

There is obviously a lot of repetition in this simple concept but there are plenty of power-ups and boost items to collect to keep things interesting.

The crowning achievement of Pang Adventures, though, is found in two player.

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This is where the Switch comes into its own divvying up the Joy Cons to have a blast. Not only does it seem to make things a lot easier but also introduces tactics into this iconic puzzler.

At just £8.99 from the Nintendo store this is one of the biggest bargains going and is tailor made for enjoyment on the Switch.