Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Panic! unfolds more like an interactive animated feature than a traditional video game, inviting you to guide Slap the Boy and Stick the Dog through a series of branching cutscenes and button prompts. Rather than offering complex control schemes or sprawling environments to explore, the title focuses on timing-based interactions—hit the right sequence of inputs to dodge danger, hack corrupted nodes, or trigger humorous side events that add levity to the high-stakes mission.

Despite its apparent simplicity, the gameplay is surprisingly engaging. Each decision point can lead to a unique visual gag, a brief puzzle, or an unexpected twist in the virus narrative. This structure keeps you invested in what happens next, as even small deviations in your inputs produce fresh animation sequences and dialogue exchanges. The result is a sense of agency over the story’s flow, without overwhelming you with traditional action or platforming mechanics.

Replay value is a strong suit here. With multiple choice-driven paths and secret outcomes, Panic! encourages you to revisit key chapters to uncover hidden scenes or alternative resolutions. While you won’t be grinding levels or customizing loadouts, the satisfaction comes from piecing together the full story of the global network’s collapse and witnessing every possible reaction from our hapless heroes.

Graphics

Panic! boasts a vibrant, cartoon-inspired art style that feels like stepping into a Saturday morning animation. Hand-drawn character models of Slap the Boy’s exaggerated expressions and Stick the Dog’s floppy-eared antics are rendered in crisp, fluid motion. Backgrounds range from sleek neon server rooms to sprawling cityscapes infected by the virus, all colored with bold contrasts that make corruption effects pop off the screen.

The game leverages dynamic camera angles and quick zooms to amplify dramatic moments, whether you’re planting a digital bomb or narrowly escaping a cascading firewall meltdown. Visual effects—glitch lines, flickering code rain, and pulsing red tendrils—convey the virus’s grip on the world’s networks and heighten tension during every hacking sequence. On modern hardware, frame rates remain rock-solid, ensuring each cutscene and input prompt feels snappy and responsive.

Character animation shines in the small details: Stick the Dog’s tail wags in sync with urgent button prompts, while Slap the Boy’s frantic running cycle varies subtly based on your input speed. Even the user interface adopts the game’s playful aesthetic, with pixelated warning icons and stylized progress bars that feel integrated into the cartoon world rather than tacked on as an afterthought.

Story

At its core, Panic! tells a classic tale of digital doomsday: a malevolent virus has claimed control of every electronic device on Earth, throwing civilization into chaos. To counteract the corruption, an elite anti-virus program—nicknamed “Panic!”—is deployed, embodied by two unlikely heroes. You assume the roles of Slap the Boy, a cocky teen programmer, and his loyal sidekick Stick the Dog, whose canine instincts prove surprisingly handy in navigating booby-trapped mainframes.

The narrative unfolds like a serialized cartoon, complete with cliffhanger chapter finales, rapid-fire humor, and occasional heartfelt asides about friendship and trust in an increasingly automated world. Voice-acted dialogue crackles with energy, from Slap’s cheeky quips about rotten code to Stick’s wordless barks and howls, which are surprisingly expressive. Antagonists emerge in the form of sentient viruses, each boasting a unique personality and infection pattern that requires fresh tactics to overcome.

Branching paths let you influence character relationships and determine the fate of key network hubs. Choose to rescue a stranded technician, and you’ll unlock a bonus scene that illuminates the wider impact of the virus on everyday life. Ignore that side quest, and you’ll face a tougher boss sequence later on. These narrative forks give the story weight, ensuring your button presses carry more emotional impact than mere spectacle.

Overall Experience

Panic! succeeds by marrying tight, choice-driven interactivity with a charming animated presentation. It won’t satisfy those seeking deep combat systems or open-world exploration, but as an interactive movie game, it excels at delivering comedic set-pieces, creative puzzles, and a satisfying sense of progression as you clean virus infection after infection. Every chapter feels fresh, thanks to its brisk pacing and unexpected narrative beats.

The production values are consistently high: gorgeous hand-drawn art, top-tier voice work, and a pulsing electronic soundtrack that underscores the urgency of your mission. Technical performance is rock solid, with near-instantaneous transitions between cutscenes and gameplay prompts. A handful of very minor loading pauses do little to break immersion.

Ultimately, Panic! is an ideal pick for players who enjoy story-first experiences with light interactivity and a dash of humor. If you’re intrigued by the idea of saving the world’s network one button press at a time—and don’t mind trading traditional gameplay depth for cinematic flair—you’ll find Panic! to be a delightful, binge-worthy romp from start to finish.

Retro Replay Score

6.6/10