Game Classification

Trash Panic SCEJ, Sony Online Entertainment Inc., 2009  

Informations Analyses Serious Gaming
 

Classification

VIDEO GAME

Keywords

Market

This title is used by the following domains:
  • Entertainment

Audience

This title targets the following audience:
Age : 12 to 16 years old / 17 to 25 years old
General Public

Gameplay

The gameplay of this title is Game-based
(designed with stated goals)

The core of gameplay is defined by the rules below:

Similar games


In Trash Panic, the main goal of the game is to clear six stages from a variety of trash. The trash itself is constantly being moved on a suspended conveyor belt. This conveyor belt eventually leads the trash to hang over a gigantic trash can. Now it's up to the player to throw all this trash into the trash can, but the player has to be careful not to overfill the trash can or it's game over.

The trash itself varies in size and shape, plus have other properties such as being flammable or decomposable. Also, heavier items can crush and compact the lighter and more fragile objects. The player also has to be careful not to compact certain pieces of thrash, like jewelery, or else penalty trash will be released which will take up available space. Near the end of each stage, the game will drop a large boss item that will have to be compacted within a certain amount of time, or else more penalty trash will fall to fill in the trash can.

An important gameplay mechanic is learning to control fire. Since the trash can be burned, players can slam the lid of the trash can shut while the fire is inside setting things ablaze. This will cause the temperature to rise burning even the more fire resistant items. Of course, this will lower the oxygen meter which will eventually put the fire out if it drops too low. So the player has to try to balance the rise of the heat with the lid closed against the chances of the dropping oxygen levels extinguishing the fire. The player also has to be on the lookout for trash that contains water, as that will obviously have a negative effect on the fire also.

The game keeps track of the player's Eco and Ego score which get affected by the way the player deals with the trash. Decomposing and compacting trash naturally will increase the Eco score, while burning the trash will increase the Ego score. Keeping the Eco score high is important because it will unlock extra levels and modes.

The game modes included are the main six stage mode, an unlimited mode where the trash will keep coming indefinitely, and a mission mode where players are tasked with fulfilling a number of waste management missions such as having to ring a large bell 100 times or play with a smaller trash can than usual. There is also a 2 player versus mode. The game also comes with three difficulty levels to choose from. [source:mobygames]

Distribution : Retail - Commercial
Platform(s) : Playstation 3 (PS3)

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