Nitrome Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Mobile
Roller Polar Platform Panic Gunbrick (mobile)


Browser
Roller Polar Platform Panic Fluffball

Platform Panic is an endless platform game released on iOS, Android, and browser on December 17, 2014 with an Amazon App Store release on January 29, 2015. The player controls a character navigating through an infinite platform stage.

A major update to the game that would give each character a special ability was released on January 28, 2015, with a second update released on May 14 2015[1] that introduced new backgrounds and traps to the game.[2]

Controls[]

  • Swipe left/right (mobile)/Left and Right (browser) - move left/right
  • Swipe upwards (mobile)/Up (browser) - jump
  • Spoiler
    Swipe down (mobile)/Down (browser) - Teleport (Awesome Ninja)
  • Spoiler
    Swipe upwards twice (mobile)/Uptwice (browser) - double jump (Spacegirl?)

Gameplay[]

Platform Panic is a platforming game where the player navigates their player character through an infinite platforming stage. The player is scored based on how many rooms they clear. Each room has an exit that leads to another room, though some have two exits instead of one. Most rooms have coins in them that can be collected and spent to unlock other characters.

A break from previous Nitrome endless games, in Platform Panic every time the player dies they are given the chance to retain their score and try the room again either by paying a certain amount of coins to watch an advertisement (the amount of coins varies, ranging from 5-29) or buying a continue for a certain amount of coins. The starting price is fifteen coins, though it doubles for every subsequent restart again after previously using a restart during the same game.

Level design[]

Main article: Platform Panic/Rooms

Characters[]

Player can unlock various characters to play with by unlocking them with coins found during while playing.

In app purchases[]

The game contains an in app purchase that allows players to remove ads, and also three coin related in app purchases.

Price: CDN ($) US ($) GBP (£) EUR (€)
No ads $1.55 $1.55 £1.05 1,24€
250 coins $1.08 $1.08 £0.73 0,87€
1000 coins $2.94 $2.34 £1.59 1,88€
5000 coins $9.85 $7.85 £5.32 6,29€

Announcements[]

55?cb=20120317190109 Incomplete section

This section is incomplete. You can help by adding the missing info.

  • December 2 2014 - The game's trailer was released.
  • December 12 2014 - A Vine of the game was released
  • March 20 2014 - Information is revealed about the game's second major update and a screenshot is shared.

Trailers[]

Versions[]

Release version[]

This version is labelled 1.0.7 in Android and 1.0.2 on iOS, and is the release version of the game.

Android version update 1[]

This version is labelled 1.0.8 and fixed some bugs along with a bug with the game's achievements that caused the "collect 5 coins in a room" achievement not to work properly.

Android version update 2[]

This version was released on January 6 2015 and is labelled 1.0.9. This updates fixes minor bugs.

Update 1[]

This version, labelled 1.2 on Android and 1.1.1 on iOS, adds a special upgrade to each character that can be purchased with coins. Along with this, the Android version also fixes a crash bug.

The Amazon App Store version is labelled 1.1.1 and contains the contents of the upgrades version and all previous versions.

Fourth Android update[]

Labelled as version 1.2.1 and released on March 23 2015, this update fixes bugs, along with fixing an event that crashed the game.

Update 2[]

This update was released on May 13th 2015 for iOS and Android, labelled as Version 1.2.2 on iOS and 1.3.0 on Android. This update is the second major content update to Platform Panic, adding the hazards spikewheels, crushers, lasers, the pipe interactive object, drill tanks, new rooms and background art, and new achievements.

This update also adds a function to the game that records which rooms the player has completed. Along with this, the first time the player dies they can continue either by buying one with coins or watching a video advertisement. Some old rooms that were present before the update were changed to make them harder.

Version update 1[]

Released on May 13 2015 for both iOS and Android and labelled 1.2.2 on iOS and 1.3.0 on Android, this version makes a change in the game, although this is not specified in the update's description as it is a copy of Update 2's description.

Development[]

Each character having a special ability was a feature Nitrome wanted to implement into the game's initial release, though they were unable to due to time constraints. Despite this they did say this feature may be added in a future update if the game is popular,[3] an update that later came about on January 28, 2015.

The subsequent release of Platform Panic on the Amazon App Store was used to test the viability of porting further free games with advertisements to the said store.[4] Nitrome began working on the game's second update, development having been started by March 13 2015[5].

The game's second update was revealed on March 20 2015, this update planning to bring new backgrounds, hazards, enemies, and levels.[2][6] By April 29 2015 the update had been submitted to all the app stores the game was on[7] and by May 5 2015 approved by all of them[8][9], with a planned release of May 14 2015[1].

Influences[]

Platform Panic's retro theme influenced much of the art and characters of the game.

Characters[]

Many of the characters appear to be references to various video game characters, though some may be based on more than one characters[10]. These references are:

Backgrounds[]

The testing facility background has a series of clouds, ! boxes and hills (complete with eyes) painted onto it. All of these set pieces are common scenery in the Super Mario Bros series.

One of the jungle backgrounds has two colored squares, sunflowers and palm tree with lantern. These set pieces are common scenery in Green Hill zone from Sonic the Hedgehog.

One of the jungle backgrounds has a Metroid from the Metroid series.

One of the jungle backgrounds has a pipe with a Piranha Plant from the Super Mario Bros. series.

One of the jungle backgrounds has a handheld console which looks like a Game Gear.

Gameplay elements[]

Pipes are a reference to Warp Pipes from the Super Mario Bros. series.

Glitches[]

  • If the player as Plumber jumps into a pipe, there is a chance that upon entering the next room, Plumber will not appear inside that room.
  • If the game freezes and the player keeps pressing the jump button, it is possible to get an enormous amount of points.
  • Rarely, if player jumps when entering a room and dies by jumping into a spiked ceiling, the counter will sometimes not count the player entering the room.
  • When the game is paused, the player can swipe up, left or right and when the game continues, the character will perform the commands given while the game is paused.
  • If player is close to the edge of a platform and falls, they are able to jump from there.

Infinite Void Room (Out of Bounds)[]

There is a way to glitch out of bounds using vertical pipes. The player has to use either Spacegirl? with the Double Jump ability or Radd Bradd with Wall jump ability unlocked, and find a room in which pipes on the floor connect to pipes on the ceiling directly above, but without any Spikewheels in them. If the player uses the double' or wall jump when entering the bottom pipe (Radd Bradd must be on the pipe next to wall), right as they about to get teleported at the top, they will glitch out of the room. The game won't load any other rooms, as the player isn't intended to leave a room that way. Spacegirl? will end up in an empty void, constantly falling. Every time the player reaches a side of the room, they will be teleported on the other side, like if they went from one room to another, and their score will increase by one. Since the void room contains no hazard or enemies, it is possible to reach a virtually infinite score using that glitch. To end the glitch (and register their score), the player has to try to leave the room from the left or the right side. Another room will then be loaded for a few frames. Spacegirl? can then interact with anything they collide with in this room, including hazards. Hitting a hazard or enemy this way is the only way to end the glitch without closing the game. The setup required to perform this glitch is very specific, as the pipe the player needs to use has to be on either ends of the room vertically, and has to be free of any hazard. If there is a Spikewheel in the pipe, the Spacegirl? will die when performing the glitch. If the pipe isn't directly vertical, or if both ends of it aren't on the top/bottom of the room, the game will load another room but the player won't be in it, resulting in a soft lock.

  • On the mobile version, the game will start to occasionally lag when reaching a score of 900, and will crash soon after, at about 930 points.
  • The sound of the character select room can still be heard even when all sounds are muted.

Reception[]

Porting[]

Prior to porting, Nitrome showed interest in porting Platform Panic to the Amazon App Store and also are interested in porting the game to Windows Phone.[12]

Awards[]

Site/Event Year Contest Prize Outcome
Pocket Gamer 2015 Pocket Gamer Awards 2015 Best Action/Arcade Game Won[13]

Promotions[]

On March 20 2015 Platform Panic was selected by Apple for their Indie Game Showcase. [14]

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Touch Arcade: 'Platform Panic' from Nitrome Getting New Levels Next Week, 5 May 15, retrieved 5 May 15.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Game Developer's Blog - Nitrome: Platform Panic - Update 2!, 20 Mar 15, retrieved 20 Mar 15.
  3. Comment by TinyCastleGuy: I do have one thought though: what if each character had a different ability?

    Game Developer's Blog - Nitrome: Platform Panic - OUT NOW! → comment by Nitrome: We wanted to do it but didn't have time. Maybe for an update if it goes well enough, 20 Dec 14, retrieved 20 Dec 14.
  4. Game Developer's Blog - Nitrome: Platform Panic: Availible on Amazon!: We haven't started making them [Roller Polar and Endless Doves ports] and we might change our mind....lets see how Platform Panic goes down., 29 Jan 15, retrieved 29 Jan 15.
  5. Nitrome on Twitter: [1]: ...plus two game updates [Magic Touch Wizard for Hire's update and the Platform Panic one] in dev., 13 Mar 15, retrieved 20 Mar 15.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Jonnathon Annal on Twitter: [2]: We are doing a BIG update to #PlatformPanic with new traps, enemies, levels and bg's., 20 Mar 15, retrieved 20 Mar 15.
  7. Nitrome on Twitter: [3]: it's [Platform Panic update] been submitted..., 29 Apr 15, retrieved 29 Apr 15.
  8. Nitrome on Twitter: [4]: I sent promo codes for our next releases [Cooped Up and Platform Panic Update 2] if you want to check them out !, 5 May 15, retrieved 5 May 15.
  9. ': Cooped Up - Out Tomorrow! → comment by Nitrome: Yes The Platform Panic update which should follow soon after Cooped Up., 5 May 15, retrieved 5 May 15.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Game Developer's Blog - Nitrome: More Gunbrick! → comment by Nitrome: Mr smooth is based on a number of charcaters [sic]. Prince of Persia, flashback/another world, Canabalt. You see the characters in platform panic don't always homage a single character. For instance, Rosey cheeks boy could be seen as the taito characters of the ameiga [sic] age (bubble bobble, rainbow islands, liquid kids) or kirby even. Used to be a dragon is referencing bubble bobble though. ;), 23 Dec 14, retrieved 23 Dec 14.
  11. Game Developer's Blog - Nitrome: More Gunbrick! → comment by Nitrome: Clive Sinclair was the inventor of the pocket cculator [sic] and the Spectrum. But the sprite being a spectrum [sic] based one is like Colin the cleaner, Chucky egg or VVVVVV, 24 Dec 14, retrieved 24 Dec 14.
  12. Game Developer's Blog - Nitrome: Platform Panic is out next week! → comment by Nitrome: We would like to test [Platform Panic] on Amazon and windows to see if anybody will download it., 12 Dec 14, retrieved 12 Dec 14.
  13. Game Developer's Blog - Nitrome: Pocket Gamer 2015 Winner!, 3 Mar 15, retrieved 4 Mar 15.
  14. Game Developer's Blog - Nitrome: Platform Panic is the Indie Game Showcase pick!, 20 Mar 15, retrieved 20 Mar 15.


Advertisement