Stretch Panic

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Stretch Panic

Developer(s)	Treasure Co. Ltd
Publisher(s)	Conspiracy Entertainment
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release date	^EU 27 July 2001 ^NA 28 August 2001 ^JP 6 December 2001
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ELSPA: 15+ ESRB: Teen
Media	CD-ROM
Input methods	Dual Shock 2

Stretch Panic (Hippa Linda in Japan, Freak Out in Europe and Oceania) is a game designed by Treasure Co. Ltd. It was their second PlayStation 2 game, after Silpheed: The Lost Planet. The game starred a young girl named Linda whose sisters have been possessed by demons. It is up to her to release the evil demons inside them.

1 Story
2 Gameplay
3 Criticism
4 External links

[edit] Story

The story stars Linda and her 13 sisters who generally pick on her. One day, a mysterious present appears on their doorstep, and upon opening it unleashes 13 demons. 12 of the demons kidnap and possess Linda's sisters, but the 13th one gets stuck in Linda's scarf. They then all get sucked into a different dimension. With full command over her newly possessed scarf, Linda tries to save her sisters.

[edit] Gameplay

The core of the gameplay involved a stretchy scarf which can be controlled and used to snap objects at will. This lets you bend the geometry of the levels, a fairly impressive use of the PS2's hardware as of the game's release in 2001. Linda is controlled by the left analogue stick, whereas the scarf is controlled with the right stick and shoulder buttons. Players can aim the scarf and set it off with the shoulder button. Once it has grabbed something, the player must move the right stick to pull the object, and then release to snap it back and damage it. Linda can also grab the ground, and then pull back and launch her across distances and heights.

There were two sets of levels: EX levels, which were platforming levels similar in concept to something like Super Mario 64 (though much simpler and cut down), and boss fights, which were the core of the game. The EX levels are notable for the lone enemy, a woman with enormous breasts, each twice as big as the rest of her body. The weak point is the head and successfully attacking that in one go earns more points. Players need at least 1 point to open doors to boss fights and 5 points to perform Smart Bomb attacks.

The game's emphasis on boss fights continues a particular Treasure fetish that was on full display in Alien Soldier and Radiant Silvergun. The bosses are named Cinder, Spinner, Siren, Miss Mecca, Anne Droid, Fay Soff, Samantha, Jelly-Chan, Demonica, Cyan, Mirage, and Spirit. Defeating them requires finding their weakpoint and attacking that with the scarf, which will either cause great damage, or leave them disabled, allowing more attacks. To fully defeat them however, the demon possessing them must be exorcised using the Smart Bomb technique, which requires a minimum of 5 points earned from EX levels. Only after successfully performing one (shown by the demon flying outside) and defeating the boss will it be truly defeated and the sister restored.

[edit] Criticism

Stretch Panic received very mixed reviews, mostly negative. GameGo! magazine featured the game on the cover of its first issue, and gave it a rave review, while Electronic Gaming monthly gave it an average socre of 4.9 out of 10. Reviewers praised its creativity but derided the simple gameplay and graphics, bland non-bosses stages, and unusual controls. The game suffered from poor sales, and quickly fell in price at retail, with Electronics Boutique selling the game for $4.99 within a year of its release.

Unlike many Treasure games, which often suffer mixed reviews, but maintain a cult status, Stretch Panic is usually considered by fans to be among Treasure's weaker efforts. Treasure's next 3D platformer, Wario World for the Nintendo GameCube, was created mostly by members of the Stretch Panic staff, and was much more commercially and critically successful.