HOT and EXCLUSIVE Preview: ‘PandaManda’ – Accelerometer controlled 3D Game

Accelerometer technology amazes users of latest Nseries devices all around the world. The complete new intuitive and simple kind of controlling an application is one of the latest breakthroughs in the Symbian world.

We have seen so many interesting concepts by developers like Samir or Tong Reng who had a simple idea behind all their applications: they facilitated the control of ordinary functions for which you would normally need a lot of key presses and trudge through different menus, by executing them with a certain movement which is detected by the accelerometer previously.

However, we haven’t seen many interesting game concepts using the useful possibility to use motion input as controlling option. OK, actually we can control every game more or less with movements by using “Nokmote” or “RockNScroll”, but only a limited number of these games has a control concept that fits to the idea of motion input and is so very hardly to control.

Apart from very simple games, there were only two exceptions whose control was geared to using accelerometer technology: the beginning made “Mirage Money” with a nice 3D engine and intuitive motion control. Following was “MosKillTo”, developed by Sittihpol Phanvilai, a great 3D shooter just controlled through movements.

However, both games are still in development and offered admittedly a nice concept, but with very few game varying possibilities so that it was fun to play them a few times, but not more.

So I am happy to introduce you a game which is in my opinion the very first “complete” accelerometer supporting game controlled through motion input.

Bubble Games, a company which is specified in developing high quality games for S60 devices, has kindly provided me as the only blogger in the world their latest project.

“PandaManda” is an amazing game which units perfect level design, cute characters, revolutionary control and amazing 3D graphics.

Thanks to Bubble Games for this extraordinary opportunity to present you exclusively as the world’s first blogger how the developers succeeded in creating a very nice game which is controlled through motion input.

Game Principle

“PandaManda” focuses on a simply kept gaming principle which is however on the one hand anyhow great fun and on the other hand easily accessible for gaming newbies, also thanks to the intuitive accelerometer control which I will explain more exactly below.

The main character of the game is the little cute Panda Manda which you control through 22 linearly proceeding, varying levels. Controlled through movements what is also explained below, Panda Manda has to find the confusing way out of the dangerous world he is trapped in, by collecting enough items like coins and diamonds in a certain time in each level, leading through grassland, forest, ice and dessert.

However, Panda Manda’s journey through the levels is a dangerous one: firstly he must watch out not to fall off the curvy and narrow paths and secondly this is aggravated by wasps which will try to push Panda off the path.

To continue entertaining users who make it to succeed in all the 22 levels despite the dangers that are waiting for Panda Manda, the developers have thought of further great game options.

They offer a full map editor to create your own levels which can be uploaded to share them with your friends. The other way round, you can also download maps created by other users and play them offside the normal game mode as a single level.

The innovative community feature offers also highscore list to compete with other players in who is the best in leading Panda Manda through the dangerous world.

As you can see, “Panda Manda” is in contrast to the other accelerometer supporting games a real package of levels and features. In the following parts of my article, I want to depress the basic impression of “PandaManda” that I have given you now.

“The Quest”

Let’s start with the main mode of “PandaManda”, the “Quest” mode.

extracted from screenshots, click to enlarge

After you confirmation to start the journey with the cute panda, you will see the lovely drawn outline map of “Panda Manda” which shows the whole world which the little main character must stand adventures in. The path panda walks which snakes its way through four different parts –  grassland, ice, dessert and the forest - consists of regular appearing levels.

The player starts at the position bottom left where he has to pass the first level (normally there would all be locks, but I already solved the first levels). The order of levels cannot be selected by the user, levels are unlocked after the previous one has been solved. However, you needn’t play always the latest one, also already solved one can be replayed.

Now let’s come to the proper gaming part of the game, the levels, of course one of the most interesting parts.

Matching to the cute style of the game, panda doesn’t move along the world by feet but with a little tricycle.

After the countdown at the beginning of each level has terminated, the player can start to discover the level.

I won’t tell in detail how the control works, that will be explained below. I just say so much: you don’t need to press any key in a level, tilting your phone in directions will move Panda Manda.

The goal of every level is to collect the number of diamonds that is displayed at the top of the display. It’s not easy to find them, because they are located and totally different, unknown places of a level.

Not only diamonds can be collected, also some golden coins are scattered in the level. In contrast to the diamonds, they don’t play a role referred to finish a level. A high number of collected coins at the end of a level however will raise your highscore.

The difficulty of the game are the narrow paths that Panda Manda has to use with his tricycle: it can easily happen that you drive too fast with the little bear and he will fall off into the deep.

Top left, the number of lives that Panda Manda has is displayed. Every time he falls off the path, one live will be discounted.

As long as you still have lives, you will be able to restart at the place where the panda has fallen off.

If you wasted all the valuable lives of the cute bear, the game is over.

However, you can easily restart the level with the full number of lives again, the panda must start from the beginning again though.

In later levels, the enemies of the cute panda will appear. Nasty wasps will try to push the panda of his path.

I can tell you that they are really evil creatures and make the game at some points indeed difficult. Because of the rising number of wasps from level to level, the game becomes harder and harder.

The way is also often narrowed by trees, rocks, ice or other things which developers added to create a varying environment.

To raise your number of lives again, there are also little ”Panda live” items hidden in a level and often protected by a wasp. 

In case you made it to find all the diamonds despite all the dangers, the panda must finally look for a gate which is also hidden at a certain place. Entering through the gate, the level has been successfully finished.

A windows showing the statistics of how you solved the level will be shown then: Apart from the coins that I have already mentioned, you will get a time bonus for remaining minutes or seconds and also the remaining lives that the panda has at the end of the level.

Then the lock from the next level will vanish and you can continue to play.

Panda’s way leads him as I have said through four different parts.

- Grassland levels:

- Ice levels:

- Dessert levels (sorry not played yet)

- Forest levels (sorry not played yet)

However, all the levels are built up very similar and fastidious players may demand for alternation. Also I was a little bit disappointed when I nearly had the feeling to play the same level from level 1-5.
Well, it’s not that heavy and of course it always depends on which standards you demand on a mobile game. I would be happy if some games would have the varying level design of “PandaManda” after all, but because it does already reach such a high level, I think I can claim a little bit more.

Anyway, although levels seem to be similar apart from the different scenarios, it’s every time a new challenge to solve them because of the different way labyrinths and positions of the items and enemies and I can tell you that it’s great fun!

Apart from this issue, it’s such a great fun to move the panda along with his cute tricycle, to let him collect items, to mess around the nasty wasps and finally enter the gate, all done through the amazing motion input control that I want to explain a little bit further now.

All the levels are designed with a cute 3D engine which looks really sweet. Although it suffers also the problem of low-polygon objects, the quality is totally enough for this kind of game and the detailed environment will make you forget the sometimes cornered items.

I have played half the game and I don’t want to stop. Although the first levels were very easy to solve without any dangerous wasps, I now need for the later levels often many attempts to finish them successfully.

Against my first impression, the game is a real challenge.

All in all I can say that the developers did it to deliver a cool and relaxed gaming atmosphere which is propped by nice music, including some rushes of adrenalin when suddenly a few wasps are precipitating on Panda Manda.

Control

As I said at the beginning, the best thing of the whole game is the accelerometer based control. The little panda is controlled by tilts of your phone in the corresponding direction:

The speed how fast Panda Manda cycles depends on the angle you hold your phone: The more you tilt it, the faster the panda will drive.

Every level can be played without any key press what is possible because of the easy game concept which consists only of moving the panda through the level so that there are no further complicated actions which would require keys.

The sensitivity of the control is perfectly balanced. Panda Manda reacts immediately on every little turn and twist of your phone so that you can choose the speed and direction very precisely.

Great is also that the developers used the motion control as a real game element. Controlling the panda through the paths would have been much easier with just the direction keys, but the more difficultly to control accelerometer control makes every level a real challenge.
Especially when you must escape from three wasps which are flying behind you and you have to make the panda drive very fast, it’s very hard to take a curve without falling off the track.

The motion control is for sure the real fascinating part of the game that makes me want to play and play one level after the other.

However, motion control is still not perfect, because players suffer the same problem which they had with the first release of “Nokmote”: you must always hold your phone horizontally and can’t set your own original position what makes gaming in a comfortable position impossible.

The developers are however already thinking to add this feature what will make the whole accelerometer control perfect!

Also nice is that the player isn’t deranged by difficult menu control through movements: everything apart from the proper level is controlled with your keypad like the menus or the outline map. Great!

Video

Map Editor

The simply built up levels offer a great opportunity to let the player create their own ones and that’s why the developers thought of. They implemented a simple to control map editor which lets also beginners create a complex level similar to the default ones.

You can:

- create every available item at any place in the level:

- diamonds

- panda lives

- coins

- wasps

- trees

- dead trees

- rocks

- Delete created objects:

If you have made a mistake and want to remove or change the position of an object, you can delete it again.

- Select the startup position:

Panda Manda’s position at the beginning of a level can manually be set.

- Select the gate position:

The position of the gate which will end the level can be set as well.

- Change the ground:

It would look boring if the whole ground was just grass so that you can change the colour.

Furthermore, you can open an existing map, save your map or create a new one.

Important are also the level options: you can enter the desired name of your map…

… the time in which the player must find all diamonds and enter the gate…

… and whether you want a “Grass”, “Ice” or “Dessert” level.

With this options you can create your very own level, matching to your desired difficulty and style. I didn’t create a whole map yet, but the available options provide perfect conditions to do wonderful creations which can even compete with the default level maps.

The created games can then be launched through the “Play Map” feature.

Community

The developers had the same thoughts that Nokia had with the N-Gage arena: to come in touch with other players through the game.

“Panda Manda” offers various community options:

The first feature is the to share your highscores with other players. All the points from all the levels you play together will be uploaded and put into the ranking.
OK, I am far away from the top, but I guess at least one of the other guys is one of the developers and also I have been playing the game only since yesterday.

A very cool feature is the upload and download feature for maps which gives players the possibility to share their maps through the server with other people.

Maps can be easily selected from a list and can even be rated. The downloaded levels can then be launched through the “Play Map” feature.

And of course related with the download feature, you can upload your maps which you have created with the editor.

Very cool! As I said, “Panda Manda” full packed with features and the idea of connecting players through game with a lot of different possibilities is really cool.

Conclusion

First of all sorry if I missed an important part of the game, but I have written this review in a lot of hours without a break. And please forgive me if some parts of this review sound strange, I am at zero, I nearly didn’t sleep…

The hours I have played “PandaManda” weren’t enough to play it through,  but I think I have a blanket impression of the game and I hope I could give you also an idea of what the game is about.

I really love “PandaManda”, it’s one of the best games I have every played on my N95 and is even better than many N-Gage games.

Especially the great motion control provides a great gaming experience what will hopefully be a sign for other developers to create more games with accelerometer control which are more complex than the ones we have seen yet.

I really liked the atmosphere BubbleGames created through the cute graphics, cool sounds, detailed levels and above all the sweeet panda. I nearly had to cry when the wasps knocked my little bear and he fell screaming off the track (OK, not really lol =)).

All in all, “PandaManda” is great fun and you should definitely give this exceptional work a try.

The low price of only 7 € is absolutely worth it and I highly recommend users of the N82, N95 and N95 8GB to head over to the BubbleGames site and spend the little money on this great game.

Well done, Bubble Games!