Parcel Panic review for iPhone and iPod Touch

Price: $.99

Publisher: Mad Processor

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Parcel Panic is an iPhone/iPod Touch driving game where you must maneuver to checkpoints picking up and dropping off boxes. If it sounds a lot like being a UPS/Fed Ex driver, you wouldn’t be too far off.  The more boxes you delivery safely the more points you get, but you have to be careful because a bumpy ride means some boxes will fall out, causing you to lose points. The levels are timed, with additional time added when you make it to a checkpoint.

The controls in Parcel Panic are similar to other driving games. The gas and brake pedals are on the bottom corners of the screen and tilting your device either left or right turns the truck. The turning seems a little unresponsive and during hard turns my iPhone was almost upside down. The gas and brake pedals work wonderful and you do really notice a difference in performance on the upgraded trucks (a new one is unlocked with every level completed).  It is worth mentioning that I did have a bug during one of my play sessions.  I flipped my truck over and could not find a way to get it back on its wheels forcing me to restart the level.  It was annoying but didn’t happen again.

One of the coolest parts of this game is the 2D map of the island you can use as you are driving around. You are totally free to pick whatever path you would like on your way to your next delivery (there is a green line guiding you, but you don't have to follow it).  With that said the quality of the graphics leaves something to be desired.  They aren’t horrible, but if they would have been upgraded a bit, this game would have gone to the next level. The audio and sound FX are comical in a good way; from the puttering of the engine to birds tweeting in the background to the "Oh Yeah!" when you make a successful drop off, the game’s sound is light and cheerful. The game music can get a bit repetitive but not so bad you want to turn it off.

At first this game seemed somewhat shallow, but after playing for 15 minutes the game opens up and definitely is fun. Once you get the hang of the game you can try fun ways to save time on your delivery like jumping off cliffs and trying short cuts. Overall, Parcel Panic is worth the $0.99. The multiple levels each have a fair amount replay value and most importantly the game is challenging and keeps you coming back.

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