Stretch Panic

"An Incomplete Masterpiece"

I had passed through many a game and department store. Every now and again, this low-priced, forgotten game would catch my eye. Finally, like a cat staring at a sparrow outside of the window, curiosity got the best of me and I purchased the game. The concept of using a scarf to stretch your oponents was very original and I was anxious to see what the game would be like. Sadly, after experiencing the game, my hopes and dreams lay shattered and strewn across the living room floor. Here's why:

Storyline 8/10
The storyline was very unique. It involved Linda, a small girl and her twelve conceited, older sisters. Through a mysterious and unfortunate string of events, Linda's twelve sisters and her scarf, an item given to her by her father, are posessed by demons of vanity. They all turn into these obscure visions of their own ideal beauty. Linda's scarf gains the miraculous ability to stretch anything it touches. With this, she sets off on a mission to save her sisters.
I particularly liked how each sister had a very in-depth description of themselves and why they were turned into these twisted forms of beauty, a reflection of their inner selves.

Gameplay 3/10
Here is where Stretch Panic takes a tragic dive into the game graveyard. You are immediately thrown into this black and white building called "The Museum of Agony" with absolutely no idea what to do. You're just there. There's no tutorial on how to play the game. There's no instructions. You aren't even informed as to how to enter the doors in the room. Hoping you've got access to the instruction manual, you'll learn what you have to do. I felt an overwhelming amount of potential with the gameplay, but most of it was severely neglected. The possibilities were truly endless yet playing the game, you felt strongly inhibited by the controls. Linda moves sluggishly and tends to drift slightly after every stop almost as if she's constantly on ice. The scarf is difficult to manipulate and control. Targeting an enemies weak point is easy, but getting the scarf to latch on to that weak spot (especially on some of your more... well endowed enemies) can be tedious at best.

Graphics 10/10
While they aren't state of the art, they're really good. I enjoyed the very rounded and basic shapes that most of the characters had. The Museum of Agony was very impressive and I liked the idea of a monochrome, sketched world with just one or two objects in color, making them stand out. The color scheme was bright and vibrant. It was easily one of my favorite parts of the game.

Replayability? None
There's no real depth to the game other than the Museum of Agony, the EX rooms, and the boss battles. There aren't even real stages. The bosses are the focal point of the game. I'd buy it as something to keep that's odd and fun in short spurts, but other than that, i'd avoid it.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 04/17/06