We’re always delighted to review new games for old consoles and our friends at Mega Cat Studios have blasted another one our way. Rocket Panda is a new Mega Drive title from developer Space Pants Games which has already produced several Mega Drive games. It was initially put through a crowdfunding campaign to ensure it could get a physical cart release and smashed its target.

Rocket Panda is now ready for release with eager Sega fans awaiting their carts to be sent. We’ve been sent a ROM file of the final version for this review so will be playing through an emulator. The game will be available to buy on 16th September 2024 directly from Mega Cat Studios’ website. In the meantime, you can download an emulator demo to give a few levels a whirl.

On booting up Rocket Panda, you’re greeted by an excellent intro video filled with blast-processing colour and animation. Plus, if you’re feeling musical, there is a Disney-style sing-a-long song that accompanies the intro music. Right from the outset, Rocket Panda has a certain quality about it that gives the feel of a top game from the 90s. The intro is impressive and the tune will stay with you long after playing.

You’re then greeted with a title screen that includes options to change the difficulty, view the achievements you’ve conquered, and get some help on how to play the game. The help section also explains the story. The evil Biscuit Head has invaded Biscuit land and taken all the badgers hostage. It’s your job to help Rocket Panda rescue them and take down the bosses. Finally, there is a mini-game to enjoy that is a colourful version of Asteroids.

You start the main game by picking a World to play. Before taking on the world boss, Rocket Panda must find the key to exit each of the World’s levels. You only start with one life but can gain extra ones by rescuing your badger friends. Along the way, you’ll find biscuits to collect that add to your score with bonus points for getting them all. The main aim is to rescue your friends and get to the exit without being hit. Taking a hit will lose you a rescued badger and deplete your final score for the level.

You control Panda using the directional pad and tapping the rocket button for a quick jolt of speed after picking up a rocket fuel item. Your lives are depleted by hitting enemies or colliding with obstacles such as spikes. You’ll come up against barriers that will need to be rammed open. You do this by picking up a rocket fuel item and using it to blast your way through. The controls couldn’t be more straightforward and after a few levels, you’ll have mastered the controls and gameplay loops.

As you progress further, new gameplay mechanics, such as switch puzzles and air currents, start to make Rocket Panda a deeper experience. There will be many times when you’ll have to use a bit of trial and error to get through certain sections and plot the best path to safety. There is also a decent variety of enemies and obstacles to avoid and each new World has its own personality in look and layout. Occasionally you’ll be greeted with a level that requires you to move fast due to being chased by a giant enemy and these levels help mix up the gameplay and keep things interesting.

While most of the levels play out similarly the use of different enemies, switch and airflow mechanics, as well as the overall level layouts, keep Rocket Panda fresh enough to stop it from becoming repetative. There is also the difficult challenge of collecting all the biscuits, rescuing all the badgers, and then escaping without damage that will keep you retrying each World over and over. That old cliche of easy to learn hard to master couldn’t be more apt for Rocket Panda. There are a lot of levels to get through as well, this isn’t a game that you’ll be finished with quickly.

The presentation in Rocket Panda is excellent. It’s rare for an indie game developed on old consoles to reach such levels and this is a great-looking game with fantastic animations and use of colour. Everything on the screen is clear and some large sprites which would’ve been impressive back in the Mega Drive’s glory days. The sound and music are decent, maybe not as strong as the graphical detail, but still of a high quality. Overall, Rocket Panda looks and sounds great with care and attention taken to ensure this feels like a premium indie game.

We enjoyed our time with Rocket Panda, it feels like a platformer that doesn’t have any jumping, but that just makes it unique. The brilliant graphics, especially the opening intro, puts it way above the average indie title for old consoles. There is also longevity and replayability in the gameplay that will require a lot of practice to get through. Rocket Panda is an impressive game that raises the bar for other Mega Drive developers. If this is the kind of quality we can expect from Space Pants Games going forward we’re in for a real treat with its next offering.