Collection essentials #362: Kitchen Panic (PS1)

Here’s one of the most obscure games I’ll be covering in the entire series. It’s a Japan-only 2D platformer with no trace of any 3D graphics, one that came out without a lot of fanfare made by a company that has made little of note, and one that even a lot of hardcore retro gaming enthusiasts still may not have heard of.

In this game you play as a sentient potato, with a face, arms and legs, I’m guessing no relation to Mr. Potatohead. You traverse a dangerous kitchen world with very many enemies that are, similarly, sentient versions of other foods or objects commonly found in the kitchen such as cans. The object of the game is to make it to the end of some very large, multi-tiered levels, with many optional items to collect if the player wants to go for 100% completion.

One of the reasons this game made the list is the cool and unique jump mechanics. You have a basic jump, of course, but our spud friend has the ability to do a few different super jumps. When pressing “up” on the d-pad in the air, he curls into a ball, and then the player will have an opportunity to do one of these super jumps. One of them sends you very far straight upward, one of them sends you going far forward in a low arch, and a third one is a variant of the high jump but it’s performed off of walls instead of the ground and can be done repeatedly. The game is designed around these super jumps with large levels that will require you to master them. The potato also has the ability to run, and has a health bar for taking multiple hits, though there are many instant-death traps to be found anyway. You also generally can’t kill enemies, as jumping on their heads only stuns them. 

I played through this game casually, not going for 100%, and the game produces a nice decent challenge in that way. But this is one of those games that encourage the player to go for 100% completion. And boy, they made this an uber super challenge for the most dedicated and skilled gamers to take on. There are 10 pots to be collected in each level which must be done in one go, and before long they are placed in EXTREMELY tough locations that require incredibly specific and precise jumps that will take practice to execute. There’s no getting around it, anyone who considers taking on this challenge will die over and over and over and over and over again. Those who persevere will be rewarded with an extra level unlocked in each world, which believe it or not will be even harder than the normal levels. I haven’t really sat down to try and seriously take on this challenge myself yet…and I’m a little scared at the thought.

While I do like the challenge, I do think having 10 pots to collect in each level in one go is a little excessive. Although I guess those who truly want an uber super challenge may disagree. I also felt like the boss fights, while not cookie-cutter generic platformer bosses, were not very impressive. Still, I greatly enjoyed playing through this game and it stands out to me as something unique and cool that was well worth spending time with. I like having obscure gems like this in the collection, and thus it gets the “essential” tag.