Joystiq hands-on: Trash Panic (aka Gomibako)

We already previewed Gomibako back in October at TGS, so when we were given the chance to take another look -- this time under the North American title Trash Panic -- we nearly passed it up. It's trash after all, right? Well, yes. "Gomibako" literally translates to "trash box," and plenty of attendees at Sony's Gamers' Day event walked right by, assuming, "Oh. Tetris with trash. I get it."

It's easy to dismiss Trash Panic as a Tetris knockoff, but this puzzle game has a robust physics engine, whimsical graphics, and Katamari-like inspiration that'll find your trash bin growing with each level -- until it actually sits on top of Earth. As you play, the trash also grows in scale, and you'll graduate from tossing away routine office trash to comets, meteors, space stations, and even aliens.

If this sort of gameplay counted as community service, then the world would be a much cleaner place.

Continue reading Joystiq hands-on: Trash Panic (aka Gomibako)

Joystiq hands-on: Trash Panic (aka Gomibako) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.