To me, the name Panic Street implied that my adrenaline would be constantly spiked while playing this puzzle arcade game. There were times when my adrenaline was elevated somewhat but never to the heart stopping/sweaty palm level. Developed by Kaneko in 1999 this arcade game is unique (to me) and is probably very innovative to the Japanese because it seems to incorporate the need or option to make an actual telephone call after completing each level. Unfortunately, I don't speak or read Japanese so I cannot understand the story line or what information or bonus a person would receive by calling these numbers. Also, there are 8 available levels to play and 4 question mark levels which may be somehow unlockable by dialing these phone numbers or possibly through game play.

After inserting your coins and pressing start, you are shown a level select screen. The program does a rotating highlight of each level and you are supposed to press the action button to stop the highlight on a random level. Each level represents an anime style character or set of characters and the enemies on each level are somewhat different. (Maybe you're supposed to be calling these characters?) Once the level begins, you will notice that you have 3 telephones to be illuminated and 160 seconds to complete the level X3. Also, we see that the background is of a shadow picture and there is another rotating highlight at center screen. This time you must press the action button to stop the highlight and reveal a very small part of the picture. This revealed picture is your captured area now.

When the timer begins a main boss for the level appears which is either a spinning spiky ball or a segmented snake/dragon, and also different kinds of power ups and a stationary ringing telephone. The boss fires various attacks at you including (but not limited to) lighting, small lasers, giant lasers, targeting missile's, spiked gravitating balls, slow goo, etc. The level is complete when you uncover 80% or more of the shadow picture. The player is represented as a blinking dot with a concentric ring around it and can move freely around the line edge of the captured area. Some boss attacks will kill you while on the edge of this area and some will not. Once you think you have a clear shot, you press the action button and use the directional pad to leave the edge and draw a line around an area of space that you think you can reveal without getting killed. If you reveal an area with a power up in it then you get that ability for a very short amount of time. If you reveal the area where the stationary ringing telephone is, the telephone becomes a telephone with legs that hops around the screen and one of the three telephones is illuminated. Next, reveal an area where you've trapped the hopping telephone and the second phone illuminates. He then becomes four smaller walking telephones that you must trap to illuminate the last telephone icon. Reveal 80% of the picture, the level ends and you go back to the level select screen.?Note: All 3 telephone icons do not have to be lit to end the level. This may have something to do with the 4 unlockable question mark levels.

If you die 3 times you are always given an opportunity to continue. After continuing but before the level select screen, a rotating line of power ups begins rolling by. Press the action button to stop the rotation for your prize.

Overall: 4.6
If you can understand and read Japanese or if you crave puzzle/strategy games this might be the game for you!

Graphics: 9
The stills were drawn very well. The level animation was detailed and creative. I wish the characters had been animated as well.

Sound: 7
Probably 6 separate tracks that seemed original but nothing to groove to. The coin insert sound is very annoying.

Addictiveness: 4
A small part of me wanted to play through the 8 levels again just to see if by illuminating all telephones I could unlock the 4 question mark levels but not being able to read the Japanese story line killed the urge.

Story: 1
It could be the best story ever told but I would need a translator to find out.

Depth: 4
It took maybe an hour to beat the first 8 levels. The only reason I rated it so high is because of the unlockable levels.

Difficulty: 3
You might consider this game difficult if those were real tokens that you paid for but otherwise the controls are basic and the game is only irritating because of the language barrier.

Local mod: I forgot to give this game an overall rating when I first submitted the review. I tried to edit it but it will not change it just keeps coming back as an overall rating of 10 when it should be 4.6. Can you help me, please?

thephantombrain : Sounds like an interesting game!  Maybe it is a great game but we'll never know since we don't know Japanese   Thanks for a nice, honest review!