Don’t Panic! It is Just Turbulence Review (PC)

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes has just met its match in the malfunctioning cockpit of Don’t Panic! It is Just Turbulence. That’s right, you finally have yet another reason to cause total chaos among the fragile collective. In this situation, though, you don’t control a Defuser and an Expert; you fill the quaking boots of a pilot and an air traffic officer in charge of preventing an aircraft from bursting into a rolling ball of flames. And if you think this sounds like a bit of a headache, well, that’s because it is. Welcome to the underbelly of the cockpit, folks. You don’t need to be an experienced pilot to translate the training manual and prevent a catastrophe, but it definitely helps if you are. Who’d have thought?

If you’re familiar with two-player puzzle games like Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes or Read the F*cking Manual, then you should, with any luck, be able to slip into old habits without batting an eyelid at Don’t Panic! Why? Well because, contrary to popular belief, it is, to some extent, the same problem that you have to deal with. Like the aforementioned examples, the idea of the game is to work together to solve various cockpit malfunctions before the plane reaches a rather unfortunate point in its journey. But, here’s the catch: only one person can see the instruments and the errors in the cockpit, and only one person—the Air Traffic Controller, naturally—can examine the manual and determine the solutions.

If you’re wondering which of the two roles is tougher to master, then I can safely tell you that, regardless of the job that you choose to devote your abilities to, neither of them are likely to elevate your enthusiasm for the power of aviation. Regrettably, Don’t Panic! is as stressful and as chaotic as it makes itself out to be. Not that this comes as much of a surprise, mind you, given the circumstances and the simple fact that every mistake you make can lead to a catastrophic outcome.

Of course, the idea here is simple: translate the errors, gather the necessary information, and relay the data to the pilot. The process of obtaining said data and executing the solution in a swift and efficient manner, however, isn’t quite as transparent. Time, for example, is against you, as is the cockpit itself, which is prone to various technical issues and time-based sequences. It’s your job, as a seemingly competent team, to work as a well-oiled machine to ensure that the worst case scenario doesn’t occur at the worst possible moment. Again, a lot easier said than done.

To give credit where credit is due, Don’t Panic! does offer a good selection of aircraft puzzles and modules to work through. Alas, you don’t just have the one plane or cockpit to navigate; you have an entire host of crafts to mull over, all of which feature their own distinct cockpit layout, instruments, and technical specifications. Say, in one cockpit you could have fewer modules, but with finicky triggers that require you to input a command at the precise moment. In another, you could find an entire dashboard that is lit up like a festive candle of luminous reds and greens, and a specific input pattern that is needed to prevent all hell from breaking loose. The point is, no two levels are the same. The outcome, on the other hand, is.

If you can get over the fact that you’ll be spending most of your time aboard the aircraft in a pool of your own blood, sweat and tears, then you should bring yourself around long enough to enjoy the comical side effects that Don’t Panic! brings to the cockpit. True, it’s a challenging game that requires both hands to be firmly on deck simultaneously. However, once you begin to understand how a cockpit operates, as well as how to communicate with your teammate, the act of safely landing an airplane can begin to feel rewarding—satisfying, even. That is, of course, until you finally hit the incorrect panel and undo all of your progress. Though, it’s best not to dwell on that.

Let it be said that, if you’re all for high stakes and even higher risks, then you might just find yourself within arm’s reach of a good time here. Granted, the entire process is a pain in the backside, and sure enough, it is a game that can test not only your mettle and your ability to adapt to horrific circumstances on the fly, but your friendships, too. Learn to laugh at yourself, however, and you may just live long enough to see the benefits that come from your actions. Well, hopefully.

Of course, there’s still a novel idea here that is likely to exhaust its greatest strengths after the first handful of flights. Although it may contain a good selection of modules, challenges, and puzzles to complete, there are only so many times that you can run the gauntlet (or crash an aircraft) before the experience and the act of barking orders at your friends begins to fall on deaf ears. Don’t get me wrong, you can clearly squeeze a lot of frequent flyer miles out of this sky-high affair, and I’d be lying if said that you couldn’t introduce it as a warm-up act for a social gathering. That being said, I wouldn’t expect a long-lasting relationship between the cockpit and the air traffic control terminal here.

Verdict

Don’t Panic! It is Just Turbulence desperately tries to get your blood pumping in a wickedly chaotic cockpit-based deduction experience that can often leave you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and, on occasions, even a little thrilled. With a good variety of cockpit modules, challenges, and terminal puzzles to solve, you shouldn’t struggle to find your fair share of issues to crack your fingers to here. Again, it might not last all that long, but it does do a pretty spectacular job of keeping you yanking on the yoke for an hour or two, at least. And honestly, I’d count that as a win.