Video Game Review - Panorama Cotton

Rob reviews Panorama Cotton on Nintendo Switch...

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Video games have often copied one another - and they still do so today. Look how many games can attribute their success to another and the list is endless. 

Take Panorama Cotton for example. Developed in 1994 by Success for the Sega Mega Drive, Panorama Cotton take a radical departure from previous gameplay and mimics that seen in Sega's own Space Harrier. However, in doing so it loses the charm that made Cotton what it was. 

Flash forward to 2021 and Ratalaika Games have brought Panorama Cotton back from its slumber. Was it worth it? Well no. It certainly hasn't aged well and playing it through a modern console shows this. Even the added extras of being able to rewind gameplay, or the modified version of the original doesn't change Panorama Cotton from being mediocre. 

The only real takeaway is that it's hard to imagine the Mega Drive's simple 16-bit hardware being able to handle what the game throws at it. Even considering the more advanced Nintendo Switch makes Panorama Cotton look like a psychedelic nightmare, on the Mega Drive it must have been a form of visual hell. To be fair, I'm being a little harsh. Underneath the barely functional framerate and the pixilated mess, there is the groundwork for something that could have been. The depth of colour and the level of detail on Cotton is superb - especially when you remember this is a title from 1994. Maybe if the game had come along during the Saturn or PlayStation years things could have been different. But for Panorama Cotton it just feels like a technical demo that's been turned into the semblance of a video game. 

So the gameplay is pretty much like playing a fan-made Space Harrier. You'll control the Witch, Cotton as she follows a set path. There are various enemies to tackle along the way, and various obstacles to avoid. Cotton has various magic skills at her disposal which you're able to switch between at will. You're also able to adjust Cotton's speed too. However, the complete lack of any depth perception makes it utterly pointless. 

Panorama Cotton is a game I would struggle to recommend to anyone. The gameplay just lacks any kind of fun factor. While it does give great insight into what the Sega Mega Drive was capable of, Panorama Cotton is one game that should have stayed in the past. 

Rating 3/10 

A code was kindly provided for this review 

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev