Pandemonium! (1996). Play online

Summary

Pandemonium! bursts onto the PlayStation with an insane blend of fast‑paced 3D platforming and 2‑D movement that bends and overlaps in a vivid, texture‑rich world. You pick either Nikki, a spry acrobat with a magical double‑jump and somersaulting grace, or Fargus, a chaotic jester who swings a spinning attack and is oddly attached to his puppet Sid. Each of the 18 sprawling levels teems with off‑beat obstacles—watermelons, spider‑webs, floating clouds—and power‑ups like freeze and shrink rays that reshape the action.
The game’s signature shape‑change mechanic lets you transform into a bulldozing rhino or a fire‑breathing dragon, adding surprise bursts of strength mid‑run. A freestyle camera sweeps across huge, branching environments, highlighting hidden secrets and towering bosses. All of this rides on a catchy, synth‑laden soundtrack and slick cinematics that give the chaos a surprisingly polished finish.

Storyline

Pandemonium! follows the chaotic misadventure of Nikki, a talented acrobat, and Fargus the Jester, an unpopular carnival performer, in the magical land of Lyr. The two meet at a dull “Wizards in Training” seminar held in Lancelot Castle and, bored, steal the speaker’s spellbook. While experimenting with a 10th‑level spell, they accidentally summon a green monster named Yungo, which devours their entire village. Desperate to reverse the disaster, they discover a map in the book that points to the legendary Wishing Engine.

The duo embarks on a platform‑filled journey across 18 sprawling 3D levels, bouncing, tumbling and jumping through varied environments to reach the Engine. When they finally arrive, the Engine grants three wishes; Fargus frivolously wishes for a chicken, while Nikki wishes the village restored to its former state. The wish succeeds, returning the town and expelling Yungo back to its dimension. However, Fargus’s third wish unintentionally clones him across the entire population, turning everyone into versions of the jester.