PANdemonium: Merge! Demo Preview | Dead Panned

Merge games are my new true love. I’ve been playing them a lot lately, especially with the recent release of PancitoMerge and Dogpile. And PANdemonium: Merge! is no exception. I jumped into the demo, which is available now on Steam, and was super excited to play another merge game, but with a very unique concept.

In the PANdemonium: Merge! demo there are two different game modes to try. In classic game mode you control a frying pan and launch different foods into your pan. Your goal is to merge two of the same types of food together to create new foods. The trick is that you’ve got to maintain strict control of the food in your pan because if a piece falls out, it’s game over. 

It’s a really fun mechanic and one that has a similar feeling to when you play something like Jenga. The more food you add to your pan, the riskier it gets to move your pan around to try and merge things together. You can try and strategize and control where your food lands, but it’s pretty tough to get it exactly right. 

The other game mode is called “Fried.” In this mode, your pan is hot and as soon as food touches it, it will begin cooking. Your goal is to merge the foods together to restart the cooking process and try your best, in fifteen minutes, to get as high of a score as you can. The demo also teases a third mode “Pandemonium” that has a “roguelike” twist. Players will progress through new stages, with each game changing up the goal and the challenges. Additionally, there’s a note that says more game modes will be available in the future. 

While PANdemonium: Merge! is a simple concept, it’s executed very well and the inclusion of physics-based gameplay makes it feel really unique compared to the other merge games I’ve played. I can imagine getting fully stuck into its roguelike game mode when the full game launches. 

PANdemonium: Merge! is available to wishlist now on Steam and players can jump into the demo now.