1 CatLine from Publisher Eastasiasoft Limited and Developer Nerd Games
Simple but fun puzzle platformer. Good progression on new mechanics and difficulty.
1 CatLine is a one screen per level puzzle platformer. There are a total of 50 levels where new game mechanics get introduced every few levels. This was a nice progression as the game gives a few levels to learn and use each new mechanic or power before the puzzles become a little harder. Most of the puzzles consist of moving from one side of the screen to the other. Each level has a gem that needs to be collected to “solve” the puzzle.
The game starts out with just your human character. It takes a few levels before the game’s titular character, Theo the two-dimensional “Cat”, shows up. Theo is a magical creature that freezes time when being controlled. It can also fly and move around the level. You will use the cat to create platforms, steps, move boxes, and trigger switches. Theo does have an interesting movement pattern as Theo can only move forward and can’t go over itself. Think of the old Snake game and you’ll have a good picture of how Theo moves.
Most of the mechanics are pretty basic; stepping on a switch to make boxes appear/disappear, standing on a switch to open areas, moving boxes with Theo and your character, and single jumps. Towards the later half of the game portals are introduced. This is when the game finally feels like a real puzzle platformer.
The controls are pretty simple with a thumbstick to move around and 3 different buttons to use; 1 button to jump, 1 button to restart the level, and 1 button to toggle back and forth between controlling Theo and your human character. We wish we could have remapped the restart button to a different button or that there was a rewind option. A few times when taking control of Theo we hit the reset button by mistake and had to start the level over. Luckily, the game is pretty short so redoing a level or 2 wasn’t bad. You will also need to restart if you get Theo stuck in a corner or against a wall.
The artstyle is retro pixel inspired from the characters to the colorful yet simple color palette of the levels. We did notice that there is only 1 song that plays during the menu and gameplay which is only 30-45 seconds long before it fades and restarts.
Due to the game mechanics with the Cat freezing time when you control the Cat you are able to exploit it and create your own solution to the levels. Jump and switch to Theo freezes time which allows you to turn Theo into a flying ladder or stairs bypassing the intended solution.
Overall the puzzles were pretty simple and being able to exploit the mechanics made some of the puzzles easier and a lot faster to complete. We would love to see new levels added or a timed option in case you wanted to replay the levels. Sadly once you complete the 50 levels there isn’t a reason to replay them.
With the simple controls and rather easy puzzles this game might be more intended for younger gamers.
1 CatLine is available on Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Playstation
Bad Cat from Publisher Upscale Studio and Developer Ozolnieki
Cat version of Untitled Goose Game but much shorter and not as well executed.
Bad Cat is a first person 3D platforming game developed by Ozolniek and published by Upscale Studio. In this game you play as a cat causing trouble and irritating Granny. It reminded us of the Goose from Untitled Goose Game but focused on an old lady in her house.
The game starts out with a simple tutorial teaching you the controls and movement and how to cause problems. It takes a little bit of practice to get used to the movement to ensure your jumps land correctly. Most first person platformers also have this early learning curve.
There are a few different locations around the house that you will discover and explore from the kitchen to the backyard and a few rooms in between.
There are “Daily levels” with a new location to explore. We kept getting the same daily level every time and are unsure if this was a bug or if there was a plan for future updates to add additional daily levels.
Each level has various tasks that pop up on the screen. Completing them rewards you with stars that are used to unlock the new rooms/backyard. As you might have guessed, the tasks are all about causing chaos to granny and her house. This includes stealing food, breaking plates and cups, and throwing flower pots and books to the floor among other activities. The backyard is the only space that you do not have to avoid granny. Instead, it is her dog that patrols the backyard. Luckily, there are many ways to move around the yard while avoiding the dog. Even if the dog sees you, it takes a while before it responds and attempts to catch you.
Some tasks are easier to complete in other rooms, making you want to return to those rooms. There are also a few mini games to play if you get bored with harassing granny. Keep in mind there are only 3 or 4 mini games to play and 1 was used in two locations in the levels.
You can spin a prize wheel to add modifiers to increase the challenge or make it easier. Our favorite was “The Floor is Lava”. This does what you think and turns the floor into lava causing you to jump around the furniture to avoid the lava.
We did run into an issue where our game save deleted itself, but since the game is not that long it was easy to get back to where we were before.
Overall, the game was decent but short. We would love to see more rooms added and the option to run or meow like a real cat. Once you unlocked all of the rooms there really isn’t a reason to continue to complete the tasks and receive stars unless you just enjoy causing a ruckus.
Bad Cat is available on Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Playstation. A digital copy of this game was provided to SimpleGameReviews for the purposes of reviewing the game.
Cats and Seek : Kyoto from Publisher Silesia Games and Developer Noobzilla
An enjoyable search and find game featuring lots of cute cats. Perfect game to wind down with.
Another game from the Cats and Seek Series featuring an all new location.
This time we get to explore the charming heart of Kyoto looking for those adorably sneaky Cats.
The game has a lot of the same customization options that we loved the first time playing the Dino Park game from Cats and Seek. The Kyoto game introduces some additional features that we really liked while still having the same relaxing gameplay and controls we expected from the original.
One of the new additions to the game is a stopwatch so that you can time your speed runs of the levels. This adds some replayability if you want to see how fast you can complete the levels. The game is a little short with only 2 levels to play. One of the other new additions is Photo Mode that lets you take a photo of any part of the map and color it in. You can pick a color and “brush size” and click to fill in areas on the picture.
Several puzzle pieces are hidden in each level. If you find them all you can use them to solve a bonus puzzle accessible from the main menu. It’s a simple 25 piece puzzle that added to the game’s adorable artstyle.
There are locked chests and keys hidden around the levels. A few of the chests will have cats hidden in them just waiting to be freed. There are also some new easter egg characters to be found in the game.
There is also the option to change your cursor giving you even more options to customize your game play and adding another option for games with visual impairments.
Just like Cats and Seek: Dino Park there is a Hint button which helps you locate one of the remaining cats. When you get down to the last few cats to find, they also meow when they’re on the screen to help you find them without even using a hint.
With soothing sounds, cute visuals, and relaxing gameplay, it’s the perfect way to chill out – solo or with friends.
Cats and Seek: Kyoto is available on Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Playstation and Steam.
