Cattie – Nintendo Switch Review

Overview – developed by Vergiu Games and published by Eastasiasoft, Cattie is a black and white platform action title featuring an adventures cat on a quest. As the fearless feline, traverse 100 stages, jumping from platform to platform and wall to wall, dodging enemies and hazards along the way to their goal. This title is available on all console platforms, with a link to each version of the game at the bottom of this review.

Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of Cattie that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.

Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review. The game itself is light on plot, so I will be going straight into discussing the gameplay for Cattie.

Gameplay – Cattie is an 8-bit style action platformer, made up of 100 stages for the player to challenge. The first 50 stages send Cattie through a variety of “locations”, where the player must hop from platform to platform, avoiding the hazards and enemies that appear. This is a precision style platformer, so Cattie only has a single hit and will die if contact with a hazard is made. When this happens, the player will be sent to the start of the stage or the last checkpoint reached.

Cattie has a few skills in their bag of tricks, with the ability to jump, hop from wall to wall and swipe at the enemies that appear. This gives the game a fast paced fell to it, with the ability to quickly clear gaps and traps for those who live on the edge. However, if players prefer a more cautious approach, then some careful maneuvering and point to point platforming is possible. There are no lives in this game, so players can approach it in any way they wish.

The stage mechanics will start off simple, with spikes and a few enemies pottering about. But as the player gets deeper into the game, new mechanics, enemies and hazards will make their presence known. This includes enemies that throw projectiles, flying enemies and platforms that will crumble below Cattie’s paws. This feels natural and doesn’t cause a spike in overall challenge, making it easy for players to adapt as they go.

When players pass stage 50, they will enter the second half of the game which flips the script, literally. The other half of the game takes place across mirror stages, where the player must navigate their way from the final stage all the way back to the first. This may appear like a lazy way to extend the length of the game, but it becomes a fresh challenge all its own. This is due to the position of walls, doors and more being changed.

Once the player makes their way back to the point they began in the mirror world, the game is over and the player is returned to the title screen. After stages have been cleared, the player can select them in the level select screen. This makes the game a speedrunning haven, as players can replay the game and clear individual stages or the whole game in a single sitting. The action has a satisfying feel to it, but it is not without flaws.

During play, it is very possible to collide with the edge of a spike and die immediately, with the same happening when trying to kill enemies. This collision inconsistency can be very frustrating, breaking up the flow of gameplay when performing multiple challenging sections. There is also the potential for unnecessary death, which is due to the delay between being able to jump after attacking, causing players to slide off edges and into death traps.

Now with the gameplay covered, it is time to discuss the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.

Controls – Cattie uses a basic 2 button input system, with the face buttons controlling jump and attack, making for an easy to pick up and play experience. The game plays very well when performing the platforming action, jumping over hazards and from spring to spring. However, there is some minor lag when trying to quickly attack and jump in succession, as there is a delay between the inputs. This appears to be due to the animation needing to complete for swiping.

Difficulty – there is a trial and error element for Cattie, but it doesn’t feel like banging your head against a wall. The escalation of difficulty is gradual and doesn’t spike significantly at any point, which makes the game beatable by players of all skill levels. This allows for players to take their time or rush into danger, giving more flexibility to the challenge. Those who want to really push themselves can attempt to speedrun the game, increasing the challenge under a time limit.

Presentation – the visual style for this release has a very retro feel to it, using an 8-bit style of sprite work in a black and white color palette. This minimalistic look makes the game stand out among others in the indie sphere. The overall atmosphere of the game is tied together by the soundtrack. The spacey soundscape that plays throughout works well in tandem with the background, which consists of stars moving on the black void.

Final Thoughts – I chose to cover this game because the black and white visuals caught my eye, this is because most titles in the genre stick to color. This decision was a good one, as I had a wonderful yet slightly frustrating time with the adventurous feline. The game can be cleared from start to finish in a couple of hours, which I was happy to do several times. It is a simple and fun game, which I can easily recommend to people looking for their next platforming fix.

That’s not to say it isn’t without its flaws though, as there are some issues that sadly hurt an otherwise excellent gameplay experience. The collision detection is the biggest problem, as it can hinder the flow of play, especially when the trying to deal with enemies in tricky locations. This has the chance to cause a lot of frustration to players, which no amount of infinite lives can fix. However, the sound, gameplay loop and overall presentation make up for it to an extent.

In the end, I give Cattie a final score of 3.5/5. This is a good action platformer, with a distinct presentation and gameplay loop that works well to create a fun experience, but it is sadly marred by a few minor inconsistencies when it comes to the finer points of play. If you do want to check it out for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.

Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)

Link to PlayStation version (HERE)

Link to Xbox version (HERE)