PixlBit

With hundreds of new indie games spilling onto the scene each month, it's easy to overlook some of the more deserving but obscure titles. Thus, this blog.

 

Aqua Kitty--Xbox Live Indie Marketplace--TikiPOD

Do you like cats? Or classic arcade games like Defender? Or modern, retro-styled shooters such as Resogun? If you nod eagerly at any of these things, you might just enjoy Aqua Kitty, a pleasant little shooter involving cats drilling for milk beneath the ocean floor.

And yes, that really is the story—apparently this “milk mining” has disturbed the mechanical sea life in the region, and now they want the white stuff for themselves. Yeah…the point is that the player must now command his cat, via an underwater submarine, through twenty-five levels of nautical mayhem. Enemies come in many forms, from easy to destroy fish drones to obnoxious jellies intent on abducting your feline friends ambling about the ocean bottom. In other words, the game is not just about your survival—it’s also about preventing the cruel catnapping (ha!) of your comrades.

Power-ups help make the challenge more manageable. The best of these enhancements temporarily bolsters the player’s firepower while another obliterates nearly everything on the screen. Nevertheless, survival still depends primarily on the sub’s two basic guns—one that is weak and limited in range but can be fired repeatedly, and the other which packs more power but must also be regularly recharged. This second gun receives sporadic upgrades as the game progresses, and will prove itself a godsend by the final stages.

Visually, everything is set within the comfortable 8/16-bit veneer so many indie titles employ these days. It works, but more impressive are the catchy chiptunes that evoke warm memories of that bygone time when everything was sprites and pixels. Controls are both accurate and natural, and the gameplay itself is simple but difficult to truly master.

Less purrfect (sorry!) is the level variety itself, which changes little between the game’s already breezy stages. This limited replayability is further exacerbated by the lack of on-line leaderboards—an especially odd omission when considering the game's included endless mode which, of course, soley exists for high scores. The fun co-op play alleviates the disappointment somewhat, but this added firepower also means an even shorter playtime overall.

Despite its minor failings, Aqua Kitty stands as a polished, challenging, and most importantly, fun diversion. But like a sniff of catnip, the excitement is short-lived, and players are encouraged to try the free demo before giving up their $2.99. (Gamers looking for a more substantial version of the game may want to seek out the Steam edition, which is more expensive but adds some worthwhile features.)*

 

*Aqua Kitty can also be had for the PC (without Steam support) and the PS Vita.

 

Thanks to www.neogaf.com and www.desura.desura.com for the images.