Believe it or not, there once was a time where children knew what true mobile gaming was. Before they were crushing candy, flapping birds and temple running, children everywhere stacked blocks, helped rescue princesses and my personal favourite, controlling a pixelated snake, who just wanted to eat food. Across the vast dusty playground of my primary school, footballs were once untouched and school yard bullying was at an all time low, because every tom dick and harry was on their Nokia 3310. Hidden within this popular brick shaped treasure trove was ‘Snake’, a simple game which tasked you with controlling a snake without hitting yourself or a wall, despite the simple concept it couldn’t have been a more difficult game to master. It’s always been one of my all time favourite arcade style games and oh how I’ve longed for a spiritual successor to grace my presence … but I didn’t think it would come in the form of a blue neon pussy.
Pix The Cat is a ‘high octaned’, super fast paced arcade game from French loony bins, Pastagames, who don’t have a bad track record for successful handheld titles. The game follows a very simple concept, collect the stranded ducklings and deliver them to the magic nest portal things. Each level is a claustrophobic gauntlet of dangerous enemies and traps, and once every duckling has been rescued (or unfortunately killed) you may pass through to the next map in quick fashion. The playing rule for Pix The Cat is pretty much identical to that of ‘Snake’, the more you collect, the longer you become, don’t run into your tail or get stuck; rules far easier said than done. Pix (if that is indeed the name of the cat, as the cat’s motive, back story or name isn’t explored) must also dodge wicked baddies and meddling traps in a kind of PACMANesque manner, it’s clear where Pastagames have got their inspiration from, even more so when you hear that they have built their own Pix The Cat Arcade table machine. Pix doesn’t come without his abilities, the more ducklings you rescue and the more walls you dodge away from, the combo metre rises and the faster he becomes, making your quest to break the top score record even trickier. With each combo level progression, you earn more points and travel faster, and eventually you’ll hit fever mode, which gives you the ability to eat any enemies in your path, permitted you keep the score going up, once again I ask if this sounds familiar. Behind each map you’ll be able to make out the next area you’ll be exploring once you progress, meaning there’s a constant drive to complete each level as quick as possible knowing where you’ll be going next.
Starting the game up for the first time you’re only faced with one simple gameplay mode, a series of predetermined maps at your disposal with the sole task of getting as far as you can with the biggest score possible. Beating each recorded score on the leader board unlocks an array of content for you to use, comedic voiceovers, art work and most importantly new game modes. Arena mode is chaotic multiplayer experience, where up to 3 additional cats can take up arms and try and collect the most ducklings as possible whilst avoiding the other players who are also trying to ram into you, shoot rockets (?) and destroy your ducklings. Arena mode is the kind of game mode that you can play over and over again not really understanding the concept and you’re left unable to explain how you’ve won the round. Apart from a slight variation in Laboratory mode, where you’re given a target amount of moves to make to complete a particular level, you’re presented with generally the same concept, avoid walls, don’t hit your tail and reach the biggest combo you can get. Visually the game could potentially make your eyeballs bleed, or at the very least dry them out completely. Pix The Cat is a manic fast paced game that at first is difficult to put down, with it’s challenging high scores and the drive to do better next time. Unfortunately I found that because the game’s route is mapped the same each time you play opposed to a random map generator, the challenge dwindled after the first few attempts, as you knew far too well what was around the corner, and the reward of moving further on got less and less worthy. Even Snake, which was far less glitzy and explosive, took it’s toll after numerous attempts on particular levels, but Snake was a simple game released almost 2 decades ago compared to an inspired knock off with the world’s greatest technology at it’s feet, so how can a game reinvent itself mid way through … well a little nostalgia never hurt anyone.
Nostalgia mode is truly where Pix The Cat excels, it takes the concept and aim of a 21st century game, and transports it back 90 years into the past. Pix, now looking like a relative to ole Steamboat Willie, is brilliantly redesigned into a 1920s cartoon hero, as well as the level design and presentation, which is also looking like a silent 20th century flick. Despite it’s new appearance the rules still remain the same, save your poor defenceless duckies and take them to safety, motive still unknown. You’ll be pleasantly surprised too to find the levels have been configured to make for a more challenging and enjoyable play through, with individual maps now having names that transpose into a specific challenge or obstacle in your way, preventing you from easily progressing. These gimmicky levels really show the creative side of the team here and it’s debatable whether or not this is what the game should have been from the start.
Pix The Cat is a fab little game, however I can’t stop ‘umming’ and ‘awwing’ at it. In one hand it’s a fantastic handheld game that has been released on the wrong platform, despite the power deriving from the Vita, it would have been more successful perhaps as an iOS or android game. Yet on the flip-side it plays great as a console game incorporating a large screen, yet it I can’t help but feel it’s been wasted on the PS4, as it’s a game that will blend into the background amongst bigger AAA titles. The game is a real delight to play, but after an hour or so of puzzles, (just like it’s appeal) your attention span may dwindle. Ultimately it’s a great addictive arcade game perfect for jumping in and out of, released on 2 machines that are honestly difficult to dip and dive out of. The sounds, visuals and LSD presentation makes it a formidable play experience, yet it takes a solid amount of dedication to unlock the game’s originality and full creative potential.
In short, Pix The Cat is a very enjoyable game, if only for short bursts now and then. It’s vibrant, psychedelic fast paced action proves to be an interesting yet bizarre homage to an all time great. Despite it’s large collection of levels to beat, there’s not enough here to stop you getting bored of the same maps you encounter each time your attempt runs out. Nostalgia mode however reinvents the game superbly, and really presents a special and imaginative indie game, luckily just as you start getting sick of the somewhat unrewarding romp through the ‘Grid of Infinity’. Currently it’s free on PSN for PS4 and PSVITA for October’s Playstation Plus, so grab it while you can, as it may lose it’s appeal if the wrong price is attached to it.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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