At a glance...

Blade Kitten review

Are you craving a platformer? Better yet, are you in dire need of a platformer with crazy visuals, a hectic plot, and some insane wall climbing? Then perhaps Blade Kitten is for you! Here we take a look at the intense anime-styled action platformer, and discover just how crazy it really is.

You get an impression of Blade Kitten straight off from the get-go; the main menu is busy with pink graphics and almost comically stereotypical Japanese melodies. Based on the webcomic of the same name, the game starts at a running pace, with the introduction to the action being your protagonist, Kit Ballard, arriving via interstellar transport to Hollow Wish, a futuristic and industrial looking planet in attempt to catch a local troublemaker, only to be greeted by some bounty hunter, Justice Steel. Justice destroys Kit's ship and gets a five finger discount on Kit's breaker key, which holds information about Kit's quarry, and legs it, allowing Kit to give chase, and then the game begins.

Kit is the only playable character in this 2.5D game. The action is a side-scrolling platformer but all of the scene and characters are 3D. Apparently, Kit is quite feline-featured, and can climb walls and ceilings to allow for some interesting platforming elements, such as reaching high places and having many secrets locations to unfold. These are often laden with secret chests full of goods. Kit carries around a large sword with her. Wait, she doesn't actually physically carry it, or physically use it. It follows her around and attacks on Kit's bidding as if to wield it nonetheless. Kit's range of actions are limited to a short and long ranged attack, along with a couple of tricks such as a ground pound, blocking and anchoring to the ground. The latter being useful for getting past some powerful air vents. These prove useful at times, but nonetheless sparingly used. Upon encounters with foes it was simple enough to just button bash the short range attack, and jump at key moments to avoid gunfire, heavily prompted with laser beams, from the gunmen that all want to take Kit down.

There are 12 levels to navigate, and all offer very little resistance to your resolve. They are completely littered with collectable shards of many different colours, which go towards the in-game economy system to allow you to purchase different (and saucy) costumes for Kit, along with some weapon upgrades. Certain colours also improve Kit’s health should it get too low. There will also be a time when Kit gets the chance to ride dinosaurs called Noots, which are a cross between Yoshi and Chocobos, and these change the gameplay style somewhat; with lateral movement only, blended with some timely jumps, they offer even less challenge than the other levels. The levels vary in design, as Kit makes her way across Hollow Wish's many landscapes and built up areas. Towns have a Moroccan marketplace touch, perfect for scaling, while the plains are bright and enticing to the eyes. There is plenty to look at, especially because of the cel-shaded art style layered on top, which is done very well. However, it can be a bit too intense at times, whereby the background can mingle with the foreground, and become confusing. Each level brings something new to look at, and feels like a lot of effort was put in to make each place match it's comic book equivalent.

The audio doesn't share the same polish and effort that the level design does. All voices sound like they were recorded too loud, as if an attempt to ensure the player does indeed hear Kit's attempt at amusing quips during play, and the music is forgettable. The audio doesn't need to be a key factor in such a game, but it could easily have been improved.

Overall the presentation is good, and the gameplay is interesting, but it's downhill from there. The plot is awkwardly presented and I'd rather mute the game with Lionel Richie blasting than listen to the pitiful slogans and harsh music. Perhaps this is a game for the fans, but if you're not up for a risk, perhaps take a pass here.

Ratings

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