| Author | Review |
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RadiantViper
338,652
TA Score for this game: 377
Posted on 10 October 10 at 23:13, Edited on 28 June 12 at 14:51 |
This review has 30 positive votes and 3 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Blade Kitten Review
Blade Kitten is an action side-scrolling platformer featuring melee combat, climbing and item collecting. Based on a webcomic, it stars the pink-haired bounty hunter Kit Ballard's exploits on the alien planet Hollow Wish. Will the cutesy graphics and cat-like platforming win you over? Let's find out 
Story & Gameplay
The story starts of with Kit coming to the planet Hollow Wish in the chase of another bounty. Soon she's already having problems, as rival bounty hunter Justice Kreel nabs Kit's breaker key - need to hand in bounties - and runs off. The first levels task you with chasing after the annoying thief to get it back.
Unfortunately, past that the story becomes more confusing and isn't explained very well. Kit runs in to several different characters, which of course need her help in some magnitude, but the different sequences are strung together very loosely. You'll often be scratching your head at the start of the level as you wonder what happened in between this level and the last. The story does it job to give you reasons you keep playing, but without clear storytelling it's a best confusing, and at worst forgettable.
The gameplay itself is also fairly simple. Being a platformer the classic jump and double jump make an appearance, but she has a few different tricks as well. Being a member of the half-cat, half-human Felion race, Kit can climb and down walls with ease, as well as hang onto ceilings/under platforms. This does a great job aiding the exploration feel of the game, and soon after you start you'll be climbing all over the levels. When it comes some of the tinier platforms (they have a glow around them), the game will 'auto-jump' you to it to help you out. This sounds annoying but it's only used on the smallest of landing platforms so it doesn't feel too intrusive.
Instead of needing to be held, Kit's blade floats around her as she runs along. Pressing attacks makes the blade fly in the direction you point the analog stick, and you also have a ranged attack to reach even farther. This feels a fit 'floaty' and takes some getting used to. But after a while it fits right and it allows you to do things like jump over enemies and slash the sword downwards to kill them, while not breaking up your movement. It also makes getting rid of pesky enemies as you climb up and down walls a lot easier.
The gameplay doesn't really do anything wrong - it's just overly simple. Don't expect a complex platformer or melee system, because you won't get either. The game switches it up sometimes, with minor puzzles and a ridable mount that let's you jump higher, but overall it's the same across all the levels. However, the gameplay never feels broken or clunky, and all the different techniques are used to good effect if you search for all the collectibles.
Score - 6.5/10
The story has the makings of being an amusing little tale, but instead falls short as the pacing and progress is a little clunky. The gameplay is straightforward and easy to grasp, and has some nice features like fun exploration and quick combat - however, overall it lacks enough variety to keep you interested.
Graphics & Sound
The game has a sharp, colourful style to it that very much fits the gameplay and story. It's not incredibly detailed but it definitely looks nice, and the splashes of colour are a nice break from the usual browns and greys of many games this gen. Characters and items have a cute, cartoony look. However, there are still some more boring looking areas - rocky cliffs and town areas - that could do with a little more oomph.
Sound is a mixed bag. For starters, the main character Kit Ballard's voice acting is superb, and it fits the character perfectly. However, some of the secondary characters have fairly drab voices that seem out of place. The music is the same story - half the tracks add to the 'cute/colourful' feeling of the game, but the other half are a bit cringe worthy. Basically, for every time you'll think 'That sounded pretty good', another voice will sound awkward or another musical track sounds cliched and forgettable.
Score - 7.5/10
Graphics are nice and colourful, and fit in with the rest of the game. There's usually a good variety but some areas are repeated a bit too much. The sound is basically split down the middle - half sounds great (the main character's voice especially), but the other half sounds uninspired.
Achievements & Value
Achievement wise, this game's list does a fair job. Some small challenges, story progression, and item collection. Nothing to interesting, but it's an easy 200 and it covers all the bases. Collecting all the treasure chests is fun and encourages exploration - the best part of the game - and beating all the levels under 90 minutes is easy with the speedy nature of the game. The only achievement I don't like is the one for 5,000 enemy kills - which you can probably tell is an unnecessary grindfest of spamming X on a level with respawning enemies.
Blade Kitten follows the recent trade of 1200 MSP - or $15 USD - games becoming more common. However, it's one of the games that's actually worth it. If you speed through the game start to finish you'll probably get 2 or 3 hours of gameplay, and getting all the achievements can easily get you 10+ hours out of the game. Go for all/most of the collectibles yourself and you'll easily get your money's worth.
Edit: The game has been recently reduced to a mere 400 MSP, which is an amazing price for the amount of gameplay you get! I though it was worth it at $15, so I can only recommend it even more for a mere $5.
Score - 9/10
A standard but fitting achievement list that's only marred by a single annoying achievement. Shakes the trend of overpriced $15 Arcade games with 10+ hours of content if you do a fair amount of exploring. EdIt: Now only a mere $5, it's even more worth it.
Summary
Blade Kitten won't amaze or dazzle you with exciting new concepts. But what it does, it does fairly well. Solid platforming with great exploration and a good amount of content makes this a solid purchasing if you're OK with simpler, easier games.
Overall Score - 7 out of 10
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