"MagiCat" Review

It's a bold move for a developer to take on the tried, true and done-to-death genre of the child-friendly, side-scrolling platformer, but Toge Productions didn't back down from the challenge. "MagiCat" is an unapologetically earnest and whimsical take on the genre.

With 63 levels to take on, there is no lack of content in the sprawling game. You navigate difficult jumps, shifting platforms, unfortunately placed enemies and secret pathways to keep maneuvering onward. Your hero kitty not only has the ability to pounce, but can shoot projectiles at the enemies. In between levels, you navigate a top-down overworld first popularized in "Super Mario Bros. 3."

While the controls are tight and hit detection is fair, there isn't much here to push the genre forward. That may be fine for younger gamers who didn't grow up on a steady diet of games like this, but anyone in need of innovation should look elsewhere. At times, "MagiCat" plays like an underbaked minigame in some grander adventure.

Still, there is plenty to appreciate in "MagiCat" for those willing to give it a chance. Its hero has enough charm and personality to star in internet memes and T-shirts, but risks being lost in the morass of obscurity. MagiCat" is bound to be the favorite game of some subsets of kids -- and kids at heart -- whose parents, inner or otherwise, give it a shot.
Publisher provided review code.