Game Review: Help the black cat reunite with his lover in Mr. Catt
What happens when you combine a puzzle game with a cute and touching plot and calm, sad music? The answer lies in Mr. Catt, a new game developed by the indie Taiwan studio, 7QUARK. Slightly generic at first, the game soon picks up and turns from a usual match-3 puzzler, into something more. I couldn’t stop playing once I started because level after level I was introduced to new elements which made me even more curious as to what’s next.
Plot
Mr. Catt tells the story of a black cat who embarks in a journey to the milky way, drifting from planet to planet, to find his love, the white cat that one day disappeared without a word. In his quest, Mr. Catt will make many new precious memories until finally he reaches his true love. Will you help me fulfill his one and only wish?
Gameplay
Similarly to most matching games, in Mr. Catt you need to connect 3 or more blocks (horizontally or vertically) of the same color to make them disappear. However, in this game, you only win if you match blocks with those on the board that have a star on them. When you take out all starry blocks then the level is completed. To play, all you have to do is drag and drop the various blocks that appear at the bottom of your screen, and then after placing them where you wanted, tap on them to make them pop. Popping them is a rather pleasant move that I admit, I can’t get enough of.
The number of moves you have left before it is game over, is written at the top left of your screen but I only run out of moves a maximum of 3 times till now, as the game is not over the top difficult and offers a helping hand when needed. When you finish a level with a perfect score (3 stars) you are rewarded with a treasure chest that gives you a x amount of hearts.
As you advance you will be introduced to various power ups and the ways to activate them. Basically, each power up is activated by combining an x number of blocks together, e.g. the Meteor is activated by combining 5 blocks, the Lightning with 7 blocks, the Rainbow with 9 blocks and so on. The unique power of every power up lies in the strength level of each one and the number of blocks it can take out. The more blocks, the stronger the power up, and the better the result.
The game consists of 3 chapters and 300 stages. I understand the number is overwhelming but the stages are not too hard and easily you’ll clear a respectable number before you now it. In the level map you can interact with some items in planets which I found a very cute and clever addition. Also, after certain levels you will be able to interact with the relevant planet and review the past.
In-app Purchases
The game is free to play but comes with a few optional IAPs with prices that range from €0.99 to €4.99 per item.
Graphics & Sounds
Visually Mr. Catt is stunning and that goes to the beautiful designs and colors used for the plot elements and the level map, but also to the levels itself as the blocks and the power ups are very pleasant to look at and with smooth, crystal-clear colors. Undeniably, the visual aspect of the game is its stronger point. The BG music is very soft and calm with a small dose of sweet sadness.
Conclusion
Mr. Catt is a puzzler that will captivate you with its beautiful graphics and romantic story. The gameplay is fun and easy to follow with few to none frustrating moments. Be careful of how you arrange the blocks and the rest are easy. Definitely a game worth trying out. If you’ve played it let us know your thoughts and impressions in the comments below.
You can download Mr. Catt for Android devices here.
You can download Mr. Catt for iOS devices here. (updated review here)
Mr. Catt screenshots (above) and trailer (below)
