Do you like dull puzzle games with no story whatsoever, taking hold of a full game in 2D pixel art, while crapping on everything you believe in with total controversy?  Then Blade Kitten is NOT for you (Then again I’m not sure WHO would want that kind of game o.O).  Today we’re reviewing just that.  Blade Kitten.

Blade Kitten is a Cell Shaded, Platform style, Side Scrolling Action game for the PSN, XBLA, and PC (On Steam).  The star of the game is none other then the cute, witty, and lovable Catgirl,  Kit Ballard; a galactic bounty hunter called a “Breaker”.  Kit travels to the Korunda System, in search for her latest target, with a reward of 1,000,000 Hex on their head (Hex is the currency if you didn’t catch that).  Throughout her journey she encounters various foes, dangerous obstacles, and lovable friends to tag along with.

Blade Kitten is somewhat a Cutesy game, but if you’re a hardcore gaming bro with testosterone leaking out your ears, don’t let this turn you away from it.  By the way you should get yourself checked if Testosterone is leaking from your ears, that just can’t be healthy.  While the game is cute and colorful, it still retains a casual gamers attraction with it’s quirkiness.  This quirkiness somewhat reminded me of ratchet and clank in a way.  You have the silly vendors, weapons supply, costume unlocks, and upgrades, which make it feel like a very fun and driving platformer.

My personal favorite character is Hundert Tonne, the game’s lone vendor.  He is portrayed as a quick selling, bargain making, Chinese man, ready to sell his whole stock for the right price, but only after he eats his lunch.

Gameplay-wise, this game has it down pretty solid.  Simple commands with easily executed combos gives this game the user friendly and fun feeling it deserves.  While there is an area or two that gives the user a bit of a mind boggle, this game isn’t without puzzles, Although they’re pretty darn easy to be called puzzles.  Simple button presses or timed actions are about as complex as these puzzles get, but there is still some challenge and adventure in trying to find all the treasures, gold fish, data discs, and skiffs (cute little animal things).  By finding all the skiffs and data discs, the player can unlock some costumes for Kit’s wardrobe.  While these costumes don’t effect her abilities, it’s still somewhat fun to unlock them for a change of look on Kit.

Blade Kitten can be described in one word, but Challenging, is not one of them.  The game is very easy to play and get used to, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it somewhat feels lacking.  While the game itself isn’t challenging, trying to complete all the Achievements for this game is a bit more challenging.  One trophy requires you find all treasures and another requires that Kit take zero damage in a level.  This can be very difficult and sometimes you may not even notice you’re damaged, because Kit’s health bar regenerates quite fast.

While there are many pros to this game, there are still a few cons.  To name one off hand, it would have to be the story line.  The story isn’t all the gripping but it’s not really cheesy, which is a good thing.  Sometimes the story can be awkward with how fast it progresses, leaving the player somewhat confused when a new event occurs.  Another con would be when Kit takes damage.  There are times when an enemy will strike Kit, leaving her stunned, and can take a second or two before Kit can finally attack.  This was frustrating, but I can see where it balances out the game play, proving that Kit is NOT invulnerable.

All in all this game was worth my time, I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end, and I am currently working toward 100% completion.  The game doesn’t feel tedious at all, so the re-playability factor leaves the player still willing to play through each level over again to complete 100% of the game.  The total Story is about 4 hours long, but working toward completion leaves this game at a good 6-9 hours of game play, Well worth my money.

For $15 on the XBLA, PC, and PSN, it’s hard to beat.  A great buy for any platform and a very fun time of gaming altogether.  In my book this game is worth every penny and is a must have for your console or PC.

Photo Source from Blade Kitten‘s website.

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