This review was originally written on 01/07/2019.

Technical Information

Developer: Kucing Rembes
Publisher: Toge Productions, Another Indie
Release Date: August 22, 2017

MagiCat is a platformer, with a pixel art style clearly inspired by classics from the 8- and 16-bit eras.

Final Thoughts – Analyzing the Game as a Whole

Graphics and UI

The magic of the game begins in the introduction, it’s like you’re playing on a Mega Drive! Scenes with small animations, just like the best 90s style.

What a lovely game, with super charming and well-made graphics! The dialogues are great, full of meows! hahaha <3
The pixel art is super well done, with a very cute style.

I loved the stage compositions, each one very different from the other.
The animations are top-notch, even in the first stage you can notice the care taken with each sprite, whether it’s the cat or the enemies.
The level select map is also well done, with stages well distributed across the screen.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

Both the soundtrack and sounds match perfectly with the game’s aesthetic.
You really get immersed in this cute universe!

Gameplay

I found the gameplay fluid, the physics is good. The game allows you to play with both keyboard and controller.
The only bad part of playing with the keyboard is that the buttons aren’t as intuitive, which can cause some confusion for those used to using the “Enter” key to confirm actions.

At the end of each stage, there’s a boss. Some bosses are quite easy, others more difficult. Some elements, however, are simply annoying! hahaha

The level design seemed balanced to me. The levels are easy to complete, the challenge lies in the bosses and collectibles that are scattered throughout – those are the ones that bring the challenge – but it’s not mandatory to get all items to finish the stage.
You have the freedom to choose which stage to play and if you want, you can go back and try for a time attack or to grab the remaining items.

Replayability and Game Retention

The game has a light atmosphere due to the freedom to choose stages and return to them, making it easy to pick up casually without any problems.