Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360/PC (Windows)
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Krome Studios
Publisher: Atari
Release: 22 September 2010
Rating: Teen
Price: $10
Blade Kitten is a side-scrolling platformer based on a webcomic of the same name. It's mostly standard stuff, but there are two twists to make it different: the protagonist Kat can climb walls and ceilings, and her weapon can move independently of her. These ideas don't quite mesh, but manage to create an interesting experience.
The levels are mostly linear, but there is a bit of Metroidvania*-style exploration via the two aforementioned features, so you can find hidden items and money. Unlike most games of that style, there's no real backtracking, which keeps the levels fresh.
The control can be rather floaty at times, and you're going to want a gamepad for the PC version, but it's not bad enough to be deal-breaking. The game is also really easy: Kit's health regenerates when you're not fighting, and there's no limit to your number of lives (unlimited lives is always an appreciated feature, though).
While Blade Kitten is very hit-or-miss, it's amusing, and it tries some new things in an industry that's become increasingly stagnant in recent years.
The game is available in the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Arcade, and on Steam, for $10.Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.
--Kotaro
*For those uninformed, the term "Metroidvania" refers to the exploration-heavy gameplay style of the Metroid series and the Castlevania series (post-Symphony of the Night).
Showing posts with label krome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label krome. Show all posts
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Krome Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release: 10 September 2002
Rating: Everyone
Price: $3-5
Usually when I go back and play a game from my childhood, I turn it off in just a few minutes and say "I used to like this?" That's never really happened with Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. I have always been fond of a good 3D platformer, and Ty delivers. It's flawed, yes, but still a good time. The plot is cliche, and the characters shallow, but the setting is really nice; it actually feels like Australia, despite being highly fictionalized. Your main weapon is even a pair of boomerangs.
There's a rather cheesy humor throughout, which, while juvenile, manages to keep the game lighthearted and amusing. And sometimes all you want is a lighthearted romp in between other, darker games.
The gameplay is not without its flaws. Some of the puzzles leave you wondering how exactly a kid was supposed to figure them out, while others are no challenge at all. Combat can be frustrating, since a missed throw leaves you without your boomerang until it comes back (you can still bite, but it's somewhat unreliable). And there is a certain enemy which can only be hurt by a certain kind of boomerang, but is thrown at you right up until the end of the game, long after you have obtained more powerful boomerangs, leaving you mashing the button to change 'rangs until you get the one you need.
Despite its flaws, though, Ty is a decent game that speaks to the child in all of us. Besides, it will only cost you $3 on the GameCube or PlayStation2, and $5 on the Xbox.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.
--Kotaro
Developer: Krome Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release: 10 September 2002
Rating: Everyone
Price: $3-5
Usually when I go back and play a game from my childhood, I turn it off in just a few minutes and say "I used to like this?" That's never really happened with Ty the Tasmanian Tiger. I have always been fond of a good 3D platformer, and Ty delivers. It's flawed, yes, but still a good time. The plot is cliche, and the characters shallow, but the setting is really nice; it actually feels like Australia, despite being highly fictionalized. Your main weapon is even a pair of boomerangs.
There's a rather cheesy humor throughout, which, while juvenile, manages to keep the game lighthearted and amusing. And sometimes all you want is a lighthearted romp in between other, darker games.
The gameplay is not without its flaws. Some of the puzzles leave you wondering how exactly a kid was supposed to figure them out, while others are no challenge at all. Combat can be frustrating, since a missed throw leaves you without your boomerang until it comes back (you can still bite, but it's somewhat unreliable). And there is a certain enemy which can only be hurt by a certain kind of boomerang, but is thrown at you right up until the end of the game, long after you have obtained more powerful boomerangs, leaving you mashing the button to change 'rangs until you get the one you need.
Despite its flaws, though, Ty is a decent game that speaks to the child in all of us. Besides, it will only cost you $3 on the GameCube or PlayStation2, and $5 on the Xbox.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.
--Kotaro
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