Cat Stretch: Of Course It Lands On Its Feet… It’s A Cat!
Cat Stretch is a fun addition to the platforming/action genre, often surprising with its depth and variety. The premise is that you play as a cat, with the supernatural ability to stretch its neck to a very long length, and defeat enemies in the level by jumping on them or by butting them with its head, and as the game progresses, levels take place in very different locales.
Cat Stretch’s graphics are cartoonish, colorful, and reminiscent of the 16-bit era of video games, but it may be a good thing. The most popular games of that era were the Mario games from Nintendo, and anyone who grew up playing the Mario games will appreciate Cat Stretch for what it is: a platformer meant to remind the player of the games of the ‘90s. It is also worth noting that the levels have very different backgrounds, enemies, and mechanics, leading to a wealth of different environments to play in, something that adds to the fun of the game.
Sound and music in this game, however, are fairly forgettable. The background music is almost nonexistent, and the sound effects consist of only a few different tones. It’s too bad, as there are many different ways that they could have added to the game this way.
The controls in Cat Stretch are simple but they work well once you get used to them. Arrow keys are used to move around, and X and C are used to head-butt the enemies you meet and jump, respectively. These controls allow you to move around in ways that are appropriate for the game, although it is somewhat confusing to have the jump and attack buttons so close to each other.
The best thing about Cat Stretch is the gameplay and the level design. Many of the levels are worth playing several times over just to see all of them and experience every nook and cranny of the level to see what the designers intended. This makes the replay value skyrocket, since you can replay the levels to find hidden items and areas that you may have missed the first time around, and makes the overall experience a much better one than it might have been otherwise. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed the Mario series, especially people who grew up in the Super Nintendo era and remember that system fondly.
Cat Stretch:
Graphics – 4/5
Sound/Music – 1/5
Controls – 3/5
Replayability – 4/5
Gameplay – 5/5
Overall – 3/5