The Internet is full of videos and pictures of cats eating everything from corn to watermelon, and it's all pretty adorable. But you don't often get to meet a cat so dedicated to gastronomy that it will travel around the world to taste as many different delicacies as possible; and when you do, you should take some time to help it achieve its goals.
In Cat Around Asia, by Alma Games, we meet our feline friend for the third time, after Cat Around the World and Cat Around Europe. You'll travel through six countries, from Turkey to Malaysia, and play five levels in each country. The goal is to get the food to reach the impatient kitty via various physics puzzles. It's a good thing that the kitty is fussy and will only eat round food (much easier to play with a dumpling than Peking duck). Use your mouse to click on different elements and try to get all three stars on your way. The levels are straightforward, well structured and, most of all, a lot of fun. Compared to the previous title, Cat Around Asia is more versatile – the stages are bigger, there are new props, and the game feels more polished in general. Add a mouse and a cycling monkey, and the whole thing would be weirdly reminiscent of an Incredible Machine spin-off.
Cat Around Asia isn't groundbreaking, but it's entertaining and clever, which makes it a nice afternoon diversion. Plus the kitty meows in the most endearing way.
I played the game fur 9 lives straight and found it almost purrfect.
Clever details, good puzzles, quite polished. I liked it, mostly. My favorite detail was that the crayfish would close its eye when shocked.
I say "mostly" because there is still a glaring downside lacking in this game: the themes are meaningless.
If you look at themed physics puzzles, say, Cut the Rope, each theme will bring to it a unique twist or device that complements the theme.
I know these comments aren't really looked at for feedback by developers, but here's what I would SERIOUSLY consider for the next game.
- Material change with each theme: right now there is wood and there is glass. The glass is alright, but the wood could change to suit the theme. Bamboo in Thailand? Sandstone in China?
- Devices unique to the theme. What about a barrier in India made out of a charmed snake? Or a bamboo spikes instead of the generic electricity in China?
The point is, the game itself still feels very generic, and the theme is irrelevant. IF you're going to go through the trouble of putting a theme in at all, really DO it.
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