As one of many earliest animated characters courting again to the silent movie period, Felix the Cat’s reputation has waxed and waned over the many years. His allure, although, continues to endure past his centenary. He stands out as the solely cartoon mascot older than Mickey Mouse to have additionally tried their hand on the Super Mario Bros. components in a side-scrolling platformer, too.
Originally revealed by Hudson Software in 1992, Felix’s foray into video video games got here comparatively late within the Nintendo Entertainment System’s (NES) lifespan alongside a closely condensed port on the Game Boy. The titles are properly remembered by those that performed them however have fallen into relative obscurity and now fetch eye-watering sums on the second-hand market.
You are tasked with guiding the grinning black cat via 9 worlds and a number of levels in a bid to rescue Kitty, the damsel in misery, from a maniacal mad scientist, the Professor, and his underlings, all characters from the 1958-60 television show that additionally appeared within the 1991 direct to video film which the sport seems to be loosely primarily based round.
In a boon for sport preservation, each the console and handheld variations of Felix the Cat have come to the Switch as a set developed by Limited Run Games and revealed by Konami, present homeowners of Hudson and its IP. Equipped with save state and rewind options, that is the definitive method to revisit these video games. But with the cost of entry at $24.99 MSRP, it’s a tough promote.
Hindsight additionally exhibits Felix the Cat falls in need of the vaunted heights of its inspirations. It liberally incorporates tropes from the Super Mario Bros. collection however lacks platforming finesse, and is eclipsed by 1993’s Kirby’s Adventure, with each video games constructed round beginner-friendly approachability and the enjoyable of discovering character transformations.
With a bag of tips in hand, Felix is ready to conjure autos like a tank, aircraft, and submarine and even journey a dolphin. Levels take place on dry land, some within the air, and others on or beneath water. Despite the shaken-up gameplay mechanics such totally different environments would normally suggest, every of Felix the Cat’s ranges feels comparatively related and recycled.
Felix’s motion leaves a lot to be desired and may be imprecise in sure autos. Level designs and boss fights are scantly iterated upon with little further problem or extra intelligent enemy behaviours as you progress. Some levels provide verticality with Balloon Fight-style controls requiring you to mash the soar button to manoeuvre and keep afloat.
As a sport largely meant for kids, it presents particularly low issue, even in its again half. You can simply dispense with cooker-cutter enemies with a single hit from a spring-loaded boxing glove. Hearts seem when Felix collects ten of the generously allotted cash emblazoned together with his face all through levels, powering up his talents for a restricted time.
In his most basic kind, Felix has restricted vary and might lose a life with one contact of an enemy. But with a coronary heart, he places on a prime hat and dispenses deadly razzle-dazzle in all instructions. Further hearts put him in a car that adjustments relying on the stage, affording a extra ample attack vary. Any enemy contact leads to Felix reverting to his previous kind and its capability.
Collecting 100 Felix faces grants an additional life, with the bag of tips itself serving as a stand-in for inexperienced warp pipes that deliver you to hidden rooms with loot. Despite altering up environments, talents, and methods to manoeuvre, one way or the other Felix the Cat manages to supply solely extra of the identical all through its quick and breezy marketing campaign.
While serviceable from begin to end, the shortage of inventiveness in its degree design, lack of great problem, and repetitive gameplay started to grate across the midway mark. That stated, the NES marketing campaign may be overwhelmed in an hour, whereas the Game Boy model performs like what’s it: a simplified monochromatic port with greater than half of its ranges minimize.
To its credit score, the colorful 8-bit environments and clear consideration to element — the titular feline falling asleep if the controller is left idle in a single space — are endearing. There is evident reverence for the supply materials that shines via, and the useful rewind function on this bundle undoes a deadly soar or enemy encounter and spares you from any useless frustration.
Holding down the ‘ZL’ set off sends the gameplay into reverse with a black-and-white overlay in a considerate nod to Felix’s pioneering animations of the Twenties. Game development may be saved on the fly from the pause menu, although there is just one save state per title at a time. There’s an non-compulsory yellow border and no others to select from.
Conclusion
NES lovers, dad and mom searching for an approachable retro sport for his or her youngsters, and anybody with nostalgic sentiments towards Felix the Cat will discover one thing to take pleasure in right here – all the higher if it’s on sale. This comparatively sparse bundle boasts little else than two variations of the identical hour-long, three-decade-old sport, making it onerous to justify at its full value level.
