Super Catboy | Steam Deck Review
Full disclosure: I was provided a code vicariously through Grant Henry, who provided multiple tracks of music in Super Catboy. Grant is a personal friend of The Gaming Outsider who has composed and performed all of the music for our podcast. I try to review games as unbiased as possible regardless of any extraneous connection I have to any part of the game’s development. With that said, I felt the need to share this info before my review, just in case any words I say, good or bad, might be considered as unfair critique. Now that that’s out of the way, on with the review!
I was a teenager in the 90s, and one thing stands out very well in my video game brain from that era: video games based on licensed properties. They were everywhere on the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis and plenty of other platforms. Many were cash grabs honing in on the universal love of whatever film or TV show was hot at the moment. Most weren’t super high quality, but gave you just enough of a taste of something else you loved. If you’re at all nostalgic for games like this, then Super Catboy from developer Pixelpogo might be what you’re looking for. If you’re searching for anything more than a trip down memory lane, then there’s not much here for you.
The Way Back Machine
Super Catboy isn’t based on any property that I’m familiar with. Unless I’m mistaken, this is a fresh story with its own set of characters. For “reasons” explained in the opening cut scene with visuals, Catboy appears to be have been some kind of genetically-engineered creature. He crash lands on Earth, and a young girl armed with multiple firearms stumbles across them. The pair decide to team up to thwart the evil plot of a nefarious, mustache-twirling villain.
That’s it. That’s the plot. If Pixelpogo was going for nostalgia with this narrative, they nailed it. I almost feel a bit guilty being critical, since that seems to be the intended draw for this game. Personally, it did very little for me. What made these games fun in my younger years was the attachment to some other property. As a teenager, I was able to look past the mediocre mechanics and simple designs because I was playing as my favorite heroes. It didn’t matter. I have no attachment to Catboy, so his wafer-thin story did very little for me.
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One
Super Catboy‘s gameplay is also very reminiscent of the 16-bit era of games, but not the ones I think of most fondly. The majority of the game consists of 2D platforming sections. Catboy has a combo melee attack as well as a handgun with limited ammo. As you’d expect, you’ll find more ammo dropped by defeated enemies, along with tuna cans for health regeneration. You can even jump on the heads of baddies, who by the way take the form of canines walking around on their hind legs. There’s nothing here to rewrite the book on game mechanics. And it doesn’t need to be anything else. It’s clear the developers wanted to tap into nostalgia more than anything else.
Even the dialogue feels like it’s straight from the 90s. Sure, it’s all text-based, but you can feel the corny jokes even with no voice acting. The character avatars are animated in such a way that bring back memories of classic cartoons as well. It really feels as if I’m playing a game developed from my childhood. Unfortunately, I need a bit more than nostalgia-adjacent to really appreciate what’s done here.
There are other gameplay elements peppered in here and there, but most feel like mini games more than anything else. One section has you riding on the back of a motorcycle attacking enemies as they fly by. Another briefly has you playing a brawler. There are even bosses that require simple pattern memorization and patience to take down.
Super Catboy Final Verdict
If I sound like I’m being overly critical, I truly don’t mean to sound harsh. If the developers wanted to give me a game from the past that was made today, they nailed it. For the price point, it’s a decent trip down memory lane. I found myself looking for the credits around the halfway mark, however. It’s cute, and I appreciate the effort, but it’s not a game I’m clamoring to revisit any time soon, if ever again. For me, I need actual attachment to trigger my nostalgia. This one simply attempted to scratch an itch I didn’t have.
To hear me talk more about Super Catboy, be sure to listen to our August 23rd episode of The Gaming Outsider Podcast.
This review is based on a Steam copy of Super Catboy provided by Vicarious PR for coverage purposes. It is also available on GOG.
Super Catboy
$9.99
Pros
- True-To-Era Gameplay
- Throwback Graphics
Cons
- Repetitive Gameplay
- Throwaway Story
- Corny Dialogue
- The Fun is "Marginally OK"
