Developer: Digital Tentacle
Publisher: Hidden trap
Platforms: Switch
Tested on: Switch
Captain Cat – Review
Fish are a cat’s favorite food, so some want to take matters into their own hands. Captain Cat is a fisherman trying to get some snacks but he’s having problems finding the aforementioned snacks. The anchor of his ship, which serves as his fishing line, needs to do mighty lengths to finally get to the meal, which means it needs some guidance. Are you up to the task of becoming an anchor-distributor?
Story
If you were hoping to get a story to guide you through the game, you’ll be quite disappointed. The only bit of information you get is that the fish are laughing with our feline captain and that it’s your task to help Captain Cat to guide the anchor to the hidden sea animal. Nothing more or nothing less. Being an arcade-like game, it might be logical that there isn’t much background but it would make it feel less mobile-oriented.
Graphics
Being on the ocean all the time, expect to see a lot of blue on your screen. The developers chose to go for a more comical style, resulting in rather fun moments. The background changes a bit with each level and there are two different worlds to discover. Each of the obstacles or collectibles stand out in this blue oasis and the different kinds of fish all have colorful patterns so they splash from your screen. The animations are smooth, which is necessary if you want your anchor to arrive at its destination in one piece.
Sound
Having a cat as the main character means that this is having its influence on the music as well. The main theme is … rather special as a cat-like raspy voice is making noises on the sound which resembles a lot like a cat singing. It certainly fits the theme well. The track used during the levels is always the same and looped fast, making it a bit annoying. The sound effects make up for it though, as the variety of available ambiance gives it that bit extra. Expect some comical tunes that brighten the game up quite a bit.
Gameplay
Captain Fish is an arcade kind of game where you need to guide your anchor to your fresh food while collecting a variety of items along the way. Of course, next to collectibles there are also hazards and other obstacles on the way that can interfere with your quest, which will be discussed later.
You have limited space where you can place your boat, but you can reposition yourself anywhere in this small area. To move around the anchor, you will have to time your actions precisely. The object is swinging quite heavily and whenever you press the right button, it will stop and move down in that direction. The longer you press the button, the farther the rope will move down. Whenever you let go, the anchor will start swinging again, giving you the chance to change directions and make turns. If you get too close to a wall or you hit something else, the anchor will break and you will need to start over again. There are times you are able to bend the rules a bit, as you can get power-ups that will make it possible to smash through walls or other objects, or by following the current, you’re able to get to different locations. The same happens with the warp-holes, which are … strangely enough, scattered on the seabed.
You can open a second world, filled with different snacks if you collect enough stars. At the beginning of the level, you can see on the right what you need to do in order to earn them. First of all, you have to collect a certain amount of coins (or treasure chests) while traveling downwards. The second requirement is the number of turns you take before getting to the meal and the third one is the time you take to get there. This last one can be a bit tricky with the obstacles on your way. For example, some levels have eels that will bite through your line if you move past them, while sea urchins tend to increase in size whenever they see that anchor getting closer. That and more make the level a lot harder to pass.
Next to the levels, you can also play ‘perfect’ or ‘infinite’. In the first option, you only have one shot of hitting the target, while the latter will give you a bottomless pit where you need to get down as fast as possible as piranhas are getting closer by the second.
Although Captain Cat has a few gameplay options, it still feels more like a mobile game. It doesn’t bring much value to the Switch as you might close it down rather sooner than later as it’s played best in short bursts.
Conclusion
Captain Cat is an arcade-like game where you need to fish for your snacks. The anchor has a mind of its own so you’ll need to guide it downwards. If you want to be able to venture to a new world, you’ll need to get some stars so keep that in mind whenever you tackle a new level. The graphics are fun and the music fits the idea of the game, although it tends to repeat rather fast. Gameplay-wise, there are a few things to keep in mind but it still feels more like a mobile game than a modern Switch title.
Captain Cat - Review,
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