Catrap is more than just a game of mind-bending intrigue and action. Be the architect of the underground labyrinth and make your own games of intricate mazes. But watch it! Every maze has monsters patrolling the depths of the labyrinth. Help Catgirl and Catboy push around huge blocks to bridge a path to yet another maze, or topple a block a few stories over the pursuing monsters. If you make a mistake, simply use the rewind function and travel back in time to correct it. With 100 mazes in this labyrinth, it will be quite a challenge to get out of the curse's reach. Whether you choose to be a maze builder or a maze solver, we know you can help Catboy and Catgirl land on their feet.
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Lo conocí gracias a un cartucho de gameboy que tenía muchos juegos dentro, de todos ellos este fue el que más me llamó la atención. Juego muy entretenido de puzzles. La música también me parecía curiosa, sobre todo cuando tenías que rebobinar.
Sokoban for cute anime cat girls. The rewind function on a Game Boy was probably the coolest thing you could do in 1990.
If you play this game you're automatically inducted in to a secret club of the coolest gamers online.
Um excelente jogo de puzzle para Gameboy, vai de fases fáceis à níveis ultra difíceis. Tem uma ferramenta no próprio jogo em que você pode criar seus próprios puzzles, lembro que quando criança, passava horas criando meus próprios níveis.
bought this on 3ds on a whim once upon a time, i think it was actually 2 bucks. it alright
Known as Pitman in Japan, Catrap is a puzzle platform game first released on the Sharp MZ-700 computer in 1985 and later developed for the Nintendo Game Boy by Asmik in 1990.
I have played Catrap for many hours having first stumbled upon it as a child.
The following sample is taken from the Design Analysis Spotlight article I did on Catrap for GBSC. You can read the full article via my website (link in Profile):
~~~
Have you ever found yourself jumping into a brand new game, only to find that the tutorials within are so lengthy and word heavy that all the wind has been taken out of your sails before you had a chance to really dive in?
Conveying the ‘how to play’ information for any game can easily become bogged down in long winded text boxes and time consuming step by step, hand holding exercises. It’s a common problem in game design, and a difficult one to solve. And while some genres will always lend themselves to relatively more complex control schemes and game mechanics than others, when it comes to the humble tutorial, there are some things to keep in mind to ensure your game doesn’t weigh itself down so much that it ends up sinking.
Back when games came packaged in cardboard boxes, complete with detailed instruction manuals, game designers didn’t necessarily need to worry about in-game tutorials. Players were expected to do a little light reading before they switched on the game, pressed start and were sent on their merry way. With the rise of digital downloads (and I like to think a little consideration for environmental conservation), the industry shifted away from the paper instruction manual and has been solving the problem of in-game tutorials ever since. In this respect, there is one game that was well ahead of the curve. Catrap not only doesn’t require you to sit down and read through a manual before playing, its in-game tutorials elegantly teach you the rules of play without a single word!
End of article Sample.
~~~
Because of its elegant tutorial design and excellent puzzle design in general, Catrap is one of the best puzzlers you will find in the licensed DMG Game Boy library.
There are 100 puzzles in total, the first 99 of which you can access from the outset, with the option to complete them in any order. The 100th puzzle is unlocked when you complete the previous 99 (don't worry, there is a password system to keep track of your progress). I will say I still haven't completed all 100 puzzles. I find some of the latter puzzles to be overly convoluted and "too big for their own good".
There is a fully realized, highly polished puzzle creating tool built in to the game, a feature I personally feel is well ahead of its time. It's a great time challenging your friends to a puzzle of your own creation.
Catrap is a fantastic retro puzzle game and one that is particularly near and dear to my heart despite the sometimes frustrating late game puzzle design. It even has a move undo function that remembers your last 100 moves or something crazy like that. Quite a nice feature for a puzzle game made in 1990 for the GB. It's well worth checking out.
If you find yourself wanting more Catrap puzzle action, Matt Hughson created a kind of spiritual successor Catrap Clone if you will in "Witch n' Wiz" for the NES in 2022. Complete with all new mechanics built off the excellent foundation that is Catraps central 2D sukoban-esque push mechanic, you are sure to find something special there, too.
I have played Catrap for many hours having first stumbled upon it as a child.
The following sample is taken from the Design Analysis Spotlight article I did on Catrap for GBSC. You can read the full article via my website (link in Profile):
~~~
Have you ever found yourself jumping into a brand new game, only to find that the tutorials within are so lengthy and word heavy that all the wind has been taken out of your sails before you had a chance to really dive in?
Conveying the ‘how to play’ information for any game can easily become bogged down in long winded text boxes and time consuming step by step, hand holding exercises. It’s a common problem in game design, and a difficult one to solve. And while some genres will always lend themselves to relatively more complex control schemes and game mechanics than others, when it comes to the humble tutorial, there are some things to keep in mind to ensure your game doesn’t weigh itself down so much that it ends up sinking.
Back when games came packaged in cardboard boxes, complete with detailed instruction manuals, game designers didn’t necessarily need to worry about in-game tutorials. Players were expected to do a little light reading before they switched on the game, pressed start and were sent on their merry way. With the rise of digital downloads (and I like to think a little consideration for environmental conservation), the industry shifted away from the paper instruction manual and has been solving the problem of in-game tutorials ever since. In this respect, there is one game that was well ahead of the curve. Catrap not only doesn’t require you to sit down and read through a manual before playing, its in-game tutorials elegantly teach you the rules of play without a single word!
End of article Sample.
~~~
Because of its elegant tutorial design and excellent puzzle design in general, Catrap is one of the best puzzlers you will find in the licensed DMG Game Boy library.
There are 100 puzzles in total, the first 99 of which you can access from the outset, with the option to complete them in any order. The 100th puzzle is unlocked when you complete the previous 99 (don't worry, there is a password system to keep track of your progress). I will say I still haven't completed all 100 puzzles. I find some of the latter puzzles to be overly convoluted and "too big for their own good".
There is a fully realized, highly polished puzzle creating tool built in to the game, a feature I personally feel is well ahead of its time. It's a great time challenging your friends to a puzzle of your own creation.
Catrap is a fantastic retro puzzle game and one that is particularly near and dear to my heart despite the sometimes frustrating late game puzzle design. It even has a move undo function that remembers your last 100 moves or something crazy like that. Quite a nice feature for a puzzle game made in 1990 for the GB. It's well worth checking out.
If you find yourself wanting more Catrap puzzle action, Matt Hughson created a kind of spiritual successor Catrap Clone if you will in "Witch n' Wiz" for the NES in 2022. Complete with all new mechanics built off the excellent foundation that is Catraps central 2D sukoban-esque push mechanic, you are sure to find something special there, too.