The NES was home to many titles considered to be classics, tons of "must plays", "best games of all time," and "essentials" in its catalog, but in my humble opinion, most of them have not survived the test of time.
Sure, I appreciate what games like Zelda, Final Fantasy or Castlevania, among many others, achieved back then and how they paved the way for the future of gaming as a whole, but i wouldn't exactly call them "fun."
This is mostly because they are usually full of unfun stuff, tons of cryptic puzzles, unpolished mechanics, inconsistent hitboxes, hours of tedious grinding and artificial difficulty to make up for their short duration, You know the drill, I know you do.
Rockin' Kats It's nothing like that, it's very simple, straight-forward, and, more importantly: fun. And it's fun because the boxing glove gun can be used to push away enemies, being used as a grappling hook, shooting it on the ground to give you a boost jump, all sorts of stuff. It makes the best out of such a simple mechanic, and it implements it in original ways to the point where the gimmick never feels old.
The game is also full of charisma, with incredibly charming animations that give the characters a lot of personality, great music and a level design that tries its hardest to push the game's limited resources to their full potential. I had a blast with it, and I would recommend it to anyone who liked Bionic Commando, the Umihara Kawase series, or just someone who wants to try something completely new.
My only complaint is that the last level it's just a big boss rush, and I don't think the game needed it, especially since some of them drag for a little too long and fighting them for a second time is just a hassle. A longer, more challenging level that made use of it unique mechanics would have elevated this game's rating to a 5 stars for me.
Other than that, yeah, definitely go play Rockin' Kats any way you can; it certainly rocks.
Sure, I appreciate what games like Zelda, Final Fantasy or Castlevania, among many others, achieved back then and how they paved the way for the future of gaming as a whole, but i wouldn't exactly call them "fun."
This is mostly because they are usually full of unfun stuff, tons of cryptic puzzles, unpolished mechanics, inconsistent hitboxes, hours of tedious grinding and artificial difficulty to make up for their short duration, You know the drill, I know you do.
Rockin' Kats It's nothing like that, it's very simple, straight-forward, and, more importantly: fun. And it's fun because the boxing glove gun can be used to push away enemies, being used as a grappling hook, shooting it on the ground to give you a boost jump, all sorts of stuff. It makes the best out of such a simple mechanic, and it implements it in original ways to the point where the gimmick never feels old.
The game is also full of charisma, with incredibly charming animations that give the characters a lot of personality, great music and a level design that tries its hardest to push the game's limited resources to their full potential. I had a blast with it, and I would recommend it to anyone who liked Bionic Commando, the Umihara Kawase series, or just someone who wants to try something completely new.
My only complaint is that the last level it's just a big boss rush, and I don't think the game needed it, especially since some of them drag for a little too long and fighting them for a second time is just a hassle. A longer, more challenging level that made use of it unique mechanics would have elevated this game's rating to a 5 stars for me.
Other than that, yeah, definitely go play Rockin' Kats any way you can; it certainly rocks.