Lines of sight.

The trajectory of your projectiles is the key to your victory as coconuts ricochet from your target to form robot-busting combos. It is thus possible to clear each screen with one neatly aimed shot giving a score of three out of three bananas, and a selection of bonus levels are only unlocked by completing all stages in this fashion. A line of sight helps with your shot targeting by revealing the path your coconut will take even after it rebounds from multiple targets.  It soon proves to be an essential concession to the player, especially when you are up against moving targets and yet others which blink in and out of visibility.  It can prove to be a frustrating exercise to score maximum points here, as not only do you have to find the essential trajectory, but you also have to time it precisely.  The variables of trajectory and timing when combined with moving targets and briefly invisible enemies are soon vastly multiplied.  Fortunately, there is an icon on the top left of the screen which enables you to restart the level quickly, but you’ll soon be pulling your hair or virtual fur out in frustration.  Ultimately, whilst the game mechanic is similar to a Bubble-Puzzle style shooter, if you set your heart on unlocking the extra levels you will have to focus more on skill shots. Whilst it can be played more casually, for fun, you won’t be unlocking those bonus levels.

Never underestimate a coconut.

The sound and music in the game are incredibly lively, setting a fun and atmospheric tone for the proceedings, and I found the graphics reminiscent of my Amiga gaming days playing Toki. The animations are also full of nuanced detail and character. The game is ideally suited towards casual play with each stage only taking a short amount of time to play. The later stages  pack a real challenge for players that wish to unlock the bonus levels.

Currently, gamers can only play this as a lite version, available now for free on the app store. If the developers hear positive feedback, they have agreed to develop the game further.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Pushcat is a quirky puzzle game by the UK-based indie development company Zut for the PC platform.  You play the titular feline, negotiating obstacles and pushing matching colored gems into sequences of three to turn them into coins.   Collect a certain number of coins and you can exit the level via a cat flap unlocking more levels.  Collect a higher amount of coins to earn a star, collect enough stars and you unlock the next world.  It’s basically a Boulder Dash /Bejeweled mashup that works surprisingly well.

The game defies the prevailing design simplicity of the many puzzlers out there,  inviting you to revel in its chaotically busy (and sometimes sublime) level design, offering towering cascades of multicolored gems.  That is not to say there is no focus or structure to the levels, but their size often makes too much forward thinking impossible.  There is also a sprinkling of more concise, and often rather clever, puzzles to help break up the repetitive play. Along with “boss” type levels at the end of each world, these variations make for a consistent and ever-changing challenge.

Gems and rocks constantly rain down in this stage.

The introductory world highlights the importance of applying a little forethought to your actions, as blindly rushing in can be a sure fire way to feline doom.  Through clever play you can stack the odds strongly in your favor and it’s in the devising of these strategies, as much as the chaotic risk taking, that makes the game such fun to play.    The levels all have a descriptive and gently amusing name, helping to add further character to them.  Each level is subtly different every time you play. While based around a strong design template, the blocks change position slightly and the gem colors vary, making replays that much more interesting.

The mix of Boulder Dash and Bejeweled may appear slightly odd at first, with seemingly incompatible play mechanics. But by changing and adapting some of the fundamental rules of each (i.e falling rocks won’t kill you, but gravity will prevent you pushing gems up) it really makes the mix work.  Each additional world furthers the puzzle dynamic,  introducing bomb blocks, breakable ice blocks, rainbow blocks, multiplying slime and troublesome ghosts.  All of these new additions are well introduced via a couple of introductory stages and provide increasingly refreshing challenges.

Purple slime blocks spread quickly, eating rocks and coins.  Matching rainbow blocks explode into coins.

The sound effects in the game are fine,  I found the music pleasant at first but its loops quickly got grating – it changes with each world but I played with it turned off.  However, after I threw on some of my own music I was soon in a zen state of concentration.  The pixel art graphics are lovely and, whilst I wish there were a few more HUD elements to display the number of rocks and gems left, there is precious little to complain about.  I did miss the change world option though (its at the bottom of the screen in the level select stages), as I’d more instinctively moved the level select highlighter to the left, trying to get back to previous worlds in order to back pedal and pick up some easier stars.  However, I only noticed it after I completed the game.

Overall Pushcat is, as is much indie treasure, a charmingly-hewn, multifaceted pleasure.  I’ve not had my Boulder Dash fix for many years and this was a pleasant experience, one, even on my completion that I have returned to.  I can’t be much fairer than that.

You can play the demo or buy the game, directly from Zut, for 5 UK pounds, 6 Euros or 8 Dollars here.

Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ 

This games was reviewed using a copy provided by the developer for that purpose.

© 2012 – 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.