So Middle-Of-The-Road That It’s Roadkill
Nothing gives me writer’s block more than games like Little Cat The Lost Key. It’s my kryptonite: a game that’s so utterly unremarkable, I struggle to pinpoint something bad or great. It brings to mind Futurama quotes from the Neutral Zone: “I have no strong feelings, one way or the other” and “all I know is my gut says maybe”.
Deep breath, I can do this. There must be something worth talking about in Little Cat The Lost Key…
Time To State The Obvious
Little Cat The Lost Key is a platform game. Being a budget platform game, that means discrete one-screen affairs where you have to get from the start to the end. That end is a locked door, so you’re also going to need to pick up a ‘lost’ key on the way.
You play Little Cat, who is indeed little and a cat. The cat is also oddly cubic, making them – at least to our eyes – a little on the ugly side. Which is odd because the rest of the game is so neatly presented. This is not an unattractive game to look at: the levels in particular (in all three of its biomes) are colourful and pleasing to the eye.
A platformer wouldn’t be a platformer without obstacles. Initially, these are enemies. Little Cat The Lost Key has a few of these back-and-forth foes, but they all do (mostly) the same thing. They trundle about, inviting you to bottom-bounce them on the head. One enemy, which looks a lot like a Diglett from Pokemon, burrows under the ground, while another enemy, who looks a lot like a pea-shooter from Plants vs Zombies, fires projectiles if it spots you. But mostly there’s some trundling.
Spikes And Spinning Blades, Oh My!
To start ratcheting up the challenge, Little Cat The Lost Key adds in some hazards. There are platforms that move, platforms that disappear, and platforms that can be dropped through. There are spikes, spikes that raise up and down, and spikes that jut from the wall. There are blades, blades that move up and down, and blades that move left and right. Which is to say that it’s the usual cast of obstacles: nothing more, nothing less.
Our little cat does control rather well. Everything behaves as it should, and there are no collision issues or anything like that. Little Cat even has a dash move, which is consistent and predictable, so you won’t be headbutting any spikes any time soon. The dash works from a standing start, not always a given for indie games. Which is nice.
There are no checkpoints because you won’t need them. The levels are short and unchallenging, so you can chomp them down in one bite. The only collectible is the lost key: there are no secrets to find, no star ratings to achieve. Once a level is done, it’s unlikely that you will ever see it again in your life.
Bite-Sized And Budget
There are thirty levels, which is on the low side, even for the price. We binged all of them in just under thirty minutes, and it never hit the sides. If we had to apply a chilli rating to Little Cat The Lost Key’s difficulty, it wouldn’t achieve a single chilli. This is as easy as platforming gets. It’s not even the gaming equivalent of a chicken korma.
Which leaves us at the end of our jog through Little Cat The Lost Key. There really isn’t much more to say. It is competent: it doesn’t trip over itself in terms of controls, presentation or awkwardness. It is buttery smooth, and it’s the greatest praise we can give it.
But it’s also devoid of anything of note. If you were to press me and ask ‘what’s the most unusual thing about Little Cat The Lost Key?’ I would look around in a panic, trying to find an exit. I honestly couldn’t tell you a single remarkable thing about it. Even the title of the game feels like it’s a shrugging, coughed up, half-intelligible phrase.
Wait! There is one thing that’s mildly remarkable about Little Cat The Lost Key. It offers 2000G of achievements, straight out of the gate. Does that count?
Important Links
Little Cat: The Lost Key Pounces Onto Xbox And PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/little-cat-the-lost-key-pounces-onto-xbox-and-pc/
Buy, Optimised for Series X|S – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/little-cat-the-lost-key-xbox-xsx/9PLLX2NV1VZ7/0010
Grab an Xbox One version – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/little-cat-the-lost-key-xbox-one/9N9VDCFXX1R9/0010
Or take home one for PC – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/little-cat-the-lost-key/9P4VRXQH41MS/0010
