Move over Mario – Neko is on a Rescue Tale

There’s only so much you can do with a side-scrolling platformer and the vast majority of those that release in the modern era will have no doubt be inspired by the magic of the Mario games of yesteryear. None more so than Neko Rescue Tale. 

Available to purchase and download right now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, Neko Rescue Tale very much feels like a Mario clone, just switching out our favourite moustached plumber for a little cat, and changing up the usual ‘bounce to kill’ with a ‘pounce to kill’ attitude. 

Priced at £4.19 with a launch discount dropping it down initially to a mere £3.35, Neko Rescue Tale comes from the prolific publishing team at Eastasiasoft, a group who fill the Xbox Store on a weekly basis. It’s been put together and created by Yume Game Studio though as they place players in the paws of a little kitty on the hunt for their lost feline friend. 

We’ve watched the trailer that accompanies this one and can’t get early Mario vibes out of our head. This is side-scrolling platform heaven and in order to hunt down your long lost companion, you’ll be found jumping, running and pouncing across the screen. Traps await, pitfalls sit and a host of enemies and foes will get in your way. But as anyone knows, a simple bottom bounce – or pounce in this case – is usually more than enough to shift them away. 

Neko Rescue Tale is certainly full of nostalgia, but it’s also fairly hefty in terms of content, with some sixty stages headlining the key feature set…

• Run, jump and claw your way through 60 retro pixel art stages!
• Traverse nostalgic seasonally themed environments.
• Avoid traps like spinning saw blades and spike balls.
• Encounter deadly snakes, slugs, seagulls and more!
• Pounce on enemies or swipe at them.
• Replay cleared stages and retry new ones as many times as it takes!

We’ll run a review of Neko Rescue Tale in the coming days, but for now head over to the Xbox Store to grab a download of the game on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S (optimised). It’s sitting pretty on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch too. 

Game Description:

Scurry through the seasons in search of your lost feline friend! A little kitty’s friend has gone missing, and it’s up to you to guide the frisky feline to rescue them! Presented in side-scrolling pixel art style, Neko Rescue Tale is a traditional action platformer where you guide a heroic cat through seasonally themed stages filled with enemies, traps, pitfalls and more. Run, jump and always land on your feet!