If you wish to create a cool character, put them in an eyepatch. It’s foolproof. The primary character is a ginger cat with a crossbow, which is ok and all, however it’s the eyepatch that basically ties the look collectively.
Other than the effortlessly cool predominant character, the remainder of Catacomb Grasp is by the numbers. It’s a price range puzzle-platformer that may final you barely greater than an hour, scattering its achievements like confetti within the opening few ranges. Nothing about it’s new or significantly attention-grabbing, however it does us the courtesy of presenting the same-old-same-old somewhat properly.
There’s no story, so that you’re left guessing about what’s taking place. We’d recommend that Eyepatch Cat is in it for the spoils, and is the Catacomb Grasp of the title. They’re raiding a dungeon for gems, however that places them on a direct course with a dragon, big and ghost (the sport’s bosses), in addition to 42 ranges of platform-puzzling.
Eyepatch Cat has some strikes to assist them full this mission. They will carry out that puzzle-platformer staple, the block-push, creating platforms and ridding paths of blockages. Extra importantly, they’ve a crossbow, and the weapon is a Swiss Military knife by way of what it will possibly do. It might kill worms, bats and deathknights in a single or two pictures; it will possibly lodge bolts into partitions that offer you a useful leg-up; and it will possibly reduce ropes, inflicting pushable blocks to fall from the sky. It’s crucial for finishing every stage.
The purpose is to achieve the door, which brings you to the following of the 42 ranges. Confusingly, the door appears similar to the one you step out from, so keep watch over that. If you happen to’re not paying consideration, it’s potential to neglect which door you’re aiming for. Reaching the door is all that Catacomb Grasp calls for from you: there aren’t any collectibles to gather or sub-objectives. Simply get to the exit.
The degrees aren’t massively difficult. Little nubbins on the ground cease you from pushing blocks the place they shouldn’t be pushed, decreasing the variety of methods you may fail. Enemies are principally killed by a single bolt. And every part matches on a single-screen, leaving you few alternatives to get caught or order issues incorrectly. If you happen to wished a check from Catacomb Grasp, you then gained’t get it. You’ll must deal with this as a psychological warm-up, a leisurely jog to your gray matter, somewhat than one thing that has you reaching for a walkthrough video.
The issue graph takes a slight jolt upward relating to the bosses, which additionally characterize the few moments the place Catacomb Grasp innovates. As a result of the bosses aren’t a single stage: they’re a number of. They preside over a sequence of three or 4 ranges, tossing obstacles in your approach as you attempt to go about your corporation. Contemplating they’re dragons, giants and ghosts, they’re not more than nuisances, however they do make you consider multiple factor directly.
The dragon slides facet to facet, dropping down fireballs, whereas the large slams the ground, inflicting rocks to fall. In the meantime, you’re shuffling the identical blocks and forming the identical paths to the exit. To be trustworthy, we discovered these ranges fairly endearing. Positive, if Skyrim’s dragons had been as straightforward as those in Catacomb Grasp, we’d have died an entire lot much less. However the thought of a boss supervising a number of ranges, somewhat than one, and principally being the Donkey Kong on the prime of the extent, is a neat one.
And the degrees are rigorously designed. Whereas they echo different puzzle-platformers that we’ve performed up to now, there’s the odd structure that we admire. It could be a exact shot that’s wanted to sever a rope, or an answer that required us to work the corners of the room. It’s very succesful, which feels like a back-handed praise however we imply it properly.
For £4.19, Catacomb Grasp just isn’t a foul deal. You get one, possibly two hours of leisurely platforming and puzzle-solving, with 1000 Gamerscore in your pocket earlier than you’ve gotten comfy on the couch. It gained’t supply something near a problem, however so long as you’ve mentally calibrated for a way straightforward it’s, then we’d be stunned in case you regretted shopping for it. Plus you get to spend a while with Eyepatch Cat.
