June 4, 2021
TIKIPOD

ASTRO AQUA KITTY

Astro Aqua Kitty is a super-fun shooter, with great audio and visuals along with fluid gameplay and spot-on action. There are a lot of options to keep even the fussiest player happy during this tough but enjoyable undersea adventure. Check it out!

72%Game Brain Score

music, story

gameplay, grinding

85% User Score Based on 44 reviews

Critic Score 78%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $14.99

Buy NowGet on Steam$14.99

Buy NowGet on Xbox Games Store

About

Astro Aqua Kitty is a frenetic shoot-em-up game set in space, where players control a squad of cat pilots in their floating milk miners, battling hostile sea creatures to protect their valuable resource. With a variety of ships, upgrades, and challenges across multiple levels, it offers a thrilling and replayable experience. The game supports local co-op play for up to 4 players, adding to its fun and exciting gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 51 reviews

music11 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

Astro Aqua Kitty features stunning visuals and a charming art style, creating an engaging underwater world filled with cute characters.
The gameplay combines traditional shoot-em-up mechanics with RPG elements, allowing for weapon upgrades and character customization that enhance replayability.
The game has a well-crafted soundtrack that complements the gameplay, providing an enjoyable audio experience throughout.

The difficulty curve can be frustrating, with later levels becoming tedious due to bullet sponge enemies and a lack of meaningful upgrades.
Some players find the gameplay repetitive, as the core loop of shooting and collecting items can feel monotonous over time.
The game lacks variety in environments and can feel unbalanced, with some bosses being overly challenging compared to regular enemies.

music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
33%
14%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its engaging and well-composed tracks, featuring a mix of fast-paced techno and retro chip sounds that enhance the overall experience. While some players noted a lack of variety, the soundtrack remains enjoyable and immersive, with many expressing a desire to purchase it separately. Overall, the music is considered a standout aspect, contributing significantly to the game's charm and atmosphere.
- “The music is also very good, featuring some great techno themes that fit every stage as well as every point of the story plot as you progress.”
- “A great retro-styled game with fantastic visuals and a superb chip soundtrack by Electric Cafe, who've worked on other Tikipod releases in the past.”
- “I wasn't expecting much out of the music but wow this soundtrack rocks.”
- “Why can't I buy the soundtrack?”
- “I would not be surprised if the music had been made on an Amiga.”
- “[Huge levels dilute the replayable nature of the gameplay, music doesn’t quite fit with the tone of the game.]”
story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
58%
16%
The game's story is a straightforward yet entertaining journey that evolves from exploration to a climactic battle against an evil entity, featuring colorful bosses and engaging character interactions. While the narrative is described as basic and somewhat repetitive, it is complemented by a variety of upgrades and quests that keep gameplay interesting. Additionally, players can enjoy an arcade mode for a more casual experience, and the music enhances the overall atmosphere throughout the story progression.
- “Being a bit of an RPG, the game also features a simple but still entertaining plot that starts with a simple exploration, devolves into a fight against pirates, and ultimately turns into a 'save the world from an evil entity before it eats everything.'”
- “The characters are fun and the quests are interesting and rewarding.”
- “The music is also very good, featuring some great techno themes that fit every stage as well as every point of the story plot as you progress.”
- “Story mode = boring and repetitive.”
- “The story is very basic, but it doesn't need to be anything complex.”
- “You'll progress through a linear storyline, battling enemies and finding upgrades for your ship.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
8%
23%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful rendering and retro-inspired art style, blending pixel art with western comic influences. Players appreciate the vibrant sci-fi underwater environments, charming character designs, and the overall aesthetic that evokes nostalgia for late 80s to early 90s visuals. The combination of superb graphics and a captivating soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience, making it visually appealing and engaging.
- “A great retro-styled game with fantastic visuals and a superb chip soundtrack by Electric Cafe, who've worked on other Tikipod releases in the past.”
- “I adore the aesthetic of the title; the main gameplay art is utterly beautiful from beginning to end, and the character art is also decent.”
- “Some nice level designs, decent boss fights, and retro-ish graphics, but not enough variety in your ship's weapons/add-ons systems to really engage any replay value.”
- “Visually, the game has beautifully rendered sci-fi underwater environments and sprites that look like a blend of pixel art and western comic art styles, with characters and mecha designs that give a late 80's to early 90's TV show vibe despite their seemingly basic animations.”
- “The art style is old-school, but not pixelated.”
gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Astro Aqua Kitty features a blend of traditional shooter mechanics and RPG elements, offering a well-assembled experience with tight controls, a variety of weapons, and a beautiful aesthetic. The core gameplay loop of exploration, shooting, and dodging is engaging, though some players find certain bosses challenging and environments lacking in variety. Overall, the game is praised for its fluid gameplay, enjoyable audio-visuals, and distinct charm, making it a standout in its genre.
- “Astro Aqua Kitty is a super-fun shooter, with great audio and visuals along with fluid gameplay and spot-on action.”
- “This game is pretty well-assembled, with tight gameplay and a good assortment of weapons and equipment.”
- “The core gameplay loop is exploring, shooting enemies, and dodging bullets.”
- “The core gameplay loop is exploring, shooting enemies and dodging bullets.”
- “Bosses are often a bit too daunting, especially if you're ill-prepared; gameplay can be tedious in some areas, and environments could use some sprucing up.”
- “Huge levels dilute the replayable nature of the gameplay; music doesn’t quite fit with the tone of the game.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, with increased enemy health and aggressiveness leading to frustration rather than challenge. While the initial gameplay is enjoyable, the latter stages are marred by the overwhelming number of bullet sponge enemies, making the experience feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge. Overall, the grinding mechanics significantly detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “It is just an incredibly grindy, repetitive, and casual experience.”
- “The first half is fun, the last half is tedious, way too many bullet sponges.”
- “This game can be really, needlessly tedious and frustrating, and it impacts the experience severely.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while the random distribution of pickups and equipment encourages varied strategies and customization, some players feel that limited weapon variety and large level designs detract from the overall replay value.
- “Random distribution of pickups and equipment availability in the in-game stores gives it endless replayability as no two games ever play the same, forcing you to adopt new play strategies with each new playthrough.”
- “It gives you quite a bit to customize your ship to your play style and provides some nice replay value.”
- “Some nice level designs, decent boss fights, and retro-ish graphics, but not enough variety in your ship's weapons and addon systems to really engage any replay value.”
- “Huge levels dilute the replayable nature of the gameplay; the music doesn’t quite fit with the tone of the game.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users have noted that the critical hit rate in the game does not accurately represent its actual performance, suggesting issues with optimization in how critical hits are calculated or displayed.
- “The crit rate does not reflect actual performance.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops.”
- “I often experience long loading times, which disrupts the overall gameplay experience.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that while the character designs are appealing and cute, there is a lack of depth in character development, suggesting that the focus may be more on aesthetics than on meaningful growth or complexity.