Catmaze

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 242 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Catmaze Game Cover
Starting at $6.98Buy now
Get on Steam

"Catmaze" is a single-player fantasy platformer game with a stellar story and good gameplay, set in a beautiful world inspired by Slavic mythology. As the cat Bayn, players assist the sorceress Alesta in uncovering secrets of magical forests and battling mythical beasts, with the help of unique summoned creatures. Despite amazing visuals and soundtrack, the game is currently full of bugs.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 242 reviews
story63 positive mentions
stability12 negative mentions
  • Charming pixel art and engaging visuals that create a delightful atmosphere.
  • Interesting story with well-developed characters, drawing from Slavic mythology.
  • Varied gameplay mechanics with a unique familiar system that adds depth to combat.
  • Controls can feel floaty and unresponsive at times, leading to frustrating platforming sections.
  • Some bugs and glitches, including issues with hit detection and character movement.
  • Limited replayability and some backtracking can detract from the overall experience.
  • story183 mentions

    The story of "Catmaze" is a charming blend of lighthearted adventure and deeper emotional themes, drawing on Slavic folklore to create a unique narrative experience. While some players found the character writing and dialogue average, many were pleasantly surprised by the complexity and depth of the story, which features relatable characters and engaging side quests. Overall, the game is praised for its well-structured plot and immersive world-building, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the metroidvania genre.

    • “A fun, lighthearted game with a surprisingly complex story.”
    • “Heart-tugging story with surprisingly complex characters.”
    • “The story of Catmaze isn't really too hard to follow at all; some things may not be explained well enough at the start, but it's still a fairly easy story to follow and for a metroidvania type game, I feel it does a rather good job at pacing itself with the story.”
    • “The plot is a pile of melodrama I had no patience for and button-mashed through.”
    • “Story is lackluster; you have a sick mom, and you gotta save her.”
    • “The writing is bad and suffers from a not-great translation to English (and some weird problem where certain letters or especially apostrophes are frequently replaced by spaces?), but at least the idea of a decent story is hiding behind it.”
  • gameplay84 mentions

    The gameplay is generally well-received, offering a balanced and enjoyable experience with a variety of mechanics, including a familiar system that enhances exploration and combat. While some players note issues with floaty controls and simplistic boss mechanics, the overall design is praised for its charm, aesthetic appeal, and engaging metroidvania elements. The game provides a casual difficulty level, making it accessible for newcomers to the genre, though some feel it lacks depth in certain areas.

    • “Gameplay: 5/5 (all 12 familiars have their place except, perhaps, the last one, which is more funny than practical. Collectibles are meaningful, and moderately, but not excessively, difficult to find - and crucially, there's in-game help if you haven't found them all by the end. The autumn forest section, where you have to jump from leaf to leaf, was especially fun.)”
    • “The combat feels better, the platforming feels better, the mechanics are more interesting and even the story is way better, both in what it sets out to do and in the delivery.”
    • “Overall the gameplay is very solid and was easily a major hook for me, keeping me happy and satisfied nearly throughout the entire thing.”
    • “Wait for a 75-90% sale; not worth the full $13 for this 5-year-old 8-bit gameplay.”
    • “In the beginning, it is frustrating and monotonous, with no real NPCs, the same irritating song on loop, kind of iffy mechanics, next to no enemy variety, and restarting way back at the checkpoint whenever you die.”
    • “Catmaze has a cute visual style to it, and it has solid ideas about how to do a metroidvania-style game, but its writing, gameplay, and sound design all leave much to be desired.”
  • music77 mentions

    The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many players praising its catchy and atmospheric qualities that enhance the overall experience. While some noted issues with looping and occasional repetitiveness, the soundtrack is often described as fitting well with the game's environments and contributing significantly to its whimsical and fairytale-like ambiance. Overall, the music is considered a strong point, adding depth to the gameplay and story.

    • “The music is really good in this game; the same goes for the story and characters/enemies.”
    • “The soundtrack fit the mood of the area you're in quite nicely, and I would say the OST was more on a relaxing/calmer side of things, for a game that you may get frustrated with at times.”
    • “Catmaze is a great metroidvania with beautiful pixel graphics, an unusual setting of Slavic mythology, and an amazing soundtrack.”
    • “In the beginning it is frustrating and monotonous, with no real NPCs, the same irritating song on loop, kinda iffy mechanics, next to no enemy variety, and restarting way back at the checkpoint whenever you die.”
    • “And sometimes there's no music at all, even in non-dramatic moments.”
    • “Serviceable, but repetitive music.”
  • graphics61 mentions

    The graphics of the game are predominantly praised for their charming pixel art style, which many players find appealing and well-executed. However, opinions are mixed regarding the character portraits and overall art style, with some players feeling that certain elements are off-putting or exaggerated. Despite these critiques, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience for those who appreciate retro aesthetics.

    • “It has good pixel graphics, story, and abilities, and the difficulty is pretty balanced.”
    • “Catmaze is a great metroidvania with beautiful pixel graphics, an unusual setting of Slavic mythology and an amazing soundtrack.”
    • “The graphics are very well done and nicely animated.”
    • “Biggest gripe is definitely the off-putting art style (especially in the first map which doesn't help retain me whatsoever)”
    • “I don't like the art style, the music, or the experience system... I only played it for 20 minutes and it felt like nothing happened.”
    • “Everything was just not quite right from the artwork to the abilities (or lack of useful ones) to the difficulty of following the story.”
  • stability12 mentions

    The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and issues with controls and collision detection that can disrupt gameplay. While some minor flaws are acknowledged, many reviewers note that these issues can lead to frustrating experiences, including game-breaking glitches. Overall, the game is seen as enjoyable despite its instability, but players should not expect a polished experience akin to larger titles.

    • “I knew how to complete this section, but with buggy controls and terrible collision (never jump into a wall unless you're prepared to get stuck under the map), it was too much.”
    • “Not to mention game-breaking glitches like fast travel crashing the game and I literally died during a cutscene after beating a boss.”
    • “The game as-is is very buggy.”
  • emotional10 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its unexpected depth and heartfelt storytelling, which contrasts with its initially lighthearted presentation. Players appreciate the rich worldbuilding, colorful characters, and a dramatic narrative that culminates in a wholesome ending, making it resonate on a deeper level than many other titles in the genre. Despite some minor flaws, the game successfully evokes a sense of charm and emotional investment, particularly through its touching moments and themes of determination.

    • “At first, I thought this was just a cutesy, lighthearted fantasy experience (which it is, to some extent), but as the game progresses, you really get invested in the worldbuilding and the type of folklore it creates: the different biomes are a beautiful and lush fit, the characters are colorful, the music is great and has some good ambient tunes, the story is more dramatic and emotional than I anticipated, and the writing is quite solid (although I found some minor typos).”
    • “The story contains great depth and intrigue with some touching and profound moments.”
    • “A heartwarming story about determination.”
  • humor9 mentions

    The game's humor is characterized by a blend of corny and witty elements, featuring funny characters and a whimsical, sometimes dark fairytale narrative. Players appreciate the unorthodox use of folklore entities, which adds a hilarious twist to the story, making it engaging and enjoyable. Overall, the humor enhances the gameplay experience, contributing to its charm and appeal.

    • “Nice metroidvania with funny characters and sometimes dark but still warmhearted fairytale story.”
    • “The entities from folklore are used quite unorthodoxically, and it sometimes feels hilarious if you are familiar with the setting.”
    • “The story is cute, the humor witty, and it's incredibly worth the money.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its unique blend of mythological elements, cute graphics, and atmospheric music, which together create an enchanting and immersive experience. Despite some gameplay issues, the overall ambiance and attention to detail contribute significantly to the enjoyment and exploration of the game, making it a standout in its genre.

    • “Neat metroidvania with an enjoyable story and atmosphere that is a joy to explore.”
    • “This game surprised me in a good way - it has very cute graphics, balanced difficulty, really atmospheric music, attention to details, quite nice fairytale-ish plot (which is very suitable for younger audiences as well) and nice gameplay variety.”
    • “Special mention should be made of the music - it contributes a lot to the game atmosphere and creates a sense of fairytale.”
    • “The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
    • “Despite the beautiful graphics, the overall atmosphere is dull and fails to evoke any real emotion.”
    • “The game tries to create a tense atmosphere, but it often falls short, leaving players feeling disconnected from the experience.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it infinitely replayable due to varying difficulty levels and achievements that encourage different play styles, others feel that it lacks significant replay value after completing the main content, which can be done in around 10 hours.

    • “Infinitely replayable.”
    • “There are two achievements that require you to play slightly differently, and you can increase the difficulty of the game.”
    • “Replay value.”
    • “Worth a buy but don't expect too much replayability; it took me 10 hours to complete, and the last boss was a challenge.”
    • “There are two achievements that require you to play slightly differently, but overall the replayability is limited.”
    • “The replay value is quite low.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game is inconsistent, with some users reporting occasional performance issues and heavy animations. While there are no major bugs, the execution is described as imperfect, with varying art quality and missing basic features contributing to a frustrating experience.

    • “Other than that, no real bugs or noticeable performance issues.”
    • “The only thing that could be improved in Catmaze is the game performance and animations, which indeed feel a little bit heavy occasionally.”
    • “Now the execution is far from perfect: the quality of art is all over the place, the game has a few performance issues, and it lacks some basic features such as looking down while crouching.”
    • “I managed to get to the first boss and get a ton of upgrades, but I experienced a lot of frustration due to the poor performance.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players note that while the end-game features visible collectibles that reduce the need for extensive grinding, the overall grinding experience feels arbitrary and is the only significant instance of it in the game.

    • “It's the only real instance this game has of feeling like grinding, and it feels so arbitrary.”
  • character development1 mentions

    The game features a solid story with decent character development, allowing for multiple endings that enhance the overall narrative experience.

    • “The story is engaging, with decent character development and multiple endings that enhance the overall experience.”
    • “The character development is impressive, allowing players to form deep connections with the characters throughout the journey.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve over time, making the narrative feel more immersive and rewarding.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Buy Catmaze

Play time

10hMedian play time
12hAverage play time
4-23hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News