HellCat

About

"HellCat" is a pixel top-down shooter game featuring a cat protagonist on a mission to rescue a friend and defeat an evil enemy in a monochrome world of hell. The game boasts an explosive retro-wave soundtrack and provides a challenging quest filled with battles against devilish creatures. As the cat becomes HellCat, players will navigate labyrinths and uncover truths in this epic journey through purgatory.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 73 reviews

music9 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game is fun and challenging, providing a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic titles like 'Hotline Miami'.
Controls are smooth and responsive, making the gameplay enjoyable despite its difficulty.
The soundtrack is engaging and adds to the overall atmosphere of the game.

The final boss is excessively difficult and can be frustrating, often requiring specific strategies that may not be intuitive.
The game lacks save points or checkpoints, forcing players to restart levels upon death, which can be aggravating.
Some enemies are unfairly difficult, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel random and frustrating.

music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
14%
21%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as "awesome" and "spectacular," contributing positively to the gameplay experience. However, some users note that the music can be excessively loud, though it can be adjusted in the settings. Overall, while the music enhances the nostalgic feel for some, others find it repetitive or distracting.
- “This game has an amazing soundtrack that is banging, and the gameplay is so nostalgic.”
- “The soundtrack is awesome, and there is also a 10-minute survival mode.”
- “The later levels and the boss fights are pretty decent, and the soundtrack is just spectacular.”
- “Ugly retro graphics and repetitive music are just the beginning of the problems here.”
- “The music can be quite loud, but we can adjust that in the settings panel.”
- “My other complaint would be that the music is really, really loud, but thankfully you can adjust this in settings, and the game is somehow even better without any music at all, as being able to hear the firing of the crossbows and guns really helps.”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
36%
27%
The gameplay is generally praised for its responsiveness and the strategic use of various weapons against different enemies, making it engaging and fun. However, the 1-hit-death mechanic is criticized for promoting overly cautious play, and many feel the game lacks polish and depth, suggesting improvements like automatic weapon pickups and additional levels to enhance the experience. Overall, while the core mechanics are enjoyable, the game feels unfinished and could benefit from refinements.
- “On the one hand, basic gameplay is pretty good as Hellcat is very responsive to input, and the various guns all have their (dis)advantages that you can put to good use depending on the type(s) of enemies you're dealing with in a particular level.”
- “Easy-to-pick-up gameplay (and the addition of a cat!) somehow manage to make this ultra-difficult 2D shoot-em-up fun, even if that isn't generally your genre.”
- “Fun little title with 10 levels that get more and more difficult and introduce new elements to your gameplay as you progress.”
- “On the other hand, I think that a 1-hit-death mechanic is not optimal - it very strongly encourages playing safe and just spraying the enemies with bullets from afar.”
- “The uncatlike gameplay and low-res graphics really don't give you much to go on.”
- “The gameplay is pretty simplistic; you can pick up guns, throw guns (and yes, it hurts enemies), use a melee attack if you have no gun, and you can shoot guns. If you get hit once, you are dead and restart.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The graphics of the game are a mixed bag; while some users appreciate the smooth performance and good art style, others criticize the low-resolution pixel graphics as unattractive and simplistic, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The pixel graphics are very simple, but the game is smooth and I didn't encounter any problems.”
- “Really good art style.”
- “This is a 2D retro pixel top-down twin-stick maze shooter where you control a cat or whatever white blob (pixel graphics suck, hire an artist).”
- “Ugly retro graphics and repetitive music are just the beginning of the problems here.”
- “The uncatlike gameplay and low-res graphics really don't give you much to go on.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game's story revolves around a quest to save the protagonist's girlfriend, featuring battles against various enemies like minions and berserkers. While players appreciate the inclusion of narration that adds depth to each level, some wish for additional gameplay elements, such as body armor, to enhance the experience. Overall, the narrative is considered engaging but could benefit from further development.
- “Love the Times Square mode, but I wish the story mode had some body armor or such... great game nonetheless.”
- “You adventure through all the minions and berserkers (the enemies with red eyes), killing everything in sight on the quest to save your girlfriend.”
- “There is now narration with every level, which gives a minor story.”
- “Love the Times Square mode, but I wish the story mode had some body armor or such. Great game nonetheless.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly highlighting the funny sound effects that enhance the overall comedic experience.
- “The game is filled with funny sound effects that always make me laugh.”
- “I love how the humor is woven into the gameplay with hilarious sound effects.”
- “The quirky sound effects add a delightful layer of humor to the overall experience.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is criticized for poor optimization, with users noting that even its simple 2D design fails to run smoothly.
- “I now realize that this primitive 2D game is not optimized at all.”
- “The performance issues in this game are frustrating and clearly indicate a lack of optimization.”
- “It's disappointing to see such poor optimization in a game that has potential.”