Kitten Burst
- January 20, 2024
- Jam2go
"Kitten Burst" is a charming puzzle game where players pop adorable kitten-filled soap bubbles. Match and combine bubbles of the same color to clear them from the screen, while avoiding obstacles and collecting power-ups. With its relaxing atmosphere and increasing difficulty, it's a fun and engaging game for all ages.
Reviews
- The game features a stunning Y2K aesthetic and a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Gameplay is engaging and fun, combining racing mechanics with bullet hell elements, allowing for a rewarding challenge.
- The story and characters are charming and nostalgic, resonating well with players who grew up with early internet culture.
- Some players have reported issues with depth perception during boss fights, making it difficult to avoid projectiles.
- The game can be graphically intensive, leading to performance issues on lower-end systems.
- There are minor control issues, particularly with keyboard navigation, which can detract from the overall experience.
- music158 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many players praising its variety, quality, and how well it integrates with gameplay. The soundtrack features a mix of electronic genres, including drum and bass and breakbeat, and is noted for its emotional depth and ability to enhance the game's atmosphere. Players often express a desire to purchase the soundtrack separately, highlighting its standout role in creating memorable gaming experiences.
“The music is some of the best around and covers a massive variety of genres.”
“The soundtrack is legendary, perfectly suits every scene and really makes the emotional highs in the story hit hard, will be jamming to this for a while.”
“The music really shines in quality, but the game itself is dripping in passion even if I don't love every part.”
“The music goes along with whatever is happening on screen and the gameplay is very appropriate for this kind of setting.”
“So of course the models are a little stiff, environments aren't the most 'polished', and the music change when you enter a new objective/part of the level can be a little abrupt.”
“These are songs that were meant to be listened to in 240p YouTube videos and crackly, pirated MP3s, not the crystal-clear, near lossless format modern computing allows us to have.”
- gameplay87 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is widely praised for its fun, engaging mechanics and unique blend of racing and bullet-hell elements, offering a rewarding experience that encourages players to improve their skills. While the controls may take some time to master and certain gameplay modes lack variety, the charming characters, captivating music, and beautiful aesthetics enhance the overall enjoyment. Some players noted minor frustrations with hit detection and boss fight readability, but the game's innovative mechanics and character progression keep players coming back for more.
“The gameplay was so much fun for me, offering the perfect 'go at your own pace' type of experience.”
“The racing gameplay has a learning curve that felt fair and well-paced with the level-up mechanics.”
“The gameplay is fun, engaging, and multi-faceted.”
“The biggest problem with this game is that the boxes and the boss fights are the only two gameplay modes, and I wish there was some more variety.”
“My only critique of this game comes in gameplay; I feel like the boss fights are way too unreadable. It's hard to tell what bullets are going to hit you, especially when they're filling your screen, and irrelevant bullets block the camera.”
“Only real criticism about the gameplay is that avoiding obstacles and judging your position in space can be a little tough in boss fights.”
- graphics87 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant and nostalgic y2k aesthetic, which effectively captures the essence of early 2000s internet culture. Players appreciate the unique art style, character designs, and attention to detail, although some note that the game can be graphically intensive, leading to occasional performance issues. Overall, the visuals are described as beautiful and immersive, complementing the engaging gameplay and soundtrack.
“It's an incredibly sincere elegy for a dead internet, painted with y2k aesthetic and scored with bumping techno beats, complete with Winamp visualizations.”
“The art style is gorgeous, the characters charming, the gameplay is fun, and it feels like a love letter to gaming.”
“The combination of gameplay, aesthetic, music, and theme hit just the right spot for me.”
“All I can really complain about is that, by product of being created in Unreal Engine, it is a very graphically-intensive game, even at the lowest settings, and that can make it feel a bit jittery sometimes.”
“Just a warning though: it's a pretty buggy game, for example I had to go through a lengthy part of the ending 3 times because at low graphics it crashes due to a missing texture apparently, but it's not like the jank absolutely ruins the game, you just need a bit of jank tolerance.”
“It has its quirks, the graphics can be a bit off-putting (even for an indie nerd such as me) and the performance is four times worse than it should be for a game that looks like this, but once you get over that I feel comfortable calling it a rough gem of a game.”
- story80 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story is widely praised for its heartfelt and engaging narrative, capturing the essence of early 2000s internet culture while resonating emotionally with players. Many reviewers highlight the well-developed characters, witty dialogue, and a blend of humor and poignant moments that enhance the overall experience. Despite some minor continuity issues and occasional underdevelopment, the storytelling is considered a standout feature, making the game a memorable journey worth experiencing.
“The story is like a love letter to the 2010s internet.”
“Ultimately, seeing the story to the end is worth it, as the characters are likable and the writing was enjoyable.”
“The writing is charming, witty, and even tugs at the heartstrings as the story progresses.”
“The story felt like it wandered some at the start, but overall the characters and dialogue made me laugh and even get a little emotional.”
“Too often do games come up with an idea and then slap a story together based on that.”
“It's not super experimental, generally a 'revive cyberspace, but there's an evil megacorp planning to take it for themselves' plot and we didn't get very far, but the characters all shine, especially the secret boss.”
- emotional29 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised, with many players expressing that it evoked strong feelings, often leading to tears by the end. The combination of heartfelt storytelling, nostalgic themes, and a captivating soundtrack enhances the emotional experience, making it both poignant and relatable. Players appreciate the balance of humor and serious moments, resulting in a game that resonates deeply and leaves a lasting impact.
“I don't think a game has ever made me more emotional, and I mean that in the best way.”
“The storytelling is truly touching, drawing me into a captivating narrative that resonates deeply.”
“This game has been a wonderful experience so far with fun engaging gameplay and a story that has sent me on a journey of emotional awakening.”
- humor23 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a delightful blend of wholesome, witty, and nostalgic elements, often drawing from early 2000s internet culture and meme references. Players appreciate the clever writing that balances lighthearted jokes with emotional depth, creating a unique atmosphere that is both engaging and funny. Overall, the humor enhances the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable and memorable without veering into cringe territory.
“Wholesome, hilarious, and the jokes never stop.”
“This game is a masterpiece; it manages to juggle both the lighthearted internet humor of the early 2000s with a story that becomes quite sad at points.”
“There are so many unique ideas done literally nowhere else, silly jokes, funny references, and just a bunch of small things that really show you how much passion went into making this.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging writing, fantastic soundtrack, and unique vaporwave aesthetics, which together create an emotional and immersive experience. While the overall ambiance is described as incredible and reminiscent of the early 2000s, some players feel that NPC interactions are somewhat superficial, lacking depth in character development. Overall, the combination of humor, story, and music significantly enhances the game's atmosphere.
“The humor is funny, the story is fantastic, and the overall atmosphere is incredible.”
“What sets it apart even more is the fantastic soundtrack, perfectly curated to evoke emotions and enhance the overall atmosphere.”
“The vaporwave aesthetics crossed with the unique environments lead the atmosphere to be completely different than anything I've ever played, and it's great.”
“The story is cute, engaging, and very 'human' feeling - it feels a bit lacking though in that conversations with NPCs found around levels are somewhat surface level, remarks that sort of build the atmosphere of the stage and the overall condition of the characters within it, but not so much them as individuals.”
“Love the early 2000’s atmosphere.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly in certain worlds, and even crashes that could hinder gameplay for some. While the option to adjust texture settings can help, many users noted that the graphics do not justify the poor performance, with some maps being particularly poorly optimized. Overall, despite its quirks and rough edges, players still find value in the game.
“The upgrades provide a good balance of options between making the game more forgiving and increased performance for increased demand on skill.”
“If you are very concerned about performance, running on medium or low texture settings also works.”
“There are also some weird quirks like when I played it at a lower resolution and low settings for an achievement, I got way worse performance than I did at max settings.”
“On a technical note, I had some bad performance issues on several of the worlds (Arbormyth and Lost Loch) and one major crash. While it didn't stop me from finishing the game, I could see it stopping some players.”
“Further, the maps are very poorly optimized, with one particularly large stage bringing my PC to its knees for what I assume to be poor render optimization.”
“There are also some weird quirks, like when I played it at a lower resolution and low settings for an achievement, I got way worse performance than I did at max settings.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players highlight significant replayability in the game, driven by an upgrade system that encourages revisiting older levels to improve times and scores. The ability to experiment with different builds and engage in endless boss fights further enhances the replay value, making it appealing for those who enjoy score-attack mechanics and time challenges. Overall, the game offers ample opportunities for players to refine their skills and strategies.
“The upgrade system also provides some replay value to older levels, allowing players to achieve better times on previous races.”
“As someone who enjoys score-attack games, there's a lot of replay value here.”
“There is a ton of replay value in trying to shave your times down or get additional loops in the endless boss fights; even changing up your build can greatly impact how you play certain areas.”
“The upgrade system also provides some replay value to older levels, to get better times on older races.”
“As someone who enjoys score-attack games, there's a lot of replay value there.”
“There is a ton of replay value in trying to shave your times down or get additional loops in the endless boss fights; even changing up your build can make a great impact on how you play certain areas.”
- character development5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is praised for its lively writing and unique designs, effectively immersing players in a nostalgic early 2000s internet setting. Reviewers highlight the engaging and heartfelt story, complemented by creative character and level designs, which contribute to an overall enjoyable experience. The combination of vibrant artwork, humor, and a captivating soundtrack enhances the emotional depth of the characters.
“The artwork and character designs are awesome, the writing is so lively, everything being written as if it was a forum thread. The story seemingly rewired my brain to some degree... it is a lovely game.”
“A really enjoyable racing/bullet hell game that uses its unique early 2000's internet setting and style for creative level and character design, along with a surprisingly engaging and heartfelt story.”
“Fresh gameplay, beautiful areas and art style, great character design, amazing soundtrack, hilarious and nostalgic humor and references.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have stability issues, including bugs and crashes, particularly at lower graphics settings. However, many players feel that these problems do not significantly detract from the overall experience, especially after recent patches have improved performance. A degree of tolerance for jankiness is recommended.
“Just a warning though: it's a pretty buggy game. For example, I had to go through a lengthy part of the ending three times because at low graphics it crashes due to a missing texture apparently. It's not like the jank absolutely ruins the game; you just need a bit of jank tolerance.”
“It was a tiny bit buggy when I first started, but it's been patched.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for a public leaderboard feature to enhance the grinding experience in races, suggesting that it would make improving times more rewarding and competitive, similar to the game Neon White.
“The grinding in this game feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find the grinding mechanics to be overly repetitive, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
“The lack of variety in grinding tasks makes it feel like a chore rather than a fun challenge.”