CAT TRAP - GB

Iv'e been scrubbing through lists upon lists on the internet trying to find leads on forgotten games of yesteryear and I wound up delighting myself with this little gem on a chance play though. Cat trap is puzzle/platformer that pits two cat like children against a few monsters in some strange rooms filled with dirt, boulders, and ladders. I am not sure what exactly these "monsters" have done to deserve the trouncing they will get but I can't judge a puzzle game too harshly by it's story (that judgement needs to be passed upon RPGS). 

The two cat like children (you choose one to play as) are perfectly capable of killing the monsters simply by sliding up next to them and giving them a cute little SLASH that is well animated. The question is are you smart enough to line the kids up with the monsters? Movement is restricted to left and right along a platform and up up and down ladders. The kids may also shove boulders around one block at a time and dig up sand to create empty blocks.

These few simple moves are used to create challenging enough levels in the begining but later in the game are stacked up in such a way that one wrong move may doom your entire try by getting you stuck with no way to advance. What's a cat-child to do? Why rewind time of course! The only button that will perform an action is the A button, and hitting it once takes back your last move, kind of like the training version of a chess game. Holding it down can reset your moves all the up to when you first started the level. The music when this happens is annoying but its a very interesting way to play and lets you play through the game using trail and error, much more fun that having to restart a level from scratch.  

Pix'N'Love : iOS

Pix'N'Love is a unique side scroller that takes a simple concept and keeps you engaged through random levels and graphical upgrades. The cute little pixel monster in this particular game sold me from the moment I met him. He kind of resembles a cross between a cat and Tommagatchi. He may move from side to side, perform a typical double jump, and shoot a pellet out of his mouth at an upward trajectory in order to kill the bats hovering through the stages. 

The primary mode of this app gives you a five minute timer, and then throws you into a randomly generated series of autoscolling levels that gradually ramp up the speed and difficulty. The first goal of the game is to survive the five minutes. Once you can master that, the second (and very retro) goal of achieving a high score becomes your focus.

Grabbing coins and killing bats earns you points, but the real draw of this game is that succesfully doing those tasks fills up a meter, which when leveled up, multiplies your points earned and entirely changes the graphics of the game. Cycling through assorted portable gaming styles of yesteryear, the pinnacle of which is the greenish monotone gameboy. Not only is the graphical change a joy of a reward as the game progresses, but the more desirable graphics also increase the challenge of the game. Taking a hit knocks you back a cycle and empties your meter. There is a heart, but you have a lot of hits so it is unlikely that an experienced platform junky will exhaust it. 

If you ever get bored with the main game there are several other modes to try out and a promise of updates in the future. An absolute must game for the price. 

Pizza Boy : iOS

Platformers, the most classic of video game styles, are a tough sell on the iPhone. Without the feedback of a physical button it can be difficult to make your jumps without knowing that your finger has slid off of the designated "button" on the screen. This delightful little game manages to get the buttons in just the right position and then delivers a tasty little platforming adventure. 

The ridiculous story puts you in the shoes of an adorable, hip little pizza boy who's delivery was stolen by a pesky bird. As you chase the bird through the stages you will face other pesky animals, traps and moving platforms. You get three pizza slices instead of hearts and can pick up soda cans to use as projectiles. It is possible to blast through the levels but lots of collectables will keep you busy should you desire to "master" this game. I am not sure what the point of getting more lives as a reward for these is though, since you may continue as much as you want on the level giving you problems, although hidden keys will unlock some secret levels for you later.

The platforming in this game is actually pretty impressive. While I wouldn't say there was anything I haven't seen before, it was nice to see these old moves show up in a modern format. Expect to be dodging under spiky spheres and bouncing off of enemies heads in order to reach the highest platforms. The auto scroll levels will kick your ass. The SNES style graphics are cute and appropriate and the music matches. If I have a complaint about the game, it's that three worlds are not enough. But at $1 this game is a great deal, and a great deal of fun.