KinnikuNeko: SUPER MUSCLE CAT is a style-over-substance 2D platformer, but that style is wacky and weird enough to save an otherwise unremarkable adventure.
The game follows kids, Keita and Lemon, along with their cat, KinnikuNeko, as they hide from the aliens that have invaded their planet. As some of the last humans still free, they rely on their kitty for protection — because KinnikuNeko is no ordinary feline. With the power of mysterious underpants, he can transform into Super Muscle Cat!
Style
It’s simple but hilariously ridiculous and has a very 90s Japanese cartoon flavour, which I loved. With an anime-like art style, bright and cheerful colours that pop on screen, and fantastically silly animations, the vibes are off the charts with this one. The exuberant backing music and goofy sound effects only add to the charm of it all.
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From destroyed cities and sunny beaches to secret labs and the local high school, there’s a great variety of levels with detailed and amusing backdrops.
The game is packed full of weird moments that are genuinely funny — like when Lemon whips off Neko’s underwear transforming him back into a cat, KinnikuNeko squatting in a litter tray to mark a checkpoint, or smashing down multiple bowls of noodles in a row to restore health.
Substance
Where that shine starts to tarnish, however, is the gameplay itself. It’s a very simple 2D platformer with gameplay that becomes a little repetitive for its short runtime of a few hours.
You run, jump and roll around — punching and slamming into enemies as you go — while collecting stars that serve no purpose other than unlocking fan-art and other images in the title screen menu.
I would’ve loved new moves for Neko to unlock or maybe a few silly weapons for some of the stages — something to break up the gameplay a bit.
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As you fight foes, a meter builds up that allows you to activate a Mario-like Super Star, giving you a short burst of invincibility.
There’s also random gyms on each level when you can pump iron in a button tapping mini-game. It’s funny and silly, but there wasn’t much point to it. Completing the gyms increases your strength but, from what I could tell, that only allows you to break harder rocks that are blocking the path to more gyms — I finished the game only having finished two out of more than a dozen gyms.
At certain points in a level, Lemon can help you transform between a beefcake bodybuilder and a cute little kitty by giving or removing your underwear!
As a cat, you can climb up otherwise unscalable walls, sprint and jump farther than usual, and tightrope walk along power lines. It helps break up the repetitious gameplay, but not being able to attack enemies made me want to get back to muscle-mode as soon as I could.
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Should you buy KinnikuNeko: SUPER MUSCLE CAT?
If you love the vibes of 90s-era Japanese cartoons, then KinnikuNeko: SUPER MUSCLE CAT should probably be on your list of games to play. It’s a fun and entertaining ride that is held back a little by its overly simple gameplay.
The $27 price tag is a little steep for such a short game — I finished in about 3 hours — but the aesthetics alone almost make it worth it.
KinnikuNeko: SUPER MUSCLE CAT is out now on consoles and PC.
Quest Daily scores KinnikuNeko: SUPER MUSCLE CAT
7/10
Quest Daily was supplied with an early review copy of KinnikuNeko: SUPER MUSCLE CAT thanks to the publisher.
