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For a lot of reasonsóchief among them my boredom with industry trendsóI tend to gravitate
toward video games with artistic ambition. Whether that ambition succeeds or not is,
of course, an issue. But if a game is at least trying to do something differentóto create
some unique aesthetic experienceóit at least gets my attention.
If I want realism, I go outside. Outside does it a lot better than video games. Besides,
why strive for realistic facial animations when youíre free to create things like this?
And I guess this is actually the easiest way to reference...this. Itís a nice, ambiguous
pronoun that provides no connotation and allows this to explain itself on its own terms. But
for the purposes of, you know, game review...I guess this is like Pac-Man, only in wall-less
mazes that spin...and if, when finished, Pac-Man ate them.
Of course, we canít very well spend an entire review using just pronouns. So this is actually
calledóand how awesome is thisóCatball Eats It All. It comes from the team over at Broken
Compass Studios. Thatís a second awesome name, and in addition to proving Broken Compass
Studios has an outstanding naming department, this also suggests they appreciate a bit of
irony.
Because Broken Compass Studios definitely has the right direction.
The first thing that strikes you about Catball Eats It All is that it is, for lack of a better
phrase, really **** bizarre. And that **** bizarreness has two primary rootsóthe objective and the
appearance. You are Catball, and like Pac-Man before you, itís your job to eat it all.
This is a classic tenet of game designóthe idea of collecting all the stuff in a single
stage.
What makes it interesting in this application is...well, everything.
For one, the items have no apparent rhyme, reason or even continuity. Youíre eating
a bunch of crowns right now, but youíll eat socks in a few minutes. Two, you actually
have to eat the entire maze. So even after youíve eaten all the stuff, your plate still
isnít clean. And three, you canít just take your time. Youíre under the constant pursuit
of a gigantic canine, and if you canít finish before timeís up, Dogwall...Dogwall does
something terrible.
This really separates the game from its inspirations. You have to move fast. And the game does a
tremendous job of making you feel the pressure, an effect it pulls off in large part because
of its aforementioned style. The level starts to get dark as time expires, which creates
a real sense of foreboding.
Strange as it may sound, being stalked by Dogwall is genuinely creepy.
But itís more than just that which hunts you. Catball Eats It All has a surreal art
style, reminiscent of Terry Gilliamís animations in Monty Python...only with a darker Alice
In Wonderland kind of twist. The characters have a wide-eyed gaze that never breaks, looking
out at you from their strange world with an almost deranged stare. This style isnít just
memorable, but it also serves a purpose.
It creates real tension, and that makes eating it all a bit tougher to swallow.
Strange as it may seem, this is also a really challenging game. Itís such a unique take
on an classic idea, managing to be beautiful, creepy and fun simultaneously. The touch controls
work great, and itís a free download in the App Store with loads of extra levels available
as in-app purchases.
For a game like Catball Eats It All, thatís a price I donít mind paying.