Back in 2018, developer Redblack Spade released Catmaze exclusively onto Steam. This fairytale take on the Metroidvania genre was incredibly well received and has received many updates since its launch. In partnership with Ratalaika Games, Redblack Spade has released Catmaze onto contemporary consoles.
Catmaze stars Alesta; a teenage witch in training on a quest to cure her mother’s illness. Alesta, and her bat companion, must travel around this Slavic-inspired fantasy, on her first magical quest. While the game initially starts off with a goal of a daughter protecting her mother, it quickly escalates into more Slavic mythology. As the tale progresses, Alesta will be required to solve many quests, revealing the many mysteries of her homeworld.
Catmaze’s Slavic roots are intertwined into not only the plotline but also the gameplay. Alesta must face sentient mushrooms, evil spirits, and killer deities, all while tracking down a mysterious world-shifting creature, who takes the form of a cat. Catmaze has been cheekily dubbed as “Meowtroidvania”, as cats are a huge influence in gameplay. The game is your traditional 2D Metroidvania platformer, however, Alesta’s attacks utilize her animal companions. Alesta whips them around, melee style, as her main form of attack. She can also equip a second companion to use spells. These companions will require mana, which allows for more ranged combat, such as ice bolts and fireballs.
The artsy 16-bit art style of Catmaze is heavily influenced by classics of the Metroidvania genre. While simplistic, the pixelated graphical style is bright and clean! Story progression is through large text boxes, accompanied by hand-drawn character models. While the contrast in graphical style is initially jarring, it quickly grows on players and becomes a charming touch.
Catmaze is available now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One, Microsoft Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
