😼 Astro Aqua Kitty | Nintendo Switch | Review | 6.5/10 | "Is it the cat's meow?" 😼 @TIKIPODltd #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Astro Aqua Kitty is the action RPG shmup follow-up to the well-received, Aqua Kitty!

As adorable as the kitties are in Astro Aqua Kitty, the hidden difficulty is very much not adorable. Not that difficult shmups are anything new or different. But kitties in an aquatic-space shmup, with RPG elements, do separate them from the pack.

AAK is an RPG shmup at heart but will play like a Metroidvania at times. You'll come across areas in a level that is locked off until you complete tasks, or fetch quests from your cat brethren. You have to save stations to dock at, to save your game(ala Metroid), or level up your ship/abilities. In fact, the majority of the game is fetch quests or escort missions. And I know, you must be asking yourself, "fetch quests, in a game full of cats?", heh heh.

The RPG elements are interesting, and you do have an array of builds you can accomplish with all of the characters to choose from. You'll have to choose at least two characters to run your ship.  Some characters have more aggressive shooting characteristics, better health regeneration, or even an attack droid you can release. You'll gain experience defeating enemies, and gather gems as currency to purchase weapons you can equip. You can swap your weapons at any point when playing(in your menu), but you must be docked in order to swap or acquire "skills". 

Your skills can be passive or active abilities that include, but are not limited to:
Faster Energy/Health Regeneration (can be passive or active with a cooldown)
Attack Droid (active with a cooldown)
Deadlier Bullets (passive)

Higher Armour Capacity (passive)

Instant Ship Repair (active with a cooldown)

You can only have 4 skill slots at a time, so you will be swapping them out depending on the enemies you face, especially for bosses. 

Bosses can be tedious bullet sponges, or just unforgiving. You generally will die from a single hit from a boss or many stronger enemies throughout the game. And not being able to shoot vertically poses an added difficulty during a campaign. Some guns are, sort of able to shoot less horizontally, but it's just something to keep in mind. I'd find myself going against a boss with a weak point - a glowing red orb, and finding it difficult to hit the exact spot unless I was using a specific weapon or skill. 

Beating a boss would come more as a relief than an accomplishment. I would at first look forward to facing the boss, die about a zillion times while experimenting with abilities and guns, and then finally find the exact build that would be required for that boss. 

While exploring each level (going on fetch quests) I'd try to blaze through levels, passing enemies instead of fighting, because of the repetitiveness of it all. Whilst doing so I'd shoot myself in the foot, being deprived of experience points, and being stronger and better equipped to face the stronger enemies. Though the game hardly made me want to do these things. 

If I came across a mission where I'd have to defeat all of the enemies, I'd do so while abusing a dock/save state. This is both safe, and an easy way to regenerate your health/energy or your active abilities. It felt cheap, but I'd do it just to make it through a part of the game I wasn't looking forward to. 

The level design and music were excellent throughout the game. I liked exploring the nooks and crannies or finding secret passages and seeing what/where I could get. I'd probably play the soundtrack more often than the actual game. It was everything from bumping EDM, to futuristic elevator music from Venus. But those qualities alone don't make a game great.