Cat Bird!

Visually, Cat Bird! features a gorgeous retro pixel art aesthetic that is delightful and nostalgic. The game is rendered in 2D with lush environments and endearing character sprites that are distinctive. Cat Bird! has a nice color palette that consists of soft and muted earthy tones as well as bright and vibrant colors when needed. The animations are smooth and fluid, so there was no lag on my iPhone 7. As far as audio goes, Cat Bird! has a nice chiptune soundtrack that's fun to listen to, and the sound effects are quirky. For the developer's first release, they did a pretty good job with the visual and audio design.

Since Cat Bird! is a platformer, it's split up into several different worlds that contain a good amount of levels each. To get to the next stage, you'll have to clear the previous one first. The goal in this game is to help your flying cat friend reach the portal at the end of each level so he can get home. While it seems easy enough at first, things get trickier when you encounter more dangerous hazards, such as spikes, pits, saw blades, and various critters.

Controls in Cat Bird! are simple enough. In the bottom left corner are two buttons for moving left and right. On the other side, there's a single button for jumping. You also long-press this button to have your cat flap his arms to fly and hover. The catch is the fact that your cat can only jump and hover once, at least until he touches ground. When this happens, he is able to do it again.

Because of this game mechanic, it's all about timing when it comes to successfully completing stages in Cat Bird. You'll have to be precise with your jumps and time them correctly to get past tough obstacles. Later stages also take up more sections on the screen and sometimes keys are needed to gain access to the portal, so exploration is mixed in with the platforming action.

I've only just started Cat Bird! today, but it's proving to be an enjoyable experience. The game is free to download and play, so there are ads that pop up between levels every now and then. However, it allows players to play several stages at a time before they pop up, so it's not overly intrusive. An option to get rid of ads is available as a $1.99 in-app purchase.

Cat Bird! showcases beautiful pixel art graphics that are detailed and colorful. The music and sound design adds to the overall charm of the game. Stages are crafted tastefully and offer a good amount of challenge for both casual and veteran gamers. The controls work out well enough, and the game offers Time Trial mode, boss fights, and more so the content is plentiful. Ads are not overly obnoxious, which is always a plus.

I found the positioning of the buttons to be a tad annoying. The spacing and size is a bit off from other precise platformers like Mikey Shorts, so I would end up going the wrong direction sometimes. it takes a bit of getting used to and readjusting, but it's not too much of a problem.

As a fan of platformer games, Cat Bird! is definitely one to try out. The game offers up cute visuals, great music, and is simple to play while offering up a challenge. I do wish that there was an option for customizing the button positioning, as I believe that would help me be more accurate. Regardless, the game is fun and delightful, even with the occasional ad.

I recommend giving Cat Bird! a spin if you're looking for a quirky platformer to kill some time with. Cat Bird! is on the App Store as a universal download for your iPhone and iPad for free. There's also iMessage stickers.