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[i]Cat Dungeon Escape[/i] is a short (2-3h) physics-based arcade/puzzle hybrid where you manipulate the board by rotating it, which relocates sliding blocks so you can open paths and dodge pitfalls like fire, buzzsaws, spikes, etc. On each level you need to grab a key, then position yourself correctly at a door to move on. While it is puzzley and requires careful thought, the arcadey elements make timing essential, and so it may not be for everyone. [b]Quality of Life sucks[/b]. I had conditionally recommended the game bc a patch was supposed to be coming, but that was 2 months ago. I'm flipping the review to Negative.
At a glance it might look similar to [i][url=https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198014473461/recommended/381340]Mallow Drops[/url][/i](<~click for review), but there are enough differences to make a comparison interesting. Whereas in [i]Mallow Drops[/i] you can use arrow keys to move (fly) in any direction, here in [i]CDE[/i] your only way of moving is to either rotate the board and fall somewhere, or press the spacebar to invert gravity. [i]CDE[/i] has 50 levels, compared to [i]MD[/i]'s 80, and that's partly reflected in the lower pricetag. There's a lot more dying in [i]CDE[/i], the levels show implements of destruction, and the cat spills blood if you die, whereas [i]MD[/i] was a lot more calm -- just a little "chirp" if your kiwibird (rarely) got into trouble.
But the biggest difference lies in what the solutions to levels look like. In [i]MD[/i] there was a simple sequence of keypresses that would eventually get you through the level, with no need for tricky timing. Just rotate the board, wait for things to settle, then plan your next move. [i]CDE[/i] begins the same way, but you eventually need to start "breaking" that basic logic -- especially in later levels, you [b]need to rotate the board to get one of the moving blocks sliding in mid-air, then you need to quickly rotate again while the block is in mid-air[/b] to force the block to change its path and get it where you need it. This was basically a hack in [i]MD[/i] that you never needed to solve a level, but in [i]CDE[/i] it's [b]an under-explained core mechanic[/b]: you simply cannot beat many levels without it, and the game never really tells you about it. It's in the trailer, but you could well miss it. In addition, later levels also enforce attention to timing in other ways, because you need to move at just the right time to avoid moving buzzsaws, or to land on blocks that wink in and out of existence.
The result is that [b][i]Cat Dungeon Escape[/i] has some pretty significant "arcade-y" elements that often drive the challenge behind gameplay[/b]. This doesn't necessarily make it "not puzzley," but you should go into it with the right expectations. It's not a relaxing game, and thinking through the solutions means worrying about precise timing. Early levels are generally easy, late levels are generally not, though it felt a little unbalanced. As a sketch of my gameplay: got to level 35 in <1h, got to level 46 in 1h20m, got to level 50 in 2h20m, and finished off that level and all achievements in <3h.
As with too many titles, [b]quality of life is abysmal[/b].
[list][*]1. [b]No Undo[/b].
[*]2. All menus can [i]only[/i] be manipulated by the mouse, not keyboard -- including resetting a level or proceeding to the next level.
[*]3. The actual game can [i]only[/i] be played with the keyboard. "A" rotates counterclockwise, "D" rotates clockwise, "Spacebar" inverts gravity, [b]no rebinding[/b].
[*]4. Only a single mute-all button is available, [i]only[/i] from main-menu, and the game doesn't remember your selection.
[*]5. [b]Fullscreen only[/b] - you can use ALT+Enter to foce it into windowed but, but can't resize it. [/list]
I asked about all this in the forum, and was told that [url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/1645950/discussions/0/3155328676445070003/]Some quality of life improvements are planned[/url], but that was 2 months ago. Between the QoL issues and the prominence of arcadey stuff, I don't really recommend it for the Puzzle Lovers audience.
