Poöf Vs The Cursed Kitty Review

Recently released, indie title Poöf is possibly the exact opposite of my last platformer review, Blood of the Werewolf. By this I mean that everything to do with the game is cute, colourful and just plain adorable.

Poöf is a game unlike your average platformer, so let me explain. The premise of this game is to ensure the small fluffy kitten at the bottom of the level doesn’t come to any harm. As Poöf, it’s your job to do this by killing anything that gets anywhere close. Every time you begin a level, you’ll be presented with three “tasks”, these can range from simply staying alive for a certain amount of time, or collecting a certain amount of objects and so on.

Luckily for me, and those that take somewhat longer to get to grips with a new platformer, developers Arkedo have implemented a brilliant feature that makes the game a lot easier. After failing a level, you would expect to start from scratch, however any tasks that you’ve already completed will remain completed, even if you have to redo the level. This means no matter how many times you fail the level, you’re no worse off than you were before.

After successfully completing all three tasks you are awarded with tokens, these can be spent on health upgrades, weapons, turrets, and more or less any item that is next in the upgrade chart. These are crucial to the game as they will most likely have to be used in the next level to pass it. Some of the weapons bring a tower defense feel to the game as you strategically place turrets to kill as many enemies as possible.

Aside from upgrades, the level you’re playing will occasionally receive a new look, as wallpapers are awarded to you when points are gained from collecting gems and mastering combo attacks. Larger areas do open up after completing quite a few quests in the starter area, it just takes slightly longer than you would expect from your average platformer for them to become available.

Special moves are easily performed as they typically require just one or a combination of two buttons. Every move you’ve learned becomes necessary at some point in the game, as previously mentioned, even if you only use it once to pass the level. The slow-mo ability soon becomes the most useful of moves, especially when you’re tasked with darting around platforms to catch the golden egg released by the cursed kitty, wiping your screen of animal-hungry predators.

Poöf is a fairly fast-paced game, likely to have your heartbeat racing and your palms sweating. Although exciting, attempting to kill a large number of enemies dashing around your screen quickly becomes overwhelming, and combining this with collecting the sufficient amount of objects is a near impossible task.  I found this game was easier and best played with a controller as keyboard controls can feel clunky and less precise when jumping between opponents. However not everybody has this option, so for some it may take a bit more accuracy to feel truly in control of your character.

Although fairly challenging if you’re aiming to play for an extended period of time, the ability to replay the levels without losing your accomplished objectives is what makes the game so addictive, as you would struggle severely and most likely give up if they reset each time. In essence, that one box without a tick is what keeps you playing, and it’s surprisingly rewarding to achieve all three of them.

Poöf has a very bright and vivid art style, as you can imagine for any game that involves a golden-egg-pooping kitty and a protagonist named “Poöf”. Monsters vary in detail, some are merely coloured blobs with eyes, and others are dragons drawn with precise shading and features, all of which make the game a delight to look at. In addition to this, the dramatic soundtrack makes it all somewhat more intense, though surprisingly fitting.

Although visually this game appears be aimed at a younger audience, the enemies, the combat, art style, and of course minor storyline cater to more or less anyone that finds some enjoyment in an indie platformer.