Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Oct 18, 2021

  Stunning blend of arcade shoot-em-up with RPG like character progression. Random distribution of pickups and equipment availability in the in-game stores gives it endless replayability as no two games ever play the same as it forces you to adopt new play strategies with each new playthrough. I've bought this four times on different platforms now and it feels just as fresh and different on each one. A great retro-styled game with fantastic visuals and a superb chip soundtrack by Electric Cafe who've worked on other Tikipod releases in the past. Can't recommend this enough.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 31, 2021

  This is one of those games that once started I couldn't stop playing and just kept repeating myself "Just one more checkpoint". Supposedly a sequel to the original "Aqua Kitty: Milk Mine Defender", Astro Aqua Kitty is a completely different game, with the original being a modern take on the old classic "Defender" and this new one being a Shooter/RPG hybrid. Mechanically, Astro Aqua Kitty plays like your traditional shooter as you move your ship (submarine) around large 2D environments shooting at baddies and obstacles while trying to not get killed yourself, however, it also borrows several elements from RPG games. Destroying enemies grants you exp that increase your submarine level, allowing you to upgrade your stats, equip more powerful gear that you can either obtain as drops from enemies or buy at the stores/savepoints, and unlock active and passive abilities for the characters you choose to play with, which also have their own set of strenghts and weaknesses you can combine for different playstyles. Being a bit of an RPG, the game also features a simple but still entertaining plot that starts with a simple exploration, devolves into a fight against pirates, and ultimately turns into [spoiler]"save the world from evil entity before it eats everything"[/spoiler]. Visually, the game has beautifully rendered sci-fi underwater environments and sprites that look like a blend of pixel art and western comic art styles, with characters and mecha designs that give a late 80's to early 90's TV show vibe despite their seemingly basic animations. The music is also very good, featuring some great techno themes that fit every stage as well as every point of the story plot as you progress. Difficulty-wise, by default the game is relatively easy, but considering there's three ever increasing hard modes as well as a permadeath option (plus certain character combinations that may make your submarine more susceptible to damage), there can still be a challenge even for those who may be looking for a more hardcore experience. If you ever need a more traditional shootout, the game also includes a single stage Arcade challenge, which might not seem too bad until you try it on hard and extreme difficulty or even go for completition, at that point some may even be thankful it is just one stage long. That said, the game does have some issues I personally consider irrelevant, but since this is a subjective opinion I should let you know that, for example, once you reach the end of the game, that's it ! No bonuses or anything, it just ends, and if you want to play again you either pick a new saveslot or replace the previous one, and I think this is a bit of a shame because it would have been nice for example to have a New Game Plus to replay the game with a fully decked and maxed out submarine against max level enemies. Also, the movement is a lil bit sluggish, which I can understand for trying to emulate underwater physics, but at the same time I'm not sure is optimal for a shooter, even if this only becomes an issue when playing on higher difficulties. Before to conclude, I have to mention there is a negative review here stating the game "runs out of content pretty soon", to which I have to point out is true only if you are solely interested about weapons and gear. Yes, the game showcases all of the available weapons and equippable items relatively quickly, but that doesn't mean it runs out of content just as quickly. The stages keep getting bigger and more intricate as the game progresses, the environment changes bringing always a unique challenge in the form of different environmental hazards, puzzles, enemies that become more dangerous and sometime require a different approach than brute force alone (and later on, some can't even be damaged at all). Even the NPCs change from simple chatboxes and quest givers to allies you bring around to interact with certain game elements, and later on they [spoiler]fight alongside you in the final stage and during the climax to open the final boss weakspot[/spoiler]. Overall, Astro Aqua Kitty is a great game I wholeheartly recommend to anyone into shooters, especially if they are looking for something with more depth than gimmicky score multipliers or just characters that shoot differently. The campaign may take you about 8 hours to complete the first time IF you want to explore every nook and cranny to try find secrets, plus there are 4+4 characters to mix and match if you ever feel like trying different playstyles. Certainly worth the price !
• gamedeal user

  Feb 3, 2022

  So first off, the good. The arcade mode is pretty fun, however it is just a single level, and only about 3 minutes long. It is decently challenging and gets progressively harder with each difficulty. But at the end of the day it is largely just the same level with a couple more elements thrown in. If the arcade mode was expanded on to include more levels I would recommend this game, but only for this mode. Now onto the story mode. It is just an incredibly grindy, repetitive, and casual experience. It's technically a shoot'em up/bullet hell, but because you are not ever forced into an actual arena outside of the bosses, you are able to just easily play through the game by shooting from a distance and slowly clearing sections of the map. I quit after about the 3rd level because progressing through the game just started to feel like a chore. The trailer makes it look pretty intense because they are purposefully charging through the stages to make it look as chaotic as possible, the reality is that it's never actually like this and there is no reason to ever do this. Perhaps if they added some speedrun challenges or incentivized more aggressive play in some way it would solve this issue, but at the moment nothing like this is in the game. The whole exp, skill, inventory system is incredibly shallow and doesn't really add much to the game. Also, in terms of difficulty, the story mode offers 5 options. But there are no achievements or rewards associated with higher difficulties so choosing one is pretty arbitrary. And all they do is increase enemy aggressiveness and health pools, so just making the game more or less tedious basically. For reference my experience was at the highest difficulty. And that's about it lol. Acrade mode = good, but not enough content to justify 15$. Story mode = boring and repetitive.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 17, 2022

  It's not a bad game. A nice story, you choose a crew and a upgrading system and colorful bosses. Short unbalanced and very small upgrade system and few achievements. You cannot replay levels. You raise 2 or three levels per level, but the next level immediately becomes more difficult not gradually. Achievements can be taken with one pass. The arcade level is like a poorly made demo but with potential. With a nice discount, the game is worth it.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 17, 2022

  This game was great, I had a blast playing. It felt relaxing to enjoy a game where I can upgrade my weapons and to play at my own pace. The ambiance of the levels matched being underwater. I hope more aqua kitty games are in development, I look forward to it.
• gamedeal user

  Jan 27, 2023

  Fun, but short schmup! Some nice level designs, decent boss fights and retro-ish graphics, but not enough variety in your ships weapons/addons systems to really engage any replay value. Still, a fun little shooter to while away a few hours.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 25, 2023

  Pretty fun exploratory shoot 'em up with polished graphics and some good music.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 5, 2021

  This game is awesome! I'm just getting started and its incredibly fun and high quality. Lots of upgrades, interesting quests and character interactions. Such a great evolution of the Aqua Kitty IP. GG!
• gamedeal user

  Jun 6, 2021

  Mew Mew + Pew Pew = An absolutely fantastic game
• gamedeal user

  Jun 6, 2021

  I have just arrived at level 3 and I know I am going to enjoy every minute of this game! It is fast paced, action packed and a ton of fun. You can upgrade your ship, unlock special abilities and perks, modify your attacks, equip new and more powerful weapons, and loads more. The characters are fun and the quests are interesting and rewarding. This is a very well designed, highly polished game with a really nice arcade feel while still providing depth and a well balanced challenge. Astro Aqua kitty is well priced and really worth playing. I highly recommend this game!