PS5 Review: Felix the Cat

Did curiosity kill this particular cat?

Join Felix on his worldwide search as flies a monoplane across mountains, delves into the ocean depths in a submarine and races across bizarre landscapes in a wild and whacky one-wheeled car! All provided by the Magic Bag of Tricks! This new bundle will include two classic Felix the Cat titles, Felix the Cat (NES version) and Felix the Cat (Game Boy version). In these games, players can save and rewind game progression at any time.

I have to admit, I never knew there were games based on Felix the Cat. I actually didn’t know all that much about the character, but I thought it was good to see Konami acknowledge their past library and bring it to a new generation with both the NES and Game Boy versions.

The game handles like a typical 2D platformer with Felix using his bag of tricks to attack enemies in his path, reaching the exit at the end of each stage. Unlike in Mario, Felix cannot jump on enemies to kill them, so you’ll need to be extra cautious throughout your playthrough. The good news is that Felix will get other weapons/abilities to use on foes, even if for a short distance and on top of that, there’s a rewind feature for you to undo your mistakes.

I was overly impressed with how close the Game Boy version was to it’s NES counterpart. The layout is identical, though the GB version does have some framerate issues that is probably due to it being a full-on emulation of the original GB game as opposed to using the console’s hardware to make it run better.

In terms of 2D platformers, Felix the Cat is a decent enough one. It’s never going to top the likes of Mario, but it does a formidable job and one that is a lot cheaper than picking up the original versions on eBay. The visuals are a product of their time, but look decent considering what they were made on originally, the music is also classic of the era.

The Verdict

Felix the Cat may not be the most innovative or classic 2D platformer, but it does well and provides a decent experience for retro fans. Maybe Konami can now release other classic games like… the Mega Drive version of Tiny Toon Adventures or the N64 version of Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon? I can only hope, but it’s still nice to see Konami reviving a piece of their past.

Score: 7.0

Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co