Review: Blade Kitten (Xbox 360)
First the good news. Blade Kitten, from Krome Studios, is not bad. Now the bad news; it’s not great either. It’s not even a decent game. It’s more like it’s a game that is just “there”. It seems harsh to call it mediocre but that’s the line Blade Kittenstraddles on.
Krome Studios’ Blade Kitten is based of the webcomic of the same name(created by Steve Stamatiadis who is also the creative director of Krome Studios). It follows the adventure of Kit Ballard, a half human, half cat who just happens to be a bounty hunter. On the world of Hollow Wish, she’s after a person known as Terra-Li (the sort of protagonist of Blade Kitten) but things don’t go as smoothly when she lands.
The first thing you notice when you start the game is how floaty the controls are. Initially you’ll find yourself skidding all over the place, overshooting your jumping, jumping when trying to slide etc. Generally – even when you get use to the controls – just trying to keep control of Ballard is like trying to keep hold of a slippery fish that’s covered in oil. It also doesn’t help that at times the responsiveness is delayed which can be irritating when trying to make a jump or in combat with several enemies.
Despite the not so perfect controls, it is nice that Ballard can double jump and cling onto most walls and ceilings from the off. The ability to double jump and wall climb is to give you the incentive to explore Blade Kitten’s large levels. Even the first level can take up to an hour to complete if you search every path for currency, chests, skiffs and datadisks. Somewhere along the way though, Blade Kitten loses it’s exploration excitement and makes the game drag on. Unless your an achievement/collecting whore, you’ll end up deciding to just focus on beating the leve
l not caring to go off the beaten track, even if being able to purchase weapons, health and stamina upgrades and costumes tries to lure you to do so.
Combat wise it’s okay. You have two types of attack, close range and long distance (Ballard sends her floating sword forward). When Skiff (yourfurry sidekick) turns red you can also execute a special attack though you will never need this, even during the occasions your surrounded by enemies. Some enemies are pretty cheap (the melee Sollers and armoured enemies) and you can expect to see a fair chunk of health go down at times when you encounter them. But combat will rarely make you break a sweat (thanks mainly to regenerating health).
Perhaps Blade Kitten’s biggest strength is it’s presentation. Sure the music again is average, only picking up in the late stages, but the graphics are pretty. Not special but they are bright and the characters look fine. The way they animate is a different matter, as Ballard walks in a floaty manner . I know she’s suppose to be cat like but she comes across as if she’s walking on a planet with less gravity than Earth and her special moves just look funny. Regardless it’s anime-esque cuteness should attract those seeking to escape realistic or gritty games and the illusion of multiple paths is neat.
On the flipside, it’s biggest weakness is the story. I get that it’s only the first part of a series but at least more effort could have gone into the narration. The cutscenes are pretty weak, with Ballard often looking stupid (she would do well to do less talking and more action) or the dialogue just coming across as flat. Admittedly it does get better as the game progresses but it never gets past second gear and it has inconsistencies here and there or never explains things properly. Also some of the terms have a “trying too hard” label to them. Seriously “noink”? Yeah that doesn’t translate well to video games it seems.
As for the characters Kit Ballard herself is a decent character. She comes across as sort of ditzy and she does have some annoying moments, but overall she’s not a character you want to punch and does have her moments 
though it doesn’t help that the various quotes Ballard says when she finds a treasure chest or datadisk – such as “Ding”, “Gratz” “Go team!” and “Win get!” fall flat. Other characters don’t feature as much and thus come across as just being there because Ballard needs to interact. This means you don’t get many memorable characters, though item seller Hundert Tonne and Sheriff Walrut Hed do stand out.
Another downside is the levels themselves. Sure they look good, but even if you don’t do the aforementioned exploring they do seem to be just a bit long in the tooth. It doesn’t help that the camera likes to zoom in at the most inappropriate times and is even a hindrance during a chasing level, where all of a sudden a flaming pit appears meaning if your too close, it’s instant death. Also the lack of enemy variety hurts it too.
Blade Kitten can also be glitchy in places. You may experience being stuck on the walls or ground (usually when sliding), enemies just standing still or Ballard even saying things twice.
I get the feeling this is a game that only fans of the webcomic will appreciate the fullest and that those not use to Blade Kitten may feel like someone who’s walked into a middle of a joke and gets some of it but still totally not clued in. I also know that it by the criticisms leveled, this is a poor game. It’s not; Blade Kitten has it’s moments, such as gaining new weapons and costumes, figuring out how to get to certain treasure chests
and teleports and sneakily taking out enemies.
But Blade Kitten is a game that is just there. It does nothing to stand out and ends up feeling average to mostly those who aren’t fans of the Blade Kitten webcomic. Krome Studios are going to have to do a lot of work if Part 2 stands any chance of being better.