Aqua Kitty UDX

Genre: Shmup

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local, Online)

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Astro Aqua Kitty: Pawsome Collection, along with Astro Aqua Kitty.)

Aqua Kitty UDX is a Shmup where players can move freely horizontally on a repeating stage, with two of the game’s three game modes having players shooting down enemies while protecting helpless characters planted at different points on the map from being abducted – In short, these modes play like a modern version of the classic arcade game Defender. In the third game mode, Dreadnought, added into the UDX release of the game, players attack stationary targets into the background while evading enemy fire, and then take out a boss – this mode is similar to the classic game Uridium.

In both modes, you get a pretty solid presentation with detailed visuals depicting both the anthopomorphic cat heroes and the robotic fish enemies, as well as some nice underwater effects and explosions. There’s nothing truly groundbreaking here, but even so it’s not bad on the eyes, or the ears for that matter – this game’s chiptune soundtrack is excellent, and the sound of explosions when you take out enemies is pretty satisfying. This is all wrapped in a silly story about anthopomorphic cats mining deposits of milk and cream in the seas.

As for the gameplay, I’m of mixed opinions on this. On the one hand, simply moving around and shooting things in this game is satisfying, and it’s nice to have both local and online co-op available. However, in each of the game’s three modes, that satisfaction is hindered by various issues.

In Classic and Dreadnought modes, players can shoot down enemies that bestow temporary power-ups, but given the way the game quickly gets progressively difficult, the temporary nature of these power-ups feels increasingly frustrating. This problem is mitigated in the game’s Arcade mode, that allows players to use resources gathered from some enemies to purchase power-ups in a system that resembles the Gradius series. However, this is offset by the fact that players only have one life, health doesn’t replenish between stages, and refilling hearts is one of the most expensive purchases players can make, making this mode extremely difficult in an already difficult game.

On top of this, each of the game’s modes is made more difficult and frustrating by enemies that can spawn anywhere off screen without any sort of notice, which becomes even more frustrating in the first two game modes, as these enemies can immediately go about abducting the characters you’re supposed to be protecting, meaning that you’re constantly scurrying around to try to fix problems you weren’t given enough warning to prevent, which isn’t very fun.

Don’t get me wrong, Aqua Kitty UDX has a lot going for it – it has a very good presentation, good co-op support, and the core gameplay is engaging, but multiple issues converge to make for a difficult and often frustrating experience that makes this game less fun than it could have been. It’s still well worth a look for fans of the genre and players looking for a challenging co-op game, though.

tl;dr – Aqua Kitty UDX is a Shmup with three game modes – two being similar to the classic game Defender, and one like the classic game Uridium. The presentation here is very good, and the core gameplay is solid, with good co-op, but a number of frustrating design choices cause the game to be overly difficult and frustrating. It’s still worth a look for genre fans and those looking for a more challenging experience, though.

Grade: B

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