Draft:MagiCat (video game)

MagiCat (マジキャット) is a platformer video game developed by Kucing Rembes. It was published by Toge Productions and released on Steam for Windows and MacOS on August 22, 2017 and for the Nintendo Switch on September 20, 2018.

Gameplay
The game uses a pixel art style. The protagonist, MagiCat, can shoot a projectile that travels in an arc or vertically, jump and stomp on enemies, and dash forward with the use of mana potions found in levels. MagiCat travels through the game's world to retrieve a large gem stolen by a monkey. Dialogue in the game is presented as animal onomatopoeia, with a New Game+ option featuring translated dialogue and more difficult boss fights as well as having all purchasable abilities unlocked at the start of the game.

The overworld map is traversed using a top-down perspective, containing split paths that allow the player to complete many of the sixty-three levels in any order. Shops scattered across the overworld further incentivize sequence breaking by offering items that allow the player to destroy map obstacles or create bridges between islands on the map, with some optional levels requiring the use of these items to be accessed. The map also features secret ponds that change the player's and projectile's cosmetic appearance, while also hiding collectibles necessary to reach the game's true ending.

Levels use a side-scrolling 2D perspective, and contain collectibles such as coins, mana potions and gems. There are no lives in the game (instead, a health bar hovers above the player, allowing for four hits before death), and collecting a hundred coins grants the player one paw point, a currency used for respawning on the spot upon death (if they do not revive, they are taken to the closest active checkpoint in a level) or interacting with the world map. Most levels in the game feature a gimmick unique to that level, and consist of three sections followed by a safe room and always ending in a boss fight. The start of each section allows the player to spend ten mana potions to activate a checkpoint, which also acts as a way out of a stage on repeat playthroughs that saves any collected gems without the need of fighting the stage's boss again. Each level contains three gems (similar to Star Coins in New Super Mario Bros.), which are used to purchase new items and abilities for the player. Collecting gems without the use of the dash ability will grant a higher score to the player. Similarly, defeating a boss without taking damage or reviving also grants a higher score. A "Progress" page in the pause menu in the world map allows the player to keep track of these milestones. After completing a stage for the first time, the player unlocks a time attack option where they have 100 seconds to reach the end of the level.

Reception
On review aggregator OpenCritic, the "Top Critic Average" is 68/100.

Joseph Shaffer of HonestGamers said the game remains fresh throughout all of the sixty-plus stages due to each level focusing on one central concept, but was critical of many "cheap" scenarios later in the game, stating that players can just rely on their supply of paw points to "carry [them] through a battering". Nintendojo's Joshua Johnston liked the variety in level design, saying that "no two levels feel the same", but criticized the high difficulty and lack of tutorials. Evan Norris from VGChartz praised the controls and different layers of completion, saying the game "works despite feeling at times like a greatest hits album for platformers", but felt that it "can get frustrating in the final two worlds". Video Chums's A.J. Maciejewski enjoyed the controls and stage design, noting the "adorable presentation", but commented that how to beat bosses isn't always clear and that the music isn't "particularly catchy or memorable".