This is no ordinary dual-stick shooter for the iPhone. It’s funny, quirky and kitsch-tastic, and more than entertaining enough to pass a few minutes here and there.
Meow Meow Happy Fight was developed by independent UK game developers called Big Pixel Studios and is rendered in a very deliberate Japan Manga-esque style.
The premise of the game is that it is now Tokyo in the near future and the world is basically too happy so a crazy cat decides to go back in time to prevent this by wreaking havoc. You’re playing the game in the present and have to fight your way through the various levels, which are different Japanese cities.
Cat Ball has a lot of questions to answer. Where are his whiskers? Why six legs instead of four? Why are you lying about being a hamster?
One of the several things I liked about the game is that it is each man for himself. Although there are others attacking the giant kitty cat or whoever it may be, they will just as readily turn around and attack you too.
Because of this it is a constant battle to dodge shots and manoeuvre around others to get your shots in. What irritated me slightly was the fact that if you have auto-aim on it can be a bit to easy to circle your victim and keep firing but with auto-aim switched off I found it too difficult to keep adjusting my aim while dodging others.
How cute are the graphics? Turning Japanese, my iPhone’s turning Japanese I really think so.
As you move around you and your opponents are in protective bubbles. Once these are weakened enough you lose a life. I found the bubbles slightly awkward and kept clashing bubble to bubble, as it were, against others.
It was a bit like bumper cars; having to manoeuvre back out and get a shot in when they weren’t facing me.
I’m not complaining though. This game kept me amused and the chunky graphics and arcade-style music were pleasing on the eyes and ears.
Some cutesy additions included the fact that when you kill an opponent, of the various things to fall from them that you can pick up for bonus points were sushi and a tiny iPhone!
This game feels polished, and as though it has been crafted with care. If you own an iPhone chances are you are an aesthetically oriented individuals in which case you’ll love Meow Meow Happy Fight.
A cheap and cheerful way to whittle away some spare time and the music will stick in your head too.
Platform: iPhone
Price: €0.79
Where: Apple App Store