Story-wise, there aint much to write home about, as it’s not really the crux of what makes this particular cation (geddit, CATion? Like action with CAT in the title? SHUT UP!) platformer so gosh darn enjoyable. Alas, let Olly023 fill you in on the general details: You play as Felix (YAY) as he goes on an epic journey through magical lands, aided by his magic bag, all to get back his catnapped girlfriend Kitty, who was taken away by some mad professor bloke who thinks he’s all that (BOO). Needless to say, Hudson must have been up for weeks trying to think this one up. S’all good. The story is actually explained nicely through a little cut scene (with written dialogue included), in which the Prof makes it clear he wants Felix’s magic bag. Felix is all ‘NAWW SON!’ and heads off out after the call.

Generally speaking, the gameplay matches the story in terms of simplicity. A to jump, B to attack…And that’s all you need to know! The controls are tight and responsive, timed just right with the mostly smooth animations. Not having the overall mechanics be too demanding, or worse yet; confusing, the focus can lay simply with the pure enjoyment that’s on offer by entering Felix’s world. 

One key ingredient that spices things up is the use of magic/items. The more the player powers up Felix, the different his abilities become. You got Felix simply waving his wand (ooer) to a sparkly display, turning into a tank thing and much more. I kid you not. Tank Felix! These are the elements added to the experience to make it all the more unique. These power ups are all dependent on the level, too. Whether on land, in flight, on boat, underwater or for one level SPACESHIP~! The power ups don’t last forever, either. So you have to have an element of wiseness (I invented that word, I thank you), keeping an eye on the health bar, which depletes both over time and with collision with enemies (standard). There are a total of nine worlds and eight bosses to defeat as you progress through the game.

Progressing won’t be the most taxing thing on Earth, mind. The difficulty curve is rather gentle, so felt I. Meaning, unlike games such as Ghosts N Goblins, this is a NES title you can happily recommend as entry level, for that minimum of potential controller smashing from pure rage fits. Perhaps easier than the average, yet that’s not to take anything away from what a good game Felix is. It is sometimes nice to not be plagued by cheap deaths and dodgy AI. After all, there may be ‘old school NES frustration’, but there’s also bad design and mechanics, neither of which are on display here. Thankfully!

Visually speaking it’s a corker. It manages to balance the look and feel of a cartoon with the obvious graphical limitations of the NES to an absolute tee. Every sprite is bright, distinguishable, well animated and not overly pixelated. The typical flickering issue also sticks to a bare minimum which is always welcome, too. Right from the opening level you’ll be swept up in the lush use of the NES colour palette and perhaps even surprised by some instances of background detail, such as faces in the clouds or decidedly nervous looking trees. Have to give the developers total props, but arguably by 1992 you’d expect the pros to know what they’re doing. To continue on with the cut scene that opened the game, various others are shown in the same vain where the Prof rings up Felix to tell him of his impatience. Pretty sure that guy would love social media.

Musically, it's typically upbeat and jaunty, but has its moments of dread when the atmosphere calls for it. Nothing is out of place to the ear in conjunction with the eye. Though perhaps not the kind of music you'll be listening to in your down time, it is well composed and perfectly acceptable for the game in question. I dig it, at least. Sound effects are good, too!