Red Deer Games have published quite a fair few games this year, but few caught my eye as quickly as Mojito the Cat.

Its adorable Captain Toad style appearance coupled with its feline theming pretty much had me suckered in from the start. How could I resist its cuteness?

Many thanks to RedDeerGames for the review code.

CAPTAIN TIDDLES
Mojito the Cat is a puzzle game that has you rolling your cubic kitty around the level, trying to reach the end. You need to obtain the fishbone key in order to unlock the exit, so you will have to plan your route a little instead of making a mad dash to the end. In addition to the compulsory key, there are also yarn balls to collect too, which are required to earn higher ratings on each stage. This plays into the world-unlocking mechanic that requires a combined total of twenty cubes (stars) in each world in order to unlock the next.

The game has 60 stages in total split into six relatively distinct worlds. There are similarities between the various stages, but they’re all beautifully simple cubic affairs that are delightful to look at. The dioramas may look more basic than those found in Captain Toad, but the cartoony art direction is still appealing in its own right.

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FLIPPIN’ FUN
Part of the game’s visual appeal is down to the game’s unique puzzle mechanic: most of the cubic dioramas have scenery on multiple sides that you are able to flip to by walking along certain flip blocks. It’s a little mind-bending at first as you try to navigate your way around multiple sides – especially with one earlier puzzle that requires that you walk down the thin side of the level to reach a different flip block – but it’s something that you quickly adapt to. Throw in other obstacles, such as moving platforms, collapsing bridges, blocks that switch positions when you stand on them, and you’ve got quite a dynamic puzzle stage. Some of the puzzle elements, particularly the collapsing bridges, can mean that you’ll find yourself trapped from time to time – it’s irritating for sure, but thankfully restarting is just a simple click away. 

The game’s camera orientation means that you’ll need to move your cubic companion in a diagonal path to traverse the world, which looks great but can be quite difficult in practice. Typically you’ll be using the cardinal directions to move around, which often results in you pressing the wrong direction on occasion as you try to remember what each one does. Thankfully, the developer patched in diagonal movement as an alternative option, but it’s pretty well hidden (there’s a hidden options menu if you press start on the world select screen!) and I didn’t end up discovering it until after I had already beaten the game! 

Regardless of how hidden away the optimal control scheme is, the main issue with the game boils down to some of the level objects that can often get in the way of the camera and prevent you from seeing what is going on. Trees seem to work perfectly, as they become almost invisible when you are behind them, but some other objects don’t seem to hide themselves quite as well. When you’re in an open area, you’ll never encounter an issues – but when you have to go inside little crevices, it can end up being a little tricky at times. 

There’s a fair amount of content on offer within the game, with the main game taking around five hours or so to beat (if you aren’t going for the top rankings). There are also a number of different character skins that you can unlock too via different means that offer players extra incentive to try and get 100% completion. On top of all that, the developer has stated that they intend to add an extra world to the game in a post-launch update, so keep an eye out for more Mojito in the future!.

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Mojito the Cat is a charming and relaxing little puzzle game that was a pleasure to play through. There are some issues, such as a camera that gets in the way sometimes, but nothing that spoils the game too much. It’s a charming experience, and I look forward to seeing what Mojito has next in store for us!