Blade Kitten Hands-On

Swords, cat girls, giant killer robots--sounds like a Sunday afternoon. Blade Kitten is a side-scrolling action game being developed by Krome Studios, the makers of The Legend of Spyro trilogy, and published by the incredibly well-known Atari. Blade Kitten isn’t a completely new franchise but is instead based on a comic book series created by the higher-ups at Krome. Naturally, the game’s graphics perfectly replicate the comic's bright cartoon style.

For our hands-on demonstration, we jumped right into the PlayStation Network version of the game. We took control of Kit, a feline bounty hunter armed with a deadly floating sword. The controls were traditional action fare: Square attacks, X jumps, L1 blocks, and R1 sprints. Inspired heavily by the Strider series, Kit alternates among close range sword fighting, acrobatics, and wall climbing. We were able to sink our claws into a wall, flawlessly scale it, and even hang upside down from ceilings.

We dispatched a few waves of crimson guards but were quickly ambushed by a giant robot beast. It became clear that it completely disregarded the safety of the other enemies, as it quickly plowed through the level toward us. It also became clear what our best offense was: Run like there was no tomorrow. The boss was specifically designed to make use of our sprint function, all while the other enemies became cannon fodder.

Afterward, we switched to an adventure mode where we mounted an alien noot and explored the area. We relied on our sidekick, the flying Skiffy, who pointed out places of interest and pulled switches Kit couldn’t reach on her own. This allowed us to find new locations and collect hidden rewards. We, in turn, used these treasures to purchase new weaponry and new fashion for Kit. Some of our attire options included a futuristic wedding dress, the antagonist’s outfit, and even Krome’s old hero Ty the Tasmanian Tiger.

This solid, if not a bit off the wall, action game is sure to please fans of the genre that have been long awaiting a Strider-style experience. Blade Kitten will be released for download in September 2010 for the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC.