Neko Navy: Daydream Edition

This was probably only thing that could have recalled me from video game exile. All you really need to know is there is a level called Sausage Party, but if for some reason that’s not enough…

Neko Navy is a cat-themed horizontal cute-em-up in which the player pilots aforementioned flying cats through various equally-cute levels filled with whimsy and death. The three default cats represent the typical shooter styles. Grazing (which elicits a “Brave!” exclamation and is something I never tire of, both for the encouragement and because it’s hard to see the meter when there’s so much stuff all over the screen) fills up the cats’ power meter, which allows the player to bomb. Each cat’s bomb has a different spread (a beam, a stationary bomb, a screen-fill effect, etc.) but all turn bullets and collectibles into gold cubes. Additional cats can be unlocked. Credits are unlocked according to play time and lives are earned based on points, which encourages more aggressive scoring.

The game is fluid and fun to play, and a solid intro to the subgenre. File this away under Does The Thing Well Dept. It reminds me a lot of Trouble Witches Origin in terms of style, though the easy mode is more accessible and has a gentler difficulty curve. Spiritually, it also reminds me of Harmful Park.