Neko Navy Quick Review

Neko Navy is the indie shmup/bullet hell game I didn't know I needed.

Although I grew up loving shmups in arcades, I never really got into playing them at home and thus I'm not particularly skilled at them. I do still enjoy them however, and Neko Navy has just the right amount of gimmick -- playable cats, silly enemies, and an enjoyable soundtrack -- all rolled together to make for a fun, simple game.

I hate to admit I started on easy difficulty (“hard” and “death” are also available) but given how rusty I am, it was unfortunately essential. There are three adorable cats to choose from for your journey through this equally adorable cartoon world and each has a different attack pattern and special attack -- contented grey tabby Mugi has a localized bomb, excited Siamese Miracle has a fiery laser stream, and stern Persian Chiyoko has a screen clear.

There isn’t a lot of substance -- you fly around different areas and shoot creatively designed enemies like flying tubes of toothpaste with spidery legs, sea turtle-firefly hybrids, and cat-faced caterpillars. There’s no deep dialogue or characterization like Touhou but it’s just the right level of challenge and cute backed up by a fun chiptune-laden soundtrack that alternates between thumping synth and more laid-back orchestrations.

Neko Navy goes on sale on June 14 for $10.99 (or you can preorder it at 15% off from publisher Fruitbat Factory). In this day and age where many wait for ludicrously low priced Steam sales and bundles, I can see $10.99 being too rich for some but it’s definitely a fair price if you’re a fan of shmups or cats, or better yet, shmups and cats. The beta was simple but polished and fun. Go take your cat of choice to the skies.