ZpellCatZ Review – Kitten Quests and Feline Fireballs
ZpellCatZ by SimaGames
ZpellCatZ is an action RPG set in a world of cats.
Solo developer Florian Siemer, a.k.a. SimaGames, isn’t the first to come up with such an idea, of course, but his execution of the concept is different from what you’d probably expect and interesting enough to make up for the game’s other minor flaws.
Feline Fantasy
Most obviously, ZpellCatZ takes its premise seriously, and apart from the obvious, it’s a surprisingly straightforward fantasy plot in almost all aspects.
ZpellCatZ begins with our hero – a traveler and aspiring magic-wielder – nearly dying in a shipwreck while searching for a mystical island. Nursed back to health by one of the island’s inhabitants, you’re enlisted in the locals’ struggle against an evil cult.
The whole feline thing is barely acknowledged, and when it is – the Isle of Mana is home to a breed of cats with great magical skill that also happen to be green – it’s played totally straight, unlike such games as the Cat Quest series.
There are probably more cat jokes in my review of ZpellCatZ than the entirety of the game itself.
A Song of Mice and Fire
The other twist on ZpellCatZ is that all combat is entirely magic-driven. From your whiskered wizard player character to the frogs, ducks, and other dungeon-dwellers you’ll be dueling, everybody’s got a staff or two.
Siemer put some real thought into the magical system, and it’s deep enough to let you create your preferred play style. You’ve got several character classes to start with, then you can augment your attacks with everything from area-of-effect fireballs to totems that blast enemies automatically.
There are also plenty of passive skills to upgrade, different familiars/pets to enlist, and lots of cosmetic options for your low-poly feline wand-wielder (I stuck a pointy wizard hat on mine).
Meowgic: The Gathering
While ZpellCatZ takes itself seriously as an RPG, it does fall prey to some of the genre’s pitfalls.
It’s a little bloated with fetch quests; collect his many carrots, that many frog skulls, not to mention all of the plot-central Mana Essences.
The dungeons can also get predictable after a while. They’re procedurally generated, but there are few enough source elements that after working your way through a few of them, you’ll run out of surprises pretty quickly.
The Verdict
ZpellCatZ is a solid effort from a solo dev, and the juxtaposition of the “save the world, young wizard” fantasy RPG plot stuff and a world of cats – green magical cats, no less – is an unexpected if confusing delight that makes up for a somewhat repetitive game loop.
ZpellCatZ is available via Steam.
Watch the trailer for ZpellCatZ below:
