Fat Cat
Been wondering what Nitrome creative duo Simon Hunter and Aaron Steed have been up to since the release of Final Ninja? Well, here's your answer. They've been very busy being amazing, and Fat Cat is the strange hybrid product of their amazingitude. It wears the face of an exacting bullet-fest such as The Last Canopy or Pararalyzer, but underneath, its heart pumps the blood of a tightly choreographed puzzle game. I've never seen anything quite like it.
You control two characters simultaneously. First is the titular Fat Cat, a sanguine purple feline blimp who moves slowly and explodes if he gets hit three times by enemies or bullets. Your goal is to keep him alive through 21 levels, including 3 boss fights and a truly astounding volume of cannon fodder enemies. His lone attack is a doozy—a screen-devouring burp-powered laser that crushes certain wall tiles and shreds even the toughest enemy battleships. The catch is that the laser is fueled by food pick-ups, which tend to appear only just before they are needed. Steer the cat's lazy lard butt with [WASD] or the [arrow] keys, and fire the mega-laser-burp with [space].
The second character is an indestructible, multi-talented, and well-armed blue guardian owl. Control this one with the mouse, and fire an unlimited barrage of fireballs by holding the mouse button. The owl does nearly all of the heavy lifting in Fat Cat, with the power to block projectiles, drag around movable blocks, flip mirrors to redirect lasers, press special buttons that activate power-ups, and even drag the fat cat around bodily when his natural flight speed proves too pokey.
The difficulty level is fairly high, due to both the slim margin for errors, and the challenge of controlling a warrior with each hand. If you're having trouble, consider playing Fat Cat with a friend. The cat and the owl rely on each other to solve problems, but they act separately, making this one of the most interesting cooperative games around.
Analysis: Fat Cat is a searing indictment of the United States government's recent decision to bail out multiple failing corporations with federal tax money. The "fat cat" of the title represents the irresponsible CEOs who have reacted to the growing US financial crunch by taking expensive spa vacations and flying private jets to Washington in order to grovel for more hand-outs, so they can continue their game of high-stakes blackjack at taxpayer expense. The fat cat's little owl guardian is, of course, the analogue of the federal "wise owls" who continue to support a planned economy, even when its structure is crumbling in front of them. Thus Nitrome casts you as the villains in an allegorical quest about greed and the inevitability of corruption.
Kidding! None of that is remotely true. Fat Cat is literally about a big fat flying cat and his magical owl buddy. There is no sub-text whatsoever.
Anyhoooo, the dual-character gameplay really makes this game something special. Because of the owl's unrestricted mobility, and its ability to block 90% of enemy projectiles, you'll rarely have to do any dodging. It won't hurt to have some shoot-'em-up twitch skills, but if you find yourself actually weaving through bullet patterns, manic shooter-style, you've probably screwed something up.
Almost every problem in the game can be solved through the joint deployment of brainpower and firepower, which puts Fat Cat in that most rarefied genre: the puzzle shooter. In the tradition of the grand old thoughtful shooters like R-Type, your success relies on level memorization and understanding your arsenal of abilities, both defensive and offensive.
Now, that may not be to everyone's taste. Some of the levels can feel quite long, especially when a particularly tricky and deadly challenge sends you back to the beginning before you've even had a chance to consider the solution. But what will keep you clicking on "try again" is the sheer cleverness of it all. You get to crush whole armies with big flying blocks. You get to charge up with napalm and carve a fiery path through a sea of techno-organic baddies. You get to fry enemies with their own lasers and outmaneuver homing bees. Homing bees! It's like a dream come true.
It also doesn't hurt that Fat Cat's graphics are some of the finest pixel work around, with huge, complicated cities scrolling by in multiple background layers. It's a happier, blockier-looking game than either Final Ninja or Dirk Valentine, but no less incredible.
I can't wait to see what these guys come up with next.
this is brilliant!
The Nitrome server seems to be overloaded, I can't get the game to load. The rest of the page loads, but then the game times out.
This game totally rocks. FatCat is the best. I so far have the highest top score. Its called Treacle
You can also play the game at Miniclip...
http://www.miniclip.com/games/fat-cat/en/
I love it! Took ages to get it to start loading but when it did....
Really hard though - especially with a laptop! I'm on level 6 at the moment.
stuck on level 9. any advice?
yea, stuck on 9 too.
the full-of-pointing-at-you-lasers-tunnel is impossible to get through!
Nitrome isn't loading on Firefox! Humph. However, I completely enjoyed your paragraph on the bail-outs of the government. I did not expect this analysis from a game site at all, but it's funny nevertheless.
Level 9? Has to be an error, there is now way through, right?
Okay, now it's loading! I'm on level 8. The safe spot was easy to find for "King Meka". From there, all I had to do was move my owl around. When I get on again, I'm going to beat level 8 and see what things everybody's talking about on level 9. This is a way for destroying enemies faster:
Thanks again for a hilarious review, Psychotronic!
There's also a different interpretation:
How classic poems, such as "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear, influence today's online games and gameplay, eg "Fat Cat" by Nitrome.
You could write a masters' thesis on it!
:)
Okay what just happened?
I took a break for about an hour, came back and played level 6 again. This time there were half the enemies and it was incredibly easy compared to before.
Level 9:
It seems some levels change when you reload. My first time through level 1 was way easier than the second, less stuff in it.
for the eagle eyed people above, yes theres been a few tweeks to first third of the game just to make the learning curve a little less harsh. Reloading the page will update to the final slightly easier version of the game.
For the bullet tunnel at level 9:
Can't get past level 11. Impossible. Any help?
got it. wow. hard.
I LOVE Fatcat! It's the first Nitrome game that is addicting and not frustrating to me!
See, I love it a lot because it has catchy (Hehehe, pun) music, I love killing off enemies that normally take 4 shots in with 1 slide of a cube. And the design is just adorable~ *fangirl* my favorite nitrome game ever. (My second being Toxic 2)
the... level 15... bee hive... is... impossible.
15 is ridiculous...
What a lovely game concept, and a lovely implementation. It got me to finally sign up for an account with JIG.
But sheesh I can't even get past the start of the first level (the monster nest just past the first wall that you break through with your first use of lasers.)
Lovely game but I suck at it.
YES! i beat 15 finally, that level is a beast.
well, i didnt get too far im stuck on 17 now...
Xylozex--yep, this site is truly a cut above--I think in large part because the folks who review are either grownups or really intelligent teens, and all are serious about providing quality reviews. And the owner is an adult, which seems rare in the gaming-site world. But I'm biased! I prefer the intelligence here to the standard fare I find at other gaming sites.
Piece of cake
Just took me 5 hours to complete it.
Final boss has a pattern..
I guess my only advice is:
Also, here's a way to raise your score like crazy:
I love this game, but there is one thing I hate. When you move the blocks, they are dangerous to the cat. I try to move the blocks to kill enemies, and I end up killing my cat! I think the blocks should have just pushed the cat around, and if the cat gets stuck then you can't move the block until the cat gets unstuck.
Sometimes, if I'm doing too much shooting, the cat gets stuck and won't move. I think this is probably a bug. I have a cable connection...
Great game, although 19 was too difficult.
A strategy for the final boss:
This strategy got me through the final boss within a few tries.
I agree about level 19. Not only is the first part nearly impossible because you can't kill the enemies fast enough to get the cat through, the second part of the level is essentially a TIMED mouse avoider game where your mouse takes up a good chunk of the screen.
Also, it's really easy to not pick up the cat and already be halfway through the maze before you realize your mistake and get back to it.
I'm thinking they got this stage idea from the Gradius series, but I have to say that even the Gradius version is easier than this one.
Otherwise, the game is amazing. Good job, guys!
I keep having the same problem as stated earlier where when the cat stops moving sometimes when I am firing. It's like the cat lags out or something.
Help on level 7 please?!
I can't get past it no matter how many times I try!
This is one great game.
However, I don't know if my computer is guilty or the fact that it is a Flash game, but the frequent slowdowns are a true downer.
Why is the Nitrome version different from the Miniclip version, it looks easier...
With games like this, I like to imagine what personalities the characters might have based on their similarities and differences. I imagine the owl is always complaining about how he has to do all the hard work...
Level 17 is impossible!! Too many green things!!
The first boss level, 7, king meta was so easy
Help on lvl 8?
Psychotronic, due to the blog, "The owl and the pussycat went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat...and then they went on an amazing adventure where the cat could fly and the owl could shoot lasers out of his eyes!" I think that there is a relationship between "The Owl and the Pussycat" and "Fat Cat".
Level 9 is hard, but I'm determined to get past it. I just can't remember what it's like, seeing as I played it yesterday.
advise for 17 would be awesome...
JI, for 17, place the block on the left side and burp all over the right side.
This is really good, what with the separate characters of the owl and the pussycat. One of my favourite things to do is SMASH enemies with blocks.
Unfortunately, the cat can't shoot when he has been hit. Made a couple of situations difficult.
Level 9 was one of the most difficult, but the rest wasn't too frustrating.
Lazani, We thought the difficulty of the original game was a little too hard for mass audience appeal (although enjoyably challenging) and we wanted as many people as possible to enjoy another great Nitrome game. Hopefully it is easy enough to get in to now and still hard enough to master!
anyone know how to beat king meka? please tell me. where is the safe spot?
Only the first 9 levels were modified to form a difficulty arc that started a lot lower.
We were looking at Don Don Pachi and other Cave bullet-hell shoot em ups during development. Fat Cat is child's play by comparison.
King Mecha:
I killed the guy in the middle, but i don't know how to beat the level! Help!
Could someone help me on level 5?
A magnificent game!
A cool thing, if you have enough megaburp when crossing the finish line, use it right before you get there, after you finish the level you can sit in awe as the beautiful pixel art shines towards you. Excellent game.!:p
HERES A TIP:
I've got it! The safe spot for King Mecha.
It's my 4th least favorite nitrome game (toxic 1 as a strong first) but it's still a great game. Nitrome is amazing! Level eight is stumping me though...
Help on King Kakta level 14!
Ok, why the heck does the cat explode if you leave it waiting behind a wall for more than a fricking second!?!??!? If you leave him behind a wall to keep him safe while you kill bad guys, All the sudden that horridly annoying "MEeeeeoW!" and it explodes.
I mean, even if i'm just moving a block for a second and he's waiting behind it the spoiled feline meows and dies!
just completed the game
final boss was hard here's my strategy
Without a doubt, one of Nitrome's best games.
I just beat the game and took zero damage on the final boss. My strategy is to stay in the middle and fire till bee cannon is gone, this way it's easy to block bees and you can dodge the bullets by moving the cat. Now its easy to destroy the other cannons.
Level 8 stuns me..
could someone help me with level 16? how is it possible to get past the part with all the buttons and the insane amount of bullets (right after the magnet power up)
i can help with any level (1-15) just ask
never mind about level 15 help i beat it
Where is the safe spot on level 7? I cannot find it!!!!
omg... im stuck at lvl 17.... its almost impossible to clear up all the enemies with the block..... i tried using the cat as help... but wat i knew was later on i needed laser.... help me please.... im stuck at the part where the green monsters shoot out a whole load of bullets at me..... if i let even 1 escape... im in big trouble
Just a thing for you guys. I noticed that the version of the game that is on Miniclip is harder than the version fo the game in Nitrome's website. So... have fun. :D
[Edit: Actually, both versions are the same. If one is harder than the other, then you're still playing with an older version in your browser cache (because the game was changed shortly after release). Empty it and reload and you'll see they are the same. -Jay]
Im stuck at level 19.. my friend and I played this game together.. one person control the cat the other control the owl.. level 19 is way too tricky... one mistake caused the game
apples to answer your questions
the cat probably got squashed or something because it cant go through walls andthe moving block hurts it because it has a special forfield around it hurting/destroying everything it touches
The game is great, but I do have 1 complaint. On level 13 I cant move the blocks fast enough, since the clicking is slow. Id have preferred a keyboard key to select what to move. Other than that, its fine.
i can't beat lv 15!!! can some one help me plz??
for china:
the safe spot for level 7 (king meka) is in the middle of the screen, a little bit off the bottom. notice that the purple bullet clusters can seem to touch you but it doesn't count as a hit for some odd reason. leave the cat there and use the invincible owl to shoot down the boss
this info is posted in the feed so you should probably read it before you ask questions
D: Im stuck on level 2. I know not very good at this game. Any help ? x
Help with King Kakta please!
I'm stuck on level 18 ? i cant get passed the part where they are throwing the sparkly balls at the end. i either get killed or the screen crushes me.
how do you pass level 19?
i tried so many times but i'm stuck!flower
to beat level nineteen you need to pick up the cat in between the enemies
at the beginning (until the orange plasma walls) DONT pick up the cat because you will need that time to let the owl go ahead and get a head start on the enemies
you should get to the orange plasma with full health (giving you some room for error)
pick up the cat and move him side to side, drop him, shoot the two enemies, and go on to the next one
this part just takes a little patience
then the rest should be simple
however the part with all the green cuby guys that fill the screen is kind of hard:
stock up on laser and save it until the last possible minute (by going in the middle and shooting with the owl) then blast you way through everything with the laser and go all the way to the left top corner of the screen where you can wait it out (kind of like in the bullet tunnel for level 9)
the part at the end with the small walls: remember to pick up the cat and then hit the laser and pick him up (that part shouldn't be too hard)
then the final wall, blast through and FINISH
um if you cant beat level two then you have problems
only things i can think of is that to move the blocks you have to click with the owl and drag.
the cat will die if it gets hit by a block.
use the block to crush enemies.
maybe that helps
for level 18: remember, to beat a level you dont have to have all 3 health boxes
for the sparkly things you can pick up the cat and just move it through- the cat becomes invincible for a few seconds after being hit
if this doesn't work, the way i did it was to wait as long as possible for the stars to go by most of the way and then go out from behind the wall and cut right immediately, wiping away bullets with the owl
the star things should keep going by and the bullets disperse, making it easy for you to dodge the few that get past the owl
the next round of star things should be easy because you can wait a while for the screen to scroll and the stars should have mostly passed you
I can't beat level 15! I'm stuck at the part where all the bee shooter things team up at the same time and all the bees are coming.
Help on level 15
Okay, I only got up to 17, but here's a few genius tips.
I need help on level 8.
Please help me out!!!!
help 13 lvl
please
I can't get past the beginning of level 9! Can someone lend me a hand?
Please, level 14 :(
There is an easy way to get unlimited points:
On level 15, when i am the final bit and trying to kill the things that are producing the bees (at least they look like bees to me), the fat cat uses all his lasers at once, no matter how lightly i press the button. Is there some sort of method to it?
Fat Cat is indeed the best nitrome game i have ever played. Finished the whole game. Here's the tips for the last boss. This tip is basically the easiest to follow if you concentrate on your cat and just let your owl do the blocking.
It looks hard to understand but all i explained was pretty simple. Very easy to follow. Good Luck
I am so stuck on level 11.
Woah. This is the first Nitrome game I have actually made an effort to find a computer where I can play it as smoothly as possible. And it's worth it. What a GREAT game.
It's not even that hard, if you approach it from the right angle. If it's too hard, odds are you are doing something wrong, and instead of brute-forcing it, you more often then not must stop, relax and try to figure out another approach. BUT you really need a good mouse and a good enough computer without slowdowns... the slowdowns truly killed the game, especially in the last levels where they somehow make you drop the big cat which is most likely instant death.
One other thing that bothered me is the way the right mouse button gets in the way if you accidentally press it, but that's Flash games for you. Other then that, the game is perfect, the difficulty curve is just right and the only thing it misses is more levels.
Fat Cat FTW.
WOAH. I'm impressed that you're impressed, baba44713. :)
If anyone would like any help, just ask but i will only do one at a time. =D. The last lvl was fun.
StarsInHerEyes,
Here your tip on level 11
Here's a tip on how to fill your mega-burp bar really quick.
I hope I helped you. Have fun.
could someone help me on level 19 please?
i dont understand the whole "pick up the cat in between the enemies" thing.
laura,
Pick up the cat in between the enemies?
I don't think that sentence appeared in the level. Did u meant pick up the cat to survive? =.=... What you need is to have 3 health boxes when you enter the fire walls and just pick up your cat when you see a long path for your cat to move to another safety point. Basically level 19 is on your own. It does not have much tactics to follow. Just speed and accuracy.
Sorry if i could not help you.
I need help on the boss King Kacta.
I still don't understand how to get past level 18
adam,
Which part cant you get through?
matt,
King Kacta was fun. ^^
Have fun. =D
the part with all the bullets coming at you at the same time
Why do those tri bullets only hurt you some of the time?
adam,
Do you mean the part where all the starts shoots a lot of bullets?
Maybe your com lags or something? There's no tri-bullet in level 18.
how DO you get past level 17?
plz help me on lvl 14! i can't beat it.
anoymous,
If you still need any more help, ask.
meta2,
King Kacta was fun. ^^
Have fun. =D
I know there are no tri bullets in lvl 18. In the other levels i meant
ohhhh..hehe..
yea.. maybe your com lags a little or maybe the bullets touched u a little bit only
Level 15 is killing me. I get so frustrated I have to walk away. Its been 2 days and I still can't get past the few opening sections. Help!!
Razormint - thanks for your help with 11.
King Kacta (or however you spell it):
Level 15.
Finally got to the part where all the bees are coming at you. Killed off the first one without an issue, but the next three are my downfall....
any advice??
finally through level 15
Errmmm... okayy..... Which means you don't really need my help anymore. right?
razormint
It took me forever to get through it, but I managed to finally do so. Thanks for your concern.
I NEED HELP ON LEVEL EIGHT!!! I've tried it about twenty times, and i am getting so frustrated!!!!! PLEASE HELP ME!
Megan,
Which part are you stuck at?
This game is awesome!!
Here is a great tip I always use in school!
In level 19, you have to drag the fat cat to pass through the maze.
Just beat it! Awesome game, I loved it!
stuck on level 9, any help, spoilers?
hi!
i need help in the level 7 in fat cat and toxic
I think they went a little too far with the napalm. I mean, are they serious? NAPALM?!?!
Argh! I finally learned that the owl could BRING food TO the cat on level nine...
what happened to nine lives?
Tip on Level 9, Owl can drag food
how do i defeat pass level 7??? ive been playing this level for 3 hours. sad??? i know!!!
please help!!!
Stuck on level 8:
Its been 7 days and I still can't complete level 8 because there is that big enemy that has been on other levels but it has been upgraded and I can't get past it
Arrrgh! This is like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time. Once you get the hang of it, you just can't stop doing it. :)
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