Introduction
Basic information
Developer: GTZA Studio
Full name: Mojito the Cat
Release date: 2024
Released on: Steam
Cross play: no
Genre: Puzzle, collection, brain food
Additional information: I think there are different versions on Nintendo Switch and Android. Since these are not just ports, I will focus on the Steam release. The developer confirmed that the Android version is no longer available.
Initial thoughts
I once played the Android version of Mojito the Cat a long time ago. It was different, harder controls and with ads. When I saw a new Steam version was going to spawn, I contacted the developer and received a key. I also decided to do a full walkthrough. Thus, if you want to seek solutions to the hard puzzles, look at the YouTube videos. I felt like I was in for a treat of a puzzle.
Story and setting
Plot overview
There is no real story in Mojito the Cat. You are thrown into the tutorial levels without a cutscene, no text, nothing.Â
World building and immersion
There are different biomes to explore, other characters to unlock, and secrets to uncover. Sadly, there is not a single piece of lore behind these worlds or the characters.
Character development
Since there is not a single piece of lore for any of the characters, nor any real story to dive into, there is no character development. In my professionally opinion, this is a missed opportunity since a lot could be achieved with a few pieces of text between worlds. I will delve deeper into this in the suggestions section.
Emotional impact
There is joy in completing a puzzle, but no emotional impact while playing this game since there is no lore.Â
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with a 1.5.
I believe there can be countless improvements in the story, ways to immerse people, and a lot more that I will cover in suggestions and feedbacks.
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
The core of this game is actually simple yet also intricate. While some of the earlier levels are easy to complete, later levels can become very hard. It is your goal to roll towards the end, if possible with all the yarn balls and in the correct number of moves. Doing so will earn you three golden cubes and each world has ten levels to complete.Â
As you progress through the levels, there will be mechanics. One of the most difficult ones to understand is the way Mojito can use rotator blocks to walk on the side, or the bottom of a level. This means your puzzle level will become two-sided or even more in later levels.
Difficulty and balance
The difficulty is all over the place. There is no true balance curve in this game. You can have one easy level, a hard one in the next, and then an easy one. However, it becomes clear that with each biome you clear, the next one will be more difficult and unbalanced. This also overlaps with your own ability to solve puzzles.Â
Pacing of the game
The pacing of the game is all over the place, it has peaks and dips. One moment you are rolling through the place like you own it. The next moment, you will be stuck in a level for thirty minutes. Sometimes it is difficult to see the solution, but eventually, it will come to you.
Innovation and uniqueness
There are many puzzle games on Steam. Almost every concept has been done once before. Getting something unique is hard. However, if this game had a nice story, some extra polish on the difficulty, it could be a great puzzle game. Since the meaning is that this game will be a saga, a story is needed for the second game to succeed.
Controls and user interface
The controls are easy to handle. Every so often you even move too fast, messing up your level. There is no big user interface. You can collect yarn balls, but I am unsure why you need to collect these except for the sake of collecting them.
Microtransactions
Microtransactions available: Yes
What kind: You can buy skin packs.
Price: Very low
Pay to win: No
Additional information: Not all skin packs are available.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 5.5.
While I did like how the game is portrayed, there is no real substance or meat to the game. Balance is all over the place, not all skins can be unlocked in the game. However, the core gameplay of clearing the puzzles is still fun.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The graphics are simple and cute. I do like the new characters you can unlock. The biomes are also fun to explore, each with other obstacles and decorations. However, I still see regular moments where the graphics are not loaded correctly, the text becomes blurred, and the movement of the game is not smooth. Furthermore, the camera is really difficult to use to check the level surroundings.
Technical performances
There are a few frame drops, moments where the screen does not load properly. Slight stutters but all in all, it is minimal and not too jarring. Some of the text in the game is not written in proper English and could use a spell checker. There is a level in which you need to move through the wall to finish it, this is a more severe technical glitch.
Environment and design uniqueness
There are six different worlds to explore, I completed each level and recorded them. This way you can breeze through the game or search for a solution if you are stuck. The design is not very unique for a puzzle game, it is not special, but it is also not boring.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 6.0.
The bad loading of pixels, along with the other factors like common biomes are the result of this rating. I also noticed the developer is eager to resolve issues the moment a glitch or error is found.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The music is different in each biome, which is good. Otherwise, you would go mad by the same soundtrack looping over and over. It helps elevate the game, but on some occasions the soundtrack is too overwhelming why you are thinking about how to solve a puzzle. Despite that, the music is uplifting and fun to listen too.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects are fun, on each different biome the rolling sound is just a bit different. I like the sound effect of rolling on ice the most, it sounds, crunchy.
Voice Acting
Not applicable.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 7.
I enjoyed the sound selection, but there were some issues with uploading to YouTube.
Multiplayer components
Online gameplay experience
Not applicable.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
All in all, it took me about ten hours to finish all six worlds. A few levels took me much longer compared to some other levels. Most of them were done in a few minutes as I saw the solution immediately. The longest I was stuck in a level was for about two hours. The game length all depends on how big you are on puzzle games.
Extra Content
I am unsure if extra worlds will be added in the future. I guess not since the developer is working on the next game in the saga of Mojito the Cat. However, new worlds, better story, and other fixes would be very welcoming to improve this game. I also noticed the Steam Page is not very alluring and has grammatical errors in it, along with DLC skin packs that are unobtainable. I gave tips to the developer and submitted a new Steam text, as of writing this, it has not been used while it was received with positivity.
Replay value
I see little to no replay value. Once completed, you will know the puzzles much better. There is no hard mode, no other options to replay the game except the same old levels.Â
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Mojito the Cat with a 4.0
While I do think it is quite amazing the game is cheap, and you get ten hours of puzzle time for it, there is not much extra content. No story to enjoy, no replay value at all. No new lore to discover by playing through it again.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
Okay, first off, suggestions for the story. As of now, the game is very bland with no spice at all. I would like to see some story added into the game. It can be a simple text for starting, or entering a new biome. As well as some lore as to why Mojito is clearing these puzzles. Or why the new characters are playable. It does not have to be big or very intricate, but at least some spice.
Secondly, There needs to be some graphical polishing. For the game as well as for the Steam page. This will improve the sales and ensure a lot more people will try this fun little puzzle game. Next up, the balancing act. This is a tough one but with more balance and a good curve, there comes more fun.
Lastly, I would like to see that all skin packs are purchasable, or that they can be earned in the game. Since having unobtainable characters pop up in the game is kind of a bummer. There are other suggestions I can think of, like ensuring there is more replay value by adding a new game+ that is harder, or adding a procedural puzzle mode.
Comparisons
A comparison I would like to make is to a game that is quite similar. Captain Toad, this is a game that also has no jump button, you have to twist and turn to complete the levels and get all the loot. However, that game is larger, has more assets, is polished, has a story, and even a game mode for replay value. I think the developer could learn a lot by watching gameplay videos of this game.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
While there are many things that could be improved in this game, I still had a great deal of fun. Solving the puzzles felt great after being stuck for a long time. The volcano levels were the hardest for me, some of them took me a lot of tries to beat. And in the end I collected all the cubes and yarn balls, which did not end on a nice round number. Nor did the platinum achievement pop up for me.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Mojito the Cat, I give it a personal rating of 7.5
I loved clearing the puzzles, and the game would be even better if there were improvements.
Last words
Pros
- The core puzzle-solving mechanics are simple yet intricate, offering a challenging experience that can be rewarding
- The game features simple and cute graphics, along with different biomes and characters to unlock
- Each biome has its own unique soundtrack, preventing monotony and enhancing the overall experience
- The game is offered at a low price point, and the microtransactions for skin packs are optional and non-intrusive
- Solving puzzles provides a sense of accomplishment and joy, contributing to the overall fun factor of the game
Cons
- The game lacks a cohesive storyline and meaningful lore, which could have added depth and emotional engagement to the experience
- The difficulty curve is inconsistent, with some levels being too easy while others are overly challenging, affecting the overall balance of the game
- Once the game is completed, there is little incentive to replay it due to the absence of additional content or modes
- The game suffers from occasional technical glitches such as frame drops, loading issues, and textual errors, impacting the overall polish and immersion
- Some DLC skin packs are unobtainable in or out game, leading to frustration for players who wish to access all content.
I believe the game falls short of what it is capable of. Mojito the Cat needs more attention, more technical enhancements, more depth and a story, to add more replay value. These are just a few small suggestions. But all in all, a fun puzzle game that could easily reach an 8 if it gets upgraded by the developer.
Final Rating
4.8
Please let me know what you think of Mojito the Cat in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
If you liked reading this review, maybe you would like to share this review with your friends.
Silentrets
Generally i don't like this genre games. After for a while i will bored 😀
supersven
I can understand that.
hawkeye116477
I think that it's good that micropayments aren't invasive. However it doesn't look so great, there's definitely something missing here, something to improve. I know better games like for example Ghosts of Memories.
supersven
There are indeed improvements to be made.
FranckCastle
This game looks very cute (I'm biased because I love cats and dioramas). I wanted to give the Android version a try but it's not available anymore. :/ I'll give the demo a try!
Cosmetic-only DLCs are something that I usually find acceptable - support the developer, get more appearance choices, and no pay-to-win. Depends on the price, though.
supersven
Yeah, sadly the Android version is no longer playable.
Alamar
To be honest i think this is kind of game hard to describe in text, without watching the video, so good there is one 🙂
supersven
I hope you like the videos!
Delicious Bacon
I bet the kids would love this one. The models look like plushies and it engages the brain while solving the puzzles. It does look basic, though, so it might need some unique music to lift up the atmosphere.
supersven
I do think the music needs to better.
chaosttc
At first glance I would have thought Mojito was a dog and not a cat if I hadn't read the game title.
Overall, it looks like a simple and fun puzzle, suitable when I just want to relax and have some fun.
The lack of a story actually helps in this case as I can start and stop at any time.
supersven
I think there is a dog in the second game.
The reason the story is important for the rating is since there will be a second game. The developer said it won't be a sequel. But it is once again with Mojito, this is very confusing to me.
Antikythera
This reminds me a little of Chip's Challenge and in a good way (mixed with the isometric cube design of TapTiles). I like puzzle games like these so will be grabbing the game very shortly. Replay factor could be challenging yourself to speed run if you already got the max amount of stars on each level.
With regards DLC options, I would rather have more levels in add-on packs than character skins in games like these
supersven
Yes, I agree with the DLC, but the developer stated they are now working on Mojito the second game.
emperoru
i would play this game until i stuck at some level then delete it. I dont find it interesting for me at all. I have played something familiar to this before but it definitely not my type of game
supersven
I can see that, but I made a guide!
fano23
Weird that some DLCs are locked and difficulty progression isn't done properly, but looks like a game with mechanics everyone could understand and have fun with
supersven
It does not follow the normal difficulty curve, it should have been building up with level 10 being the most difficult. Then in the next world, level 1 needs to be more difficult.
Twigas_Hobbes
Doesn't look that uninteresting. But to me it looks more like a mobile game. ... Well I don't know... let's say I would rather play it on mobile than on PC... *shrug*
supersven
Sadly, the mobile version is no longer available.
twigalucie
Seems that this one can't hide it's mobile game origins. I like games like these, but I must admit I prefer the free to play mobile version, even if I have to watch the occasional add. On PC it feels like a waste of time and money. But the core mechanic is cool. I love these simple puzzle games, and the fact that there is no lore actually appeals to me in this context. Games like these, for me, are just a way to have something to do while waiting and I want to be able to pick them up any time. If there is a complicated storyline I won't keep track of it.
supersven
The story was hard for me to rate, since it is a puzzle game. However, the developer does intend to make a second game.