Neko Ghost Jump is a 2D/3D platform/isometric action game with some ARPG type of combat built into it. The graphical style is low polygon with flat shading, with a cats and dogs theme. There is a starting back story involving a pack of dog pirates invading Nekoman’s world in a sort of steampunk like ship from outer space. The theme of NGJ is purposely silly, and the player is controlling a heroic cat that is reminiscent of the cute Gizmo from Gremlins.
The graphics in NGJ are nicely rendered, although maybe over saturated in color in some areas. The 2D/3D transitions are smooth and the animations are all clean. The sound and music are very well done; as well as any big-name developer could have done for this style of game. The options and controls are also very well designed and implemented. It is very simple to remap any of the controls, change volumes, or set graphics options. NGJ has a very professional design and feel to the way it was made. A lot of effort was put into making the game accessible, including casual play modes and an assist feature when even casual is too hard.
This brings up a very important topic, that being the difficulty. Neko Ghost Jump is not easy. It is designed to require pretty good timing skills involving some sophisticated jumping. It also requires switching from 2D to 3D mode and back in the same level at critical points. The 3D mode becomes required when there is no way to get past an obstacle in 2D mode. Sometimes that is obvious, sometimes not. Trial and error is a big part of NGJ and the game warns players right at the beginning that it is not going to be easy and even harder if the player skips over the tutorial information on the first level. A player that is persistent enough to get past the first level will likely have died several dozen times learning the intricate timing of jump and super jump.
NGJ has another play mode that is a wave-survival combat game. This has the player swinging a sword and dodging enemies in a place simply called “The Farm”; it seems like this is a practice area for fighting. NGJ also has a shop and a bank; the shop is apparently only for customization of the player character. The silly cat theme may not appeal to some players, but the underlying game is rock-solid, and as this is early access, still being worked on. Neko Ghost Jump isn’t an easy game to play by any stretch, but definitely recommended for players that enjoy platformers requiring great timing and skill to rank in a speed run.
Purchase Neko Ghost Jump! on Steam!
Jacmac is an ancient gamer that loves open world, strategy, FPS, and tactical sims, but will play almost anything.
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