Introduction
Catmaze, released May 24, 2018, is a solo-developed Slavic fairy tale-style metroidvania dives into creatures like boggarts, mermaids. You play as Alesta, a young sorceress, and her cat Bayn, who has nine lives. Exploring a huge maze of swamps, woods, and cursed towns to reach Nav, the world of the dead. If you ever wished Ori had more magic, or Hollow Knight had side quests with different results, this is your kind of adventure.
Story & Setting
Instead of the usual “lost kid meets magic light” setup like in Ori and the Blind Forest, Catmaze starts with Bayn using one of his nine lives to save Alesta’s mom—because what says “family drama” better than a cat catching fire? Slavic folklore fills every corner, with kikimora, anchutkas, and mermaids sharing secrets and giving quests that change how the game ends. It’s less “talked to the Mushroom King” and more “convince a mermaid you’re not a walking snack.”
Gameplay & Mechanics
- Familiars: Summon ancient spirits to blast, bind, or buff. Feels like having five cheat codes strapped to your belt.
- Backtracking & Secrets: Classic Metroidvania lock-and-key loops—only save points are scattered, so prepare to challenge your OCD or become best friends with the “retry” button.
- Side-Quest Outcomes: Your choices literally rewire the ending. If you’re the type who rails against “fetch-quest fatigue,” at least these quests come with moral ambiguity.
- RPG Elements: Stat upgrades for strength, magic and agility let you tailor Alesta—because every pixel-wizard needs a favorite build.
- Boss Fights: Each boss carries its own Slavic back-story, combining pattern-memorization with lore drops. It’s like Souls-likes read you bedtime stories.
Visuals & Audio
Single-handedly pixel-painted by Slava Gris, Catmaze’s art will make your screen look like a medieval tapestry. If medieval tapestries had basilisks sneaking around lampposts. Meanwhile, the soundtrack by Expecte Amour drips with brooding choral voices and eerie flutes. Adding just enough atmosphere to make you second-guess every shadow. Compared to the orchestral sweep of Ori or the gothic synth of Blasphemous. Catmaze instead channels a smokier, more intimate vibe that feels personal and mysterious.
In the Metroidvania Menagerie
Where does Catmaze nestle among its peers?
- Versus Hollow Knight: Both excel in atmosphere and difficulty spikes, but Hollow Knight’s tight platforming edges out Catmaze’s occasionally slippery jumps.
- Versus Ori and the Blind Forest: Ori offers seamless traversal, whereas Catmaze punishes stray keystrokes with longer run-backs. Upgrade satisfaction is higher here, though.
- Versus Blasphemous: Blasphemous delights in pixel gore. Catmaze opts for a whimsical cruelty—less blood on screen, more existential dread in dialogue.
- Versus Dead Cells: Roguelike meets Metroidvania in Dead Cells; Catmaze is old-school persistence. No daily runs—just you, nine lives and a longing for more checkpoints.
Community Feedback & Reviews
With an 84% “Very Positive” rating across 520 Steam reviews, fans largely adore the lore-rich setting, hand-crafted pixel art and meaningful side-quests. Praise centers on the familiars system (“finally, options beyond a double-jump!”) and the branching endings (“my inner completionist wept tears of joy”). Criticisms? Sparse save points (“thanks for the cardio, I guess”) and the occasional bugged quest marker (ghost-hunt of a different sort). Overall, the consensus is “rough around the edges, but worth the scratches.”
Conclusion
Catmaze isn’t the slickest entry in the metroidvania hall of fame, but its unique Slavic spin and surprising narrative weight give it a cozy niche. If you can stomach punishing platforming and sporadic backtracking, the trade-off is an enchanting world that doesn’t hand you every secret on a silver platter. In short: Bayn might give you nine lives, but you’ll feel like you’ve earned every single one.
