Gamers who’ve enjoyed the 2D to 3D style of games as seen in Paper Mario and Fez may be interested in Neko Ghost, Jump!, as the platformer utilizes this mechanic for puzzle-solving and unlocking collectibles. Gamers who enjoy speed-based platformers may also find appeal. Anyone who doesn’t enjoy overly sensitive controls, however… may not.
This is the dichotomy of Neko Ghost, Jump!. The titular character Nekoman has his bride stolen away by space (cat) pirates in the middle of his wedding, during which many of his fellow cats are also abducted and/or straight up killed. It’s pretty dark for a cutesy-looking platformer. But this is where the story begins, and it’s up to Nekoman to make it through all the stages as quickly as possible (literally, the point is to finish the levels as fast as possible) and rescue his beloved.
The PAX Online demo had several levels to play through, which offered a thorough enough overview of the gameplay, but didn’t give us any additional information about the characters or story, so it was difficult to get invested in the game. It was more of a “what’s the point?” situation, especially when combined with some unfortunately oversensitive controls.
In the first two minutes of playing the demo, I died 15 times. Now, I’m not an expert platformer by any means. I wouldn’t even say I’m good at these types of games. But fifteen times in two minutes seems excessive by any standards. While the demo warned that the game would be better with a controller than a keyboard, the issue is more that the character seemed to sometimes just… slide off the edge of things. Instead of landing, Nekoman would land and then… keep going. I restarted the game several times to make sure it wasn’t an error on my end, and it definitely wasn’t. Then there were other times when I tried to compensate for this extra slide and the controls ended up being not sensitive enough. It was frustrating, as you can imagine.
That said, the levels are fairly short, and the perspective swapping is simple and not too disorienting. There is an element of combat added, which is where the second word in the title comes into play: Nekoman creates a ghost form to do battle for him with a lance. The Ghost form clears a path for Nekoman’s physical form, so that you can race to the finish line.
There’s potential here, but it was a little difficult to gauge whether it’ll be worth spending time on the full game after release. The controls really do need to be tweaked first, and we’re hopeful the narrative is a little more compelling outside of the short preview for PAX Online.
PAX Online Listing Information:
- Available on Android / Microsoft Windows / Nintendo Switch / PlayStation 4 / PlayStation 5 / Xbox One / Xbox Series X
- Genre Action & Adventure / Driving & Racing / Kids & Family / Platform / Puzzle
- Release date 2021
Neko Ghost, Jump! is a puzzle-platformer where you switch between 2D & 3D camera perspectives and between your physical & ghost forms to solve puzzles, collect coins, and combat enemies. It stars Nekoman, on an epic quest to save his friends and loved ones from the treacherous Space Dog Pirates. This adventure will take Nekoman across several biomes ranging from grassy plains to snowy tundras, to sweltering deserts and beyond.
Neko Ghost, Jump! is not only an accessible family-friendly affair but also can be a furmidable challenge. Race against the clock trying to beat the speedrun time, take your sweet time and collect all the coins in the level, or for those that prefer no-fuss all action, just whack enemies into oblivion with the swordfish. Use the loot collected in each level to not only take some time off the clock but also to customize Nekoman’s appearance with plenty of options available.
