If you’re into running games with a unique, colorful twist, check out Catcha Catcha Aliens. Don’t let the, er, catchy title fool you – this game is not messing around. This isn’t just a running game, it’s a catching game, too and you’re on a mission.
Run And Swoop
The concept is basically the same as in all running games, but instead of coins you collect alien spiders. Obstacles and sharp turns are also amply provided, and contribute greatly to keep things more interesting. Obstacles like a puddle of bubbling mud or a tree trunk are not as obvious as an overhanging branch, so there’s a lot to watch out for on top of those pesky spiders.
Catching spiders require a bit of strategic maneuvering, as your character needs to come up directly behind them and catch them using a noticeably small net. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but positioning your hero behind a running spider seems easier said than done, but most people shouldn’t take more than an hour to master it.
More Money, Less Problems
The currency of the game is called Zhillings, and these are collected in exchange for the spiders that the hero catches on the path. Some spiders cost more than others. The Zhillings are also used to buy items from the shop, such as gadget and ability upgrades as well as outfits and costumes ( there’s a Santa, a cop and a pirate, just to name a few). Gadgets include a jetpack, a mega net which automatically catches all spiders in front of you, and a path straightener which gives you a few seconds of obstacle-free path.
There are also abilities that you can buy and upgrade such as Force Field (temporarily makes you invincible to obstacles) and Quantifier (makes caught spiders worth five times mIf you have enough Zhillings, then trying out a gadget or extra powers is definitely a must.
Know Your Enemy
I guess this main challenge is validated by the fact that the first three stages of the game are actually tutorials. If you’re confident enough, you can skip to level 4. However, I recommend going through the tutorials to fully understand all aspects of the game. Although it’s a pain to read and play at the same time, it’s a necessary task.
Game controls are the same as all other games in its genre. Swiping left or right makes a turn, and swiping up or down is done to avoid hitting upper or lower obstacles. Finally, tilting your device left or right steers your into the respective arrows. The hero will die if he or she runs into an obstacle, but not if you miss swiping left or right to make a turn. The hero will appear dizzy and disoriented for a second, then you can move forward like nothing happened.
A Game With A Mission
While navigating the path, the hero not only needs to avoid nasty barriers. Most importantly, he must be able to catch spiders to complete a level. Note that not everything that moves in the path are spiders, as there are indigenous creatures who are also there — and you shouldn’t catch them because it’s not part of the mission, as well as it simply won’t make sense. If you make this mistake, then you will be warned by a pop up screen which disappears all too quickly.
There mission varies with each level, and you have to accomplish these to move on to the next stage, otherwise you’ll need to play the current level until you fulfill the mission. This can get pretty frustrating after a while, as some levels are not as easy as you may expect.
Some Perks
On the lighter side, the graphics are not at all bad – it’s crisp and colorful, and reminds me of mid-2000 versions of arcade games like Tekken and Gran Turismo. It’s not exactly ground breaking, but for a light running game, it looks good enough.
The game also lets you choose two heroes – Ray or M4ri4, without having to pay for it – which seems to be the case in other games like Subway Surfer and Rail Rush. You can pick a character the first time you play a game, and later switch to another one by going to the game’s main screen and tapping on Lounge.
The games has three worlds to play in, and unlocking the next worlds can be done by either completing each level’s mission or earning enough stars.
The verdict
Catcha Catcha Aliens is another good effort to give running games a different approach, but I just feel like the game play sometimes is too difficult to master that I just have to give up and take a break. Running games are generally played in repetitive, short bursts, but I feel like doing so with this one is more of an effort than a challenge.
