Eek! The Cat is a video game based on the television show of the same name. It was released in August of 1994 and is a 2D platformer in which Eek “tries” to help various individuals reach their destination. It isn’t much of a story driven game by any means and the game doesn’t reveal much until the ending, which basically shows you that Santa is trying to throw a Christmas party for Eek. Nowhere in the game do you receive any hint that it is a Christmas themed game, well, unless you count the final level. One thing the game does make apparent is that a blind grandmother needs to travel through a dangerous jungle, filled with snakes and other wild animals that won’t be satisfied until they kill.
As a kid I expected a lot more from this game. The box art is cool and it’s based on one of my favourite TV shows, so a good game had to be inside the cartridge. Boy was I wrong. I expected to be playing as Eek the whole time, which is somewhat true. Rather than standard platforming, the main objective is to escort the level’s character to the end of the stage. If you’ve played (and hated) escort missions in other games then you will no doubt already feel the pain that Eek provides. OK, so the game makes sense to a certain degree, Eek was always a selfless character that wanted to help others, but it doesn’t make for exciting gameplay.
Misereek? Sounds about right
Eek will have to guide characters around obstacles by pushing, kicking, or filling gaps with his own body. Eek can also temporarily stun enemies to allow the character to move along without getting hurt. Only Eek’s friends can get hurt, Eek can become stunned, but the life meter depletes when the other character gets hurt.
Eek! The Cat is a hard game, and usually that isn’t enough to make a game bad. Contra is a hard game, but it is also a very fun game. Eek! The Cat isn’t really a hard game to control either. What Eek really suffers from is poor level design and a severe blandness. As a kid I remember not being able to pass Stage 1-3. At the end of Stage 1-3 there is a ridiculously hard gap that you need to kick old granny tits across. I was only able to pass that gap this year. I’ve only seen as far as the second stage personally, and that stage becomes even harder. I do commend the developers for trying something different, but I don’t care for this type of gameplay; escorting stupid AI characters has never been appealing to me.
It never hurts to help? Bullshit
As mentioned above, Eek! The Cat is a bland looking game. The sprites are nicely drawn and are actually the only redeeming quality for this game. Actually the bonus levels are pretty cool as well. However, the colors chosen for the art are extremely dull and have a muddy quality. Not adding to the experience is a low quality, generic soundtrack.
0/5 D-Pads: Eek! The Cat was a terrifying experience as a child. I spent way too many hours trying to overcome Stage 1-3’s awful level design when I could have been playing anything else. Luckily I did get it used, if you consider that luck. From horrendous coloring, to awful gameplay, Eek! The Cat suffers from way too many flaws to be considered a must purchase. However, if you like to punish yourself in odd ways, then maybe you should give this game a try. This Super Nintendo game is just another example of how good TV Shows & Movies can make for awful gaming experiences.
Buy Eek The Cat Now! (If you like bad games)
Commonly known as Parko, Robert created MiniFortress.com because he likes to play and write about video games. Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda and No More Heroes are just some of his favorites. He also enjoys dodging enemy fire on 24/7 Dustbowl servers.
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