Felix the Cat Review – A Trip Down Memory Lane

Felix the Cat by Konami has a fairly vague title since it’s essentially a compilation of classic games starring the iconic cartoon character. If we’re talking about the true pioneers of cartoons, then Felix was right there alongside Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, laying the early foundation for animated shorts and paving the way for the medium to exist and thrive. Felix is as cheeky as they come, and his magical bag of tricks sets him apart from his peers.

Classic Platforming with Felix

This compilation includes the original NES release, the Game Boy port, and, for the very first time, the Japanese Famicom version. Felix the Cat was a pretty late release for the NES, and the Japanese counterpart, having completed development, was never released until now for some reason. At their core, these games are typical platformers of their time, unmistakably influenced by Super Mario Bros. and Kirby’s Dreamland. Despite their lack of originality, they more than make up for it with smooth execution of sound fundamentals and were overall pretty decent games to promote a licensed property.

Felix the Cat by Konami captures the essence of early animated shorts, offering a nostalgic journey with the cheeky and magical cartoon pioneer.

The Konami release is a fairly barebones remaster compilation. There are three titles on the main menu, each offering a few filter and resolution settings and, of course, the ability to rewind gameplay. Beyond that, there’s not much else besides extra content. That being said, the games are faithful to their original source code, and they look and play quite fine on modern hardware.

The NES game holds up nicely; the graphics showcase the 8-bit hardware being pushed to its limit with large and expressive character sprites. The core gameplay involves linearly getting through thematic stages before facing the boss of each world. It’s quite straightforward and a bit on the easier side, but this is a wholesome platformer designed for younger players.

The Magic Bag of Tricks

Gameplay involves collecting magic power-ups that allow Felix to draw from his trademark bag of tricks. These include new costumes, new vehicles, and even animals. The bag seems to have an answer for any situation, and each of the tricks complements the level design and even the boss encounters quite nicely.

Whether you’re driving a car or soaring through the air on a balloon, there is charming gameplay variety here, especially when things are changed up from a level design standpoint, with some stages taking place underwater and even in outer space. Still, from start to end, this feels like a largely familiar journey. The game felt derivative even at its initial release and feels that way even more now.

Despite its straightforward and familiar gameplay, Felix the Cat maintains its charm, especially through its varied level designs and use of magical power-ups.

The Japanese Famicom release joins the NES release, but these are essentially identical games aside from language differences and maybe a few cosmetic changes here and there. However, it’s interesting to see a previously unreleased version of the game finally complete.

There’s also the Game Boy version, which is more or less faithful to the main NES version but obviously watered down and abridged. Felix the Cat is far less impressive as a monochrome portable platformer, with frequent slowdown and shorter levels. At best, it’s an interesting comparison to the main game, although most of the main character sprites hold up quite nicely here, too.

Nostalgia Versus Innovation

Felix the Cat is likely a pickup for those who might have played these games in their childhood and watched the cartoons they’re based on. As a character, Felix may not quite have the same recognition and mass appeal anymore, and seeing how these games are textbook platformers of their era, it’s a hard sell to anyone other than the nostalgic fan. It deserves some credit for preserving licensed games as a compilation, but the package itself is a barebones and unceremonious compilation of highly basic and derivative platformers.