Crazy Dreamz: MagiCats Edition

Designing video games is incredibly easy nowadays, regardless of whether you are a seasoned coder or a newcomer with an idea for a Candy Crush clone. There are many tools available out there that can be used to create a game in a matter of days or even hours, and most of them actually come free of charge, including triple-A engines like Unreal Engine 4. Naturally, you still have to hand over some of the profits if you decide to market your game, but that’s a lot better than paying thousands of dollars upfront.

Crazy Dreamz: MagiCats Edition is an arcade platformer with fairly regular gameplay mechanics, or at least that’s how it appears at first. However, it turns out that the game allows you to use basic coding practices to change the levels as you are playing them. This feature is actually designed to take the form of puzzles, so the game doesn’t feel like your typical Programming 101.

To begin with, you play as a cat wizard by the name of MagiCat. The cat must overcome levels full of monsters and traps in order to reach the flag at the end, and that’s pretty much the premise of every stage. However, some of these levels must be tackled with a level design approach in mind, because you have a whole toolbox of items that can be placed and programmed to help you overcome the obstacles.

Naturally, you can go a lot deeper when it comes to level creation, because the game allows you to create whole stages for you to play and share with other people. Not only that, but you can also play adventures created by others, which extends the game’s life by a considerable amount. As for the coding aspect itself, don’t expect anything too complex, because most features and objects can be implemented using basic drag & drop actions.

Lastly, the platforming is not quite up to standards, mainly because your character feels a bit too lazy at times. It’s difficult to conquer difficult sections when your input is not properly relayed, but then again the game is still in early access, so it’s only natural that it needs more work. The graphics are not bad either, but there’s a lack of textures, so many levels feel pretty repetitive.

Crazy Dreamz: MagiCats Edition is a great way to have fun and learn a few things at the same time, and it can actually be a first step toward designing your own game. Thus, it certainly deserves a try if you are interested in game development or platformers in general.