Meow Meow Happy Fight Review

Meow Meow Happy Fight is an incredibly bizarre dual-stick shooter that, amazingly, is a lot of fun. It's also pretty unique. The wacky game is infused with a Japanese style (you can play as a cup of noodles!), and the premise is splendidly absurd. Happy Cat comes from the future, where everything is too happy—thus, he wants the current inhabitants to duke it out in cartoony deathmatches. You know. To decrease future happiness.

(Told you it was bizarre!)

Anyway, each level places you in a bright, pulsing urban area with multiple opponents. You're all shooting at each other at once, and the player with the most kills at the end wins. The left stick moves your character; the right is used to fire. Power-ups appear periodically, and include things like bombs, health packs, and invisibility.

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Nothing is particularly inventive—though this is the first time I've played a dual-stick shooter that pits you against opponents death-match style. But the crazy style really makes Meow Meow Happy Fight stand out. Characters, for example, include an instant ramen cup and a cat in a ball. When you kill them, they drop assorted goodies—food, toiletries, clothing, and more—that give you "happy points" or restore a bit of health. The levels are bright and full of eye candy, and the small sized arenas guarantee fast-paced action when you're fighting.

You can only play against the computer, across 24 different levels that take place with varying opponents in different locales. The AI is very good, and playing solo is entertaining, but I do wish there was multiplayer. It would work so well, and be so much fun! Still, unlockable characters and the 24 levels give good bang for your buck.

Meow Meow Happy Fight basically takes the dual-stick shooter genre, fits it to a deathmatch setting, and then injects a ton of style and character into it. Watch the video, please, because its insane appeal is hard to translate into words. Happy Cat might be causing happiness, rather than preventing it—the game is just too darn fun!