Hot Tin Roof: The Cat That Wore a Fedora

Game Review by Jack Yarwood | 27 Feb 2015
Game title: Hot Tin Roof: The Cat That Wore a Fedora
Publisher: Glass Bottom Games
Release date: 20 Feb
Price: £10.99

Do you like cats? And film noir? Then Hot Tin Roof: The Cat That Wore a Fedora, developed by Glass Bottom Games, is probably the game for you. Combining 'Metroidvania' style platforming with complex puzzle solving, Hot Tin Roof is a satisfying title, brimming with charm. The dialogue is snappy, the characters are compelling and the world itself is beautifully realised.

Hot Tin Roof follows the exploits of Private Investigator Emma Jones and her partner, the titular cat in the hat, Franky, as they solve crimes in the town of Tin Roof. After receiving a call about a missing will, the partners spring into action to piece together the clues and find out who is behind the crime.

The most interesting feature of the game is its puzzle-solving, achieved by using an assortment of different ammo with your revolver. Some examples include grappling ammo, bubble ammo, and standard thud rounds. These ammo types offer the player a number of interesting gameplay choices, as you can use multiple combinations in order to solve the same problem in different ways. Early on, players can combine the grappling ammo and the thud rounds in order to clear an area or rely solely on just one type of ammo. The former method may be the harder to pull off, but it’s the more rewarding of the two.

Another superb design choice is how you navigate the world. Whilst the environment is fully 3D, the game is essentially a 2D side-scroller. This contributes to the game’s aesthetic, as the world appears much larger and ripe for exploration. On the other hand, the vastness of the world can also be a problem, as it may disorientate players without the aid of a map to guide them. This problem, combined with the often-vague puzzle assistance may lead some players to switch the game off in defeat but veterans of classic adventure games will be undeterred by the experience.

For the most part, the humour in the game is excellent. The conversations are lively and the dialogue choices allow the player a certain agency over how they interact with others in the world. However, the game’s implementation of the save mechanic, which has the player use the lavatory to “log” their progress, is a gag that feels particularly cheap, clashing with the sophisticated tone that is established elsewhere.

With a few small tweaks, the game could be a significantly more enjoyable and less frustrating experience all round. As it stands though, Hot Tin Roof still has plenty to offer players in terms of imagination, creativity and fun. At a time of year when new games are sparse on the ground, this one's certainly worth giving a shot.

http://www.glassbottomgames.com/projects/hot-tin-roof/