The game itself is a straightforward 2.5D side scrolling action platformer, and a very casual one at that. Players don't encounter their first boss battle until seven levels in at the end of Act 1, which is halfway through the game. Almost all foes perish with a single hit, so the game tends to use tactics like untouchable enemies firing from the background and throwing endless waves until the character is overwhelmed. Kit uses her special feline abilities to climb walls and pulls off various combat moves using a floating blade that follows her around. There are only a small handful of special sword moves, but the weapon has the added benefit of being able to pass through walls and obstacles. So oftentimes dispensing an enemy is as easy as hanging nearby and sending the sword through the floor. We were actually able to defeat a boss using similar tactics. Additionally, bosses don't have health meters and the effects are sometimes too subtle to show how heavily damaged it is. Oftentimes, we couldn't tell if we were hurting it at all until it suddenly dropped.

The plot follows Kit on an adventure where she's pursuing a valuable bounty, but gets hit with a multitude of distractions and setbacks, only to uncover a greater conspiracy later on. Things move at a pretty slow pace, marked by dialogue that sounds like it's written for twelve-year-olds, and doesn't pick up until the second act. Kit's most prominent obstacle is the planet's police/military force, which for some reason has declared open season on Ballard. The story feels thrown together, including one level where Kit pledges to temporarily cooperate with the military against a common threat, but the soldiers still attack her. They also continue to try to take her down when there's a fifty foot monster intent on crushing everything in its path headed their way. New enemies types are haphazardly introduced, thrown into the player's path with only the barest indication of what they are, where they came from, and what they want besides hassling the locals.

On the plus side, Blade Kitten offers some very nicely designed levels featuring destructible barriers that may lead to secret areas. Portals teleport players to reverse ends of the map and players with the will to climb will be rewarded for their effort. However, it doesn't break any new ground for platforming games. Players crawl up and down walls and across ceilings to overcome environmental hazards, beat up enemies, and collect free-floating currency from along the way. Some areas are a little touchy about how close you need to be for them to cause damage, and the tail can become a little problematic at times. Furthermore, we encountered numerous map glitches where Kit would get stuck mid-slide, and in one instance, we somehow managed to jump off the map altogether.

Health is recovered by standing around without being attacked, and most skirmishes can be won without having to use up too much stamina. All things considered, there isn't much reason to purchase anything besides health and stamina upgrades from the store. There are three additional blades to pick up, but things die so easily in the game that they seem almost extraneous. Players can get through the game just fine using the starter weapon. In fact, we would have preferred an upgrade system to improve on one sword as instead of switching between them. Alternate costumes are also available but they're strictly cosmetic and don't provide bonuses.

Although Blade Kitten makes for a nice diversion, this is a game that tries way too hard to be kitchy, relying heavily on a backstory that player aren't privy to in order to fill in for characterization. It's certainly not a bad game, but we've definitely played better side scrolling adventure games. Even at its low price, Blade Kitten is so forgettable that you wouldn't be missing out on anything by skipping it altogether. Not every kitten can be adopted, and sometimes you just have to wave at them, smile, and move on no matter how adorable they might be... or in this case, wants to be.