Thank you Team 17 for sending us this game to review!

Imagine a cat stuck in a box with a radioactive source and some poison set to be released when the Geiger counter detects radiation.   According to quantum mechanics, this cat is considered to be both dead and alive until the box is opened and observed.  Schrodinger's cat, whom this scenario was based on,  is also the hero in the 2D puzzle platformer: The Raiders of the Lost Quark.  

The Particle Zoo, which is a theme park that contains primitive particles, has been compromised and is now overrun by leptons, bosons, and gluons.  Each randomly generated level has a set number of particles to knock out and subdue.    It's up to Schrodinger's cat to return order in this chaotic environment.  He won't go down quietly as you can expect a lot of snarky comments and plenty of quantum physics jokes along the way.  

Fortunately, this cat is not completely alone.  He has a tendency to attract unique little creatures called quarks.  There are four different kinds of quarks that you can collect and combine to create handy gadgets and survival mechanisms.  In order to create anything you need to combine three quarks together in any of the fourteen possible combinations.  

Each quark type is mapped to a trigger or button on the right and left hand sides of the PS4 controller.  The quarks can be combined to make missiles, temporary platforms or helicopter devices, bombs, trampolines, protective shields, and more!  There's a handy legend that can be brought up to refresh your memory of the combinations if needed.

Another helpful feature is the  ability to zoom out which won't show you the whole area, but it will point out nearby enemies and the closest exit.  Near the exits are signs which show you the number of enemies in the area that have to be dealt with.  Unfortunately, the numbers do not dynamically change and the enemies are re-spawned when Schrodinger's Cat dies, or lives again.  There doesn't seem to be much of a penalty if you choose to move on without dealing with enemies.  However, if you don't explore the surroundings very well, you won't find the hidden charm quarks which are needed to progress the story line.

The characters and dialogue are witty and the conversations can be entertaining to listen to, especially the quarks.   Much of the humor goes above my head though.  Navigating the dialogue boxes and quarks can be tricky and frustrating at times.  The levels themselves usually provide enough quarks to get around, but other times they can be rather scarce.  Fortunately, if you mess up you can recall to the last check point and try again.    

In the end Schrodinger's Cat provides a fun (in small doses) and unique experience with its problem solving puzzle platformer gameplay.  While it is kid friendly, it hasn't held the attention or interest of my kids.  It did manage to stump me a few times though.  I don't mind games that require thinking, but I do need a good story to pique my interest.   I can see many people getting bored or frustrated after awhile.  With the randomly generated levels, everyone will have a different experience.  At least the price is reasonable and I have seen it for as little as $1 in a HumbleBundle deal.  If you like physics and puzzle or platforming games, keep your eye out for  Schrodinger's Cat and The Raiders of the Lost Quark.