Mona and the Witch’s Hat is a free platformer video game created by indie developer CTNeptune. It is a homebrew game made for the original Game Boy console. It stars a mischievous cat named Mona, who experienced something fantastical one night. With her owner’s hat, everything in the house has come to life, starting a fun experience. Mona and the Witch’s Hat is a small game made with GBDK and Zal0’s ZGB engines. It only has four levels that can be completed in about 20 minutes. 

The magic of the hat

The game begins as the sun sets over the village where a young witch and her cat lived. The witch has just finished her day of brewing potions and was preparing for bed. Her cat, Mona, on the other hand, was not ready for rest. She’s more interested—and rather looking forward—to the treats her master has left out, which she will take once the witch is asleep. However, things did not go as planned. The witch’s hat falls on Mona’s head, causing everything to come to life. 

Now, Mona needs to turn everything back to normal. Not a small feat since the animated things will try to stop her. In her way are pots that belch out household items. Mona needs to overcome these pots by timing her jumps. Also, she will have the power of a star—which, when fired, makes the animated objects disappear. More than that, there will also be broomsticks in her tracks that can help her ascend and avoid the belching pot.

As noted, there will be four levels that you need to complete. It uses your keyboard for controls. The arrow keys allow you to move left and right while the A key lets you jump. The Z key, meanwhile, lets you fire a star. The game also allows you to pause by clicking the Enter button.  Mona and the Witch’s Hat is very much like the arcade games of the past. From the gameplay to its monochromatic 8-bit-style art, everything in this game screams "classic." 

Fun but short

Mona and the Witch’s Hat is a fun casual game to play. It has a simple premise and easy mechanics that allow even novice gamers to enjoy it. However, the game is not only simple, but it is also very short. As mentioned, it only runs around 20 minutes or so. With this, your fun is quite short-lived.