Power-ups (Flash Cat)

This article is about power-ups from Flash Cat. For power-ups from other games, please see Power ups.

Throughout the game Flash Cat, power-ups are encountered. Two types of power-ups are available: ability power-ups and point power-ups.

Ability power-ups allow the player to use special abilities. When an ability power-up is obtained, one to three little icons (depending on the ability power-up) will circle the player. An ability power-up is used by pressing the space bar. Ability power-ups are often mandatory to collect as they are regularly used for passing areas in levels which would otherwise be impassable. Rarely will the player have the option of choosing between two ability power-ups to use.

Point power-ups grant points to the player. A variation of point power-ups are point rings.

Appearance

Ability power-ups

Ability power-ups have a general appearance of a token with a coloured circle that has a yellow letter of the power-up's in it, the letter being the first letter of power-up's name (with the exception of the mega bounce, which has the letter B). Around the circles are four bent cyan bars that rotate around. Each power-up has a different coloured background but same coloured rotating bar.

Point power-ups

Point power-ups appear as coloured ovals with yellow numbers on them. One hundred point power-ups have a pink oval, while 500 point power-ups have an orange oval.

Point rings appear as a green ring with four large bent cyan bars moving on the inner sides of the circle, and four large orange bars moving on the outer sides of the circle. On the top part of the ring is the number that gained points will be multiplied by, either by a factor of two, three, or four.

Points

Points are a type of power-up in Flash Cat. They are often encountered on the track, and usually with several others next to each other or in a line. Collecting them will grant the player points. There are 100 point power-ups and 500 point power-ups, 500 point power-ups being the rarer of the two.

A powerup granting 100 points

A powerup granting 500 points

Mega bounce

Mega bounce, also called spring or bounce, is an often encountered power up in Flash Cat. Its token is the letter B imprinted in an orange circle. Obtaining the power-up will give the player three springs to use, which will rotate around the cat. Using this item gives the player a giant boost upwards, often used to jump over hazards that the player would be unable to pass without the power-up. In other instances the player is given this item in order to reach a high up area or to get back on track if the player falls off. Often only one is required to be used by the player, while rarely the player has to use all three.

Invincibility

Invincibility is a power-up in Flash Cat. Its token is the letter I imprinted in a cyan circle. When the item is obtained, a blue bubble will rotate around the player. Using it will make a small electric bubble in a sphere form around Flash Cat. When it has covered the Cat, going into any hazards or enemies will cause them to explode, but not harm the cat. It does not protect the cat from being harmed when going off ledges. It will stay up for more than a minute, beginning to flash when about to come down. Unlike other power-ups, when invincibility is active, the player can pick up another power-up and also use it, the power-up having its same effect and ammo (even another invincibility power-up).

Often it is used when going through areas with unusually large lines of enemies, and sometimes going through an entire group of 70+ aliens. Because the player often goes through lines of enemies when obtaining this power-up, missing it could well cause the player to die when coming to the situation it is needed for, unless there is room on other parts of the track to go on.

Bug blaster

Bug blaster, commonly referred to as bug bullets or simply bullets, is a common power-up in Flash Cat. Its icon is the letter F imprinted in a purple circle. Acquiring the power-up gives the player three bug bullets to use, which look like ladybugs and/or spiders. Bug bullets are often placed before cracked walls for the player to destroy, but they can also be used to destroy a single enemy.

Of the three bullets given to the player, only two are often needed to keep the game going smoothly, the third serving as a backup. Bug bullets are affected by wind from fans, as a bug bullet fired into the wind of a fan will be slowly pushed in the direction the wind is traveling, which can cause the bullet to miss its target unless the player fires closer to the wind.

A bug bullet power-up

A bug bullet

Turbo

Turbo is a power-up in Flash Cat. The token is of the letter T imprinted in a blue circle. When the power-up is acquired, a grey square with a blue X on it will circle around the player. Using it gives the player a tremendous boost of speed, which is much larger than the boost of speed given by turbo pads. The player often receives it when about to go over a boost pad, and is instructed to use the power-up by nearby signs.

The player should always use this power-up before going over a boost pad as using it after going over the boost pad will likely cause the player to miss the oncoming track. This is because using it before going over a boost pad will give the player an even greater boost when the pad is gone over.

Shockwave

Shockwave is an uncommon power-up in Flash Cat. The icon is a green circle with the letter S imprinted in it.

When obtained, a grenade with a B imprinted on it will circle the player. Using it causes a giant bump to form under the player, pushing them up then going onto the track visible to the player. It is the strongest weapon attack in the game, capable of destroying many enemies at once.

It will only destroy enemies on the track the player can see, disappearing when it gets out of the player's sight. It will not destroy all enemies on the level. The shockwave power-up appears only three times. In the first and second encounters it has to be acquired, while the third time the player can choose between the shockwave or invincibility.