Everything about fictional cats

    Cats Organized Neatly

  • Score: 🐱🐱
  • Release date: 2020
  • Genres: Puzzle
  • Platforms: Windows
  • Cats Spotlight: None in particular

This game is a really simple puzzle game where you have to rotate the cats of different shapes to fit into a square grid (sometimes it has missing parts of the grid or blocking objects like flower pots, but the grid is mainly rectangular). You also collect different types of cats (not all cats in the game, I think) that have a unique name and description.

I liked the gameplay, and it was really relaxing at first, but I think that it got progressively difficult to the point that it had only one organization possible for the cats in that level, so I resorted to trial-and-error (when I didn't get annoyed and searched the answer online since the game lacked any in-game tips also). Another thing that ruined the experience for me is that sometimes I would fit all the cats except one, and the extra cat would fit perfectly in the grid if I could mirror it (the game also doesn't allow you to mirror cats, since the mirrored cats are other pieces in the puzzle).

The game features a bunch of cats, but most of them are really weird and don't even remember a cat at all, I've counted at least two cats that resembled a dog (one of them had an Akita's curly tail, and that's a dog tail ??) one that resembled a ferret and two that resembled a squirrel. I get that the art style was supposed to be simple, but I think that even if the art is simple, a cat should look like a cat lol. The only thing that I liked about the cats was that they would meow when I clicked and dragged them (and the single music that played was nice too).

Overall, I think that this game was disappointing, like Baba is You (a relaxing puzzle that ended up being trial-and-error), but if you have a lot of patience, and you like trial-and-error puzzles, you could try it.

    Full of Cats Series

  • A Building full of cats, A Castle full of cats, An Arcade full of cats, An Arcade full of cats: Time Warp Trouble
  • Score: 🐱🐱🐱🐱
  • Release date: 2022 and 2023
  • Genres: Puzzle, Hidden Object
  • Platforms: Windows, Linux, Switch, Xbox One/Series and PS4/5
  • Cats Spotlight: Everyone!

These games are a gem! A series of casual, hidden object games (similar to the Where's Waldo books) in which you have to find a x number of cats in each level. Currently, the series has 4 games with 1 DLC and an upcoming game (but I won't review the last game since I haven't played it yet), and I'll talk about all of them in this section.

First, a small parenthesis: The game studio that created this series, Devcats, is run entirely by cats! They even have pictures of their own cats as studio members. And you can check it out yourself on their site here. I loved this idea and think that I should put my cats to work too, so they can earn their keep.

Then, about the games: The first title, A Building Full of Cats, is set in an apartment building where you (the player) are given a task to pet all the cats of all the homeowners that are traveling. The building has 6 floors (the game levels), and each floor has a living/main area and a bathroom. In each place, you have to pet all visible cats and find hidden cats. Overall, the game is cute and relaxing, the artwork of the rooms is pretty (even though it isn't full-colour) and the cats are cute. The music is simple but ok and the only con of the game is that it's too short and has only one tip per room. But, to defend the game, it's the first game of the series, and it's actually cheap (even in my country's currency), so it being short isn't a problem at all, and I didn't even need the tips so much.

A Castle Full of Cats, the second game in the series, is my favourite so far, and I think that it was a huge improvement in the series! In this game, you play as Lily, a calico cat who went into this huge castle, where all cats were cursed to turn into monsters, to save them and her beloved Fofiño. The game kept everything from the previous title and improved because now it has a story, characters (the cats have names and you can talk to them), you have your own inventory, and you have to solve puzzles to open new rooms. It also has more cats to find, a bigger map, and much more rooms. Also,  it has an amazing message in the end! If I'd pick something that I didn't like, it was that sometimes it was difficult to find the cats, and I wish that the game had more tips.

The third game in the series, An Arcade Full of Cats, is actually f2p on on Steam , and it also has a paid DLC, An Arcade Full of Cats: TimeWarp Trouble. In this game,  you play with Leo and Fofiño as they travel with their Back to the Future car and visit five eras, each one featuring a different themed arcade and an extra arcade room that parodies an actual game. This title doesn't have a story like the second game and is more like the first one, but it's fair since the game is free, and I think that it actually has almost the same content as A Building Full of Cats. In the DLC, you visit 3 different eras in time (Prehistory, Roccoco Era and Wild West), where you meet a different cat, which you have to help. A new addition in the series is that now you have endless tips with a cool down period of a few seconds, but, I think that even with the tips, this game/DLC was harder than the other two. I used too many tips when I got tired of searching for the cats, and it would show me a cat that I'd never find since they was so hidden that I could only see small bits of them. But even with this flaw, I don't think that it ruins the game.

So why should you play these games also? If you either 1- Like casual games; 2- Like cats; 3- Like relaxing puzzle games; 4- Like cute games/cute stuff; 5- Like books similar to "Where's Waldo?" or 6- Just play them; they're worth it!

    Hidden Cats in... Series

  • Hidden Cats in Paris, Hidden Cats in Rome
  • Score: 🐱🐱🐱
  • Release date: 2022, 2023
  • Genres: Puzzle, Hidden Object
  • Platforms: Windows, Mac, Switch, Xbox One/Series and PS4/5
  • Cats Spotlight: Everyone!

Hidden Cats is a series of hidden object games, featuring cats, similar to the Full of Cats series. There are currently 8 games in the series but I listed the ones I have played.

The games feature only one level, the city that is displayed on the title, with an easy and a difficult mode. In easy mode you have to find fewer cats, and in the difficult mode you have more cats to find, in addition to special cats that feature a card with either the photo of a real life cat or a cartoon cat that fit the city's theme and people. Finding people and special cats gives you access to bonus levels.

The main level has the scenery of the city, in line art only, and each time you find all cats in one area (for example a building) that area gets colored, so it's pretty easy to find all cats since you only need to look for them in the uncolored areas of the city, and all of the cats to find also have different shapes and sizes. The bonuses feature the inside of a building or place, the scenery is also in line art but it only gets colored after you find all the cats (only the cats get colored when you find them), but all of the cats are tiny and have the same really simple design, also most of them are so hidden that you can only see their ears and eyes.

The music and art are alright, nothing special about them. But, when you find a cat the game plays a special effect of a cat meowing which is a nice touch.

I think that overall the series is good and relaxing, the main game is short enough to play in one sitting and the bonuses are good if you want to stress yourself a bit trying to find the tiny kitties. The only con is that you also have to find people, which I thought that wasn't necessary and I have no idea why this is even an option since the point of the game is to find cats. However, I recommend the game.