All that feline enjoyable with out the self-seriousness.
In case you’re studying this, it’s seemingly that you simply’re conversant in Stray, the cat platformer (catformer?) from Annapurna Interactive that takes itself very critically and obtained a ton of accolades alongside the best way. Whereas I’d be remiss to disregard the polish of Stray, its gameplay was too linear in an area that felt open, coupled with a tone that felt self essential bordering on extreme. However what if I wished to be a cat doing cat stuff in a world centered on enjoyable? Enter Double Dagger Studio’s Little Kitty, Huge Metropolis, a title we had been in a position to preview throughout 2023’s Summer time Sport Fest with the promise of residing the fluff life the best way you see match.
Little Kitty, Huge Metropolis is the story of slightly black cat who fell off the ledge of their condominium residence. The house they tumble into is what quantities to a borough or neighborhood of a bigger metropolis, however is bustling with foot site visitors from folks in enterprise put on. Apparently it is a commuter city, as they’re all passing by means of, by no means taking route to an open condominium door. The faceless folks had been good fodder for me, because the cat can each nuzzle up towards them for affection or run beneath their legs and journey them up. In addition to the enjoyment of spreading affection or being a nuisance, folks will drop “shinies,” principally a foreign money fabricated from nuts, bolts, and different glittering fine details {that a} useful crow will fortunately take for varied helmets and hats. These vary from purely beauty, cutesy stuff like a banana hat to a Shiba Inu helmet that confuses canines that gatekeep sure areas with out it.
The cat is type of fumbly to manage. Their customary stroll is a sluggish saunter that has loads of maneuverability however crawls at a snail’s tempo. They’ll additionally run, but it surely shifts momentum right into a slow-to-turn freight prepare that makes it robust to journey throughout some extra slender areas. For essentially the most half this stability works – nearly all of the map is vast sufficient to accommodate full pace, however the constrained areas noticed me banging my kitty skull so usually they in all probability have a concussion. That is particularly evident in areas littered by the cat’s arch nemesis – the dreaded water puddles. In some situations, I discovered my cat leaping forwards and backwards because the leap backward they make landed them in one other physique of water. Whereas amusing at first, it grew to become irritating when my lack of precision butted up towards the map’s lack of consideration for the toolset offered. Their crouch is used for each crawling by means of small areas and creeping up on unsuspecting birds to pounce on and gather their feathers. Feathers are used to unlock quick journey factors, which come within the type of a community of manholes operated by a raccoon that teleports you thru a rainbow portal. Whereas the map actual property isn’t all that large, these factors are vital to leap forwards and backwards locations, particularly when bigger obstacles or nuisances stand in your manner.
With out query, it’s quite a lot of enjoyable being a cat on this sport. Little pleasures like swiping a paw to knock down and shatter a potted plant by no means acquired outdated, and I discovered myself attempting to determine the way to attain them when passing by a ledge or wall. A sluggish movement impact takes place when efficiently pouncing on a bluebird, and greater than as soon as I needed to tilt the digital camera round to see a scene with the cat’s joyful expression as if it had been Tom catching Jerry. In a single mission I used to be tasked with gathering three of a canine’s favourite tennis balls that acquired scattered about. When I discovered one I noticed that I couldn’t choose it up with my mouth, solely bat it with my paw. What may have been a irritating train in tedium was arrange in order that the balls didn’t need to journey far to the tip objective. Equally, there are soccer targets with stray balls to paw. Empty soda cans to recycle, stray geese to seek out and return to poppa, and store house owners to anger are only a style of the hijinks potential pussycats are in retailer for.
The precise format of the world and map can at instances depart one thing to be desired. For starters, don’t count on significant markers for a number of of the missions. Some (just like the duckling hunt) will give a fundamental area to search for every objective, however then there are others which give a fundamental goal assertion and count on you to suss-out the place to go. It lends to the “discover and be a cat” ethos, however these in search of a guided tour alongside the best way may have a hurdle to leap. The modest sized map reveals completely different landmarks in cutesy types as if drawn with a crayon which matches the tone however is a tad too obtuse at instances to recall what’s precisely in every zone. Whereas that tone creates points with navigation, it’s that humorousness that makes the sport shine. Whether or not crows, cats, canines, or geese, all of the animals are bursting with persona and have their very own distinct senses of humor (or lack thereof) that play off the curious and foolish jokes the cat throws at them. In a manner that lends to the concept that animals solely discover different animals, the nondescript, expressionless folks populating the town really feel extra like a movable impediment. The mission descriptions, whereas not all the time substantive in route, all function taste textual content that left me with a smile. The sport’s charming humorousness and earnestness offers Little Kitty, Huge Metropolis a heat vibe.
Little Kitty, Huge Metropolis will not be a excessive profile hit with large accolades like Stray, and it doesn’t aspire to that type of photorealism, however what you do get is a breezy, cute, colourful, and enjoyable sandbox to discover. The animal pals are numerous and expressive with out having quite a lot of bodily facial features, which is a testomony to the writers’ talent. This cartoonish sport is uncomplicated in one of the best methods, and whereas there’s slightly stumbly-ness in a few of the motion, it doesn’t detract from this brisk, entertaining expertise.
