I may have mentioned before that I’m a proud cat owner. I love the little menaces, even if mine leaves a trail of destruction in his wake. As a result pretty much any game which has even the most tenuous link to the furry felines shoots to the top of my wishlist. The latest being Little Kitty, Big City.
You get to experience this adventure through the eyes of a little black cat, who falls from his high rise accommodation down to the city below, lost and looking for a way home. I could have simply wandered around for hours (and in fact did) but Little Kitty, Big City puts a bit more structure around things.
During the adventure your kitty will meet a variety of animal residents, all with their distinct personality. Crows, ducks, beetles and other cats are just some of the colourful cast who bring character and personality to Little Kitty, Big City. It’s these conversations that will lead you to filling up your to-do list, in the form of quests. These vary and avoid falling into the trap of becoming repetitive fetch and find affairs. There is an element of that, but otherwise you’ll need to trip up locals and steal their stuff, pose as a fashion model and nick a fisherman’s catch to name but a few. It’s almost sickeningly cute. In a good way.
The action takes place from a third person perspective, but the camera can be manipulated in all directions as you constantly say “awww kitty” every five minutes. Although perhaps that’s just me. Moments such as when your kitty dives head first into a dustbin and kicks its little legs to climb right in, before its head pops out with a little smile are utterly adorable. You can even find special spots to stop for a nap, and the camera will zoom out as soothing music starts up in the background.
The way the kitty moves feels realistic as our brave adventurer is quick, nimble and light on its feet. You can zoom around, crawl through small spaces and sneak up on unsuspecting birds before pouncing. Time will slow down at this point, and you can spin the camera around and clearly see the eager excitement of the kitty mid lunge. Gladly, it’s all good hearted fun and no animals are harmed in the making, or indeed playing, of this game.
What impressed me was despite the city not being that big, there are lots of areas to explore above ground level. Getting up high gives you a good vantage point, and you get that feeling of scale and risk as you climb ever higher. Thankfully, if you fall your kitty will happily land on its feet with no harm caused.
Your kitty will learn the ability to climb vines too, and this opens up new areas to explore. Tracking and chowing down on fish will boost your stamina, allowing you to gradually climb higher and higher.
The platforming is simple enough, you hold down “A” and then aim where to land the jump. If you come down near an edge, your kitty will automatically climb up. It works well for the most part, but it can be hit and miss, causing you to fall and have to make the trip up one again.
Little Kitty, Big City reminds of Untitled Goose Game in both how it is presented, and its open world adventure crossed with the sandbox genre. The difference here being that you aren’t a horrible goose, but a cute kitty. You still aren’t welcome everywhere however.
This is a game quite clearly aimed at cat fans, down to so many little details. Whether it’s the emotes the kitty can show off, down to common phrases for achievements such as “if I fits, I sits”, Little Kitty, Big City is a celebration of all things cat related. Cat owners will be able to replicate so many of their own pet’s behaviours in Little Kitty, Big City which shows just how authentic the game is. This, of course, includes every cat’s favourite pastime of pushing stuff onto the floor. The main kitty character is brilliantly animated, from the way it sits, stretches, moves and even meows on command.
The work gone into realising the titular character makes it feel like we’ve reached cat simulator level in Little Kitty, Big City. And I’m here for it. Sometimes games can elicit so much joy by focusing on the small things, a slightly daft idea grounded in reality but exaggerated. What would it be like to play as a cat? Well, wholesome good fun as it turns out.
Possibly the biggest “awwww” factor comes from the many collectable hats you can find hidden around the city. These can also be purchased in exchange for “shinies”, which act as the currency in Little Kitty, Big City. Couple this with the photo mode which is unlocked part way through the game and you’ll be taking many snaps with your kitty dressed as numerous foodstuffs and animals.
To be clear, you’re looking at around two hours of playtime here. There’s no denying Little Kitty, Big City is a short game, however this will increase to around five hours for the completionists out there. This means ticking off every quest, finding every hat and collecting all those shinies. However, I found it a genuine delight to aimlessly wander and mess about meaning I broke through the five hour mark quite happily.
Little Kitty, Big City is an utterly charming adventure while it lasts. No matter whether you are a cat lover or not, there’s an unrivalled sense of joy gleaned from the escapism of something as simple as experiencing life as a cat.
