What is not to love about cats? They are cute, cuddly and the perfect companions for introverts. Your love for cats does not have to end when you enter the gaming world, for there are many indie games that feature felines. This includes Gato Roboto, a “meowtroidvanian” game available on the Nintendo Switch.
Here are three additional small indie games about cats. They are sure to satisfy all ailurophiles.
1. PUSS!
Of all the games on this list, PUSS! is easily the most eccentric. This 2018 indie game is developed by teamCOIL and is available on Steam. It is a 2D avoid-em-up that has players using their mouse to drag a cat through a series of worlds strewn with obstacles and changing pathways.
The game makes itself distinctive through its visuals and its soundtrack. To say that the game is colorful would be a gross understatement. Each of the levels in PUSS! features a smorgasbord of vivid colors and interesting imagery that includes dolphins and satanic pentagrams. Much of the game’s visuals feel as though they would fit in perfectly in a surrealist painting or a late-night Adult Swim cartoon.
The psychedelic visual effects of the game can be overwhelming at times, and have the potential to interfere with gameplay. However, some might feel that the distractions caused by the psychedelic visual effects are part of the challenge.
The soundtrack of PUSS! is equally as psychedelic as the visuals. It features synthwave background music that is sometimes cheery and sometimes so distorted it sounds eerie. It is effective at making each level feel like an alternative dimension that has taken elements from our world and made them alien.
Although the visuals and the soundtrack are outstanding, these elements do not overshadow the gameplay of PUSS!. It may seem cute on the surface, but PUSS! is far from an easy game. The levels that players are expected to navigate are constantly changing and completing them requires careful timing and enough patience to watch what patterns emerge.
Despite the difficulty, the game never feels unfair and with enough practice, every level is doable. Best of all, the levels are varied enough to ensure that each challenge feels novel.
For those simply looking for indie games that offer cute cats and a trippy time, PUSS! will perhaps prove too challenging. However, if you are willing to have your skills tested while experiencing a sensory overload, PUSS! is worth trying.
2. How Buddy’s Parents Met
Not everybody will be interested in video games that push your reaction times to the limit. For those looking for a relaxing game that can be completely leisurely, there is How Buddy’s Parents Met. The game was developed by Mens Sana Interactive and can be purchased on Steam.
How Buddy’s Parents Met is a relatively simple game that uses six jigsaw puzzles to tell the story of how two lovers meet each other. In each of the puzzles is an adorable grey cat. Much like the cat, players get a sideline view into how a relationship forms and blossoms.
The illustrations formed by completed jigsaw puzzles are wholesome and depict key moments in the relationship of the couple. Although there are only six jigsaw puzzles, they can be broken into 135, 240, 375, 540 or 735 pieces for varying levels of difficulty. The pictures also make for good PC wallpapers.
How Buddy’s Parents Met has a soundtrack that is calming and simple. This is appropriate for a game such as this and adds a nice ambiance without distracting from gameplay.
Because of the relatively small scope of How Buddy’s Parents Met, it can be completed in a single sitting. This, however, is not a negative aspect of the game. Its short length allows the game to tell its story concisely and prevents it from overstaying its welcome.
How Buddy’s Parents Met is a simple indie game that is well-executed enough to amuse any lovers of cats and fans of puzzle games.
3. Kitty Pawpera
One of the best things about cats is their soothing purring and their heart-melting meows. In Kitty Pawpera, you get to have a whole choir of cats perform a serenade for you. Developed by ArchBang, Kitty Pawpera is a short rhythm-based browser game that has players pressing the right keys at the right time to make sure cats hit just the right note.
While it will not require the fastest reflexes or quickest eyes, Kitty Pawpera is engaging enough to keep you hooked as you aim for a perfect play-through.
The game takes obvious influence from rhythm-based games such as Guitar Hero which were popular during the mid-2000s. However, it adds a cute twist by replacing long-haired drummers with long-haired cats.
Kitty Pawpera is of course not without its flaws. The meowing of the cats does not always align with the prompts on the screen. Consequently, the game cannot be played by ear and players should focus on the screen rather than the music if they hope to hit the notes at the right time. It would have been nice if this was not the case, as it would emphasize the game’s rhythm aspects. As it stands, the game is not so much a test of musical rhythm as it is a test of reaction times to visual cues.
The visual presentation of Kitty Pawpera is one of its standout features. The layout of the game is relatively simple yet colorful and self-explanatory enough to ensure that players are never confused. The stars of the game are four cute cats that are drawn simply yet still manage to each have a personality of their own.
Despite a few minor flaws, Kitty Pawpera is still a great game for cat-lovers and anyone looking for a quick indie game to play when taking a break from work. Kitty Pawpera is certainly a good idea that deserves to be expanded with more song selections and, most important, more cute kitties.
All the games listed prove that everything is better with cats. Whether you are looking for a puzzle game, a rhythm game or a unique psychedelic experience, there are cat indie games that will entertain you.