All cat owners know that cats are man's best friend - when it suits the cat, of course. Cats are unique animals, which is why it's fun, especially for cat owners, to play games where you control a cat, and can do cat things. And meow uncontrollably. Cat owners know what I mean... We've played cats in {Little Kitty, Big City} and Stray, and now there's a new game, the little linear four-hour adventure game Copycat.
It all starts at an animal shelter where an elderly single lady, Olive, comes in to find a cat to take home. Her old cat has run away from home and she misses having a furry little friend running around the house. She chooses a cat, names it Dawn, and takes it home. There are a few problems at first, as the new cat causes a few too many accidents around the house, but soon the two start to form a close bond.
From there, the game develops into a surprisingly emotional story about being abandoned, feeling unloved, and not understanding why no one will love you when you have so much love to give. You don't have to love cats to feel this little story in your gut, but of course it helps if you have, or have had, a cat in your life.
Copycat comes from the small Australian developer Spoonful of Wonders, which consists of just two people, and Copycat is their first game. Unfortunately, you can see that. It's quite unpolished and rough, and there's not much gameplay. Apart from running around as Dawn, most of the gameplay consists of a series of mini-games where you have to catch prey, steal food from people in the park, avoid ferocious dogs in a small stealth sequence, and fight other cats. It's simple and not particularly entertaining.
That said, this game is best seen as a rudimentary little story and if you approach the game with that mindset, the crudeness and simple gameplay start to fade into the background and the story takes centre stage. The story is clearly the game's strength and it's a story that you will feel at your core, and it's not always pleasant.
The visual side is very mixed. The animations of your cat are actually very impressive and it's clear that a lot of work has gone into this particular part. There are also some dream sequences with a black panther to represent the wild side of the house cat, and these sequences are really well designed. Elsewhere, the game is very rough in appearance and it's clear that this is the first game from a small developer.
I would really like to recommend Copycat, because it's great when a small developer makes a game that doesn't look like all the others, and that above all has something to say and delivers a story that can be felt. Not many games can boast that. Although the game comes with a rather small price tag, it's hard to recommend it to anyone other than cat lovers who also love small emotional stories.
I would love to give Copycat a higher score, but it's hard to justify more than a six, but I will say that if you're a cat owner, give it a try. Just be prepared to overlook the simple and clumsy gameplay.
Copycat is out now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
