Little Kitty, Big City review — Hit and hiss

I love kitty cats. I’ve been a cat person since I was little, and my family has had several over the years. They’re family. It’s always cool to find a game that speaks to me on the market, and Little Kitty, Big City was definitely that. Now that I’ve played it for a little while, I can say it hits the kitty cat vibes, albeit with a short visit.

In Little Kitty, Big City, you play as an unnamed feline resting on a windowsill high above the busy city below. Unfortunately, a wayward stretch leads to this little kitty plunging to the depths of it, but thankfully some Looney Tunes-esque moments allow our precious protagonist to make it to the ground unscathed. Startled by the sudden descent, it’s up to you to figure out how to get back up, and you’ll need a bit of help to do that.

At its core, Little Kitty, Big City is an adventure puzzle game. You’ll go around this faux-Tokyo neighborhood looking for different macguffins, and meet friends along the way. None of them are humans by the way, as these bipedal beings are mostly cookie cutter and exist for you to knock down and supply you with things they drop. Occasionally one looks to pet you, but that’s about it for them.

As for why this game is so charming, it’s in the gameplay. Being the “little kitty” is fantastic, hopping around everywhere, getting the zoomies, knocking flower pots off of ledges, pouncing on birds; it’s the works. If you’ve ever wanted to be a cat, this has most of it. The cartoonish nature of it works as well, never taking itself too seriously and allowing for maximum fun.

An area the game surprised me is in how well the mechanics work. Running around is great, and there’s a natural feel to it, especially when accidentally touching water and watching the kitty jump and hiss, or running into a wall and bouncing off, shaking your head from the collision. Jumping can be as easy as a button press, or precise as holding it to present a marker showing where you can jump to. The only spot I find annoying is the vine climbing you’re able to do as you build stamina; it is super slow and doesn’t make sense for a cat to be doing.

You’re able to traverse around the world at your leisure, with no specifics for you to follow. There are missions to complete, but they never feel pressing. Your main objective, getting back up to your home, exists in the background, without any sort of peril if you don’t hurry towards it. Again, this is fine, because Little Kitty, Big City is focused on a cuddly adventure and nails the happy vibes.

Something that’s not as impressive is the story. When I say you’re trying to get back home, that’s really it. It’s also as easy as finding four fish to eat in the world to gain stamina to make the climb, which I easily accomplished in a few hours. Sure, the path you take will largely take you past the characters, which are great, but if I only focused on the story, this is at best three hours, and the only character you’ll really engage with is the crow. I love getting to play a game that won’t take me fifty hours to finish, but Little Kitty, Big City is a bit disappointing in length.

The side missions that exist, while also not anything to write home about, make up a lot of your experience. Most of them are going to involve fetch quests, and none are that memorable, but the characters behind them are. Meeting Tanuki the raccoon brings a smile to your face and adds a fast travel element. Getting to the daddy duck who is looking for his kids is a wonderful little romp as you gather them and bring them back to him. Running into all of the random cats and trying to get their attention is pure joy. All of this, with all of the characters “talking” by making their specific noises and sounds as the subtitles flow. The characters themselves are easily the best part of the game.

Exploring is exactly what a cat will do, and that’s what will help you get the most out of Little Kitty, Big City. Finding loads of shiny bits to trade with the crow, knocking down humans with sandwiches to get bread to be able to catch birds, and climbing up to random nap spots is a big part of the fun. There’s very little that feels unreachable, as even the rooftops can be accessed if you find the right route. Going to every nook and cranny is enjoyable, as the combination of entertaining mechanics and stuff to look for makes for extra time in a lighthearted game.

While there is plenty of collecting going on, it’s optional yet worth the extra effort. As you journey through the world, you’ll find gacha balls to open and earn shinies to get more from machines. Why do you need these? Why, to get hats! They are super random, but this is both your reward from the gachas and what you’ll usually receive for finishing a side mission. Being able to put an apple on the kitty’s head is just wonderful, and finding your way to some of the gacha balls can be a fun puzzle in and of itself.

Speaking of looks, Little Kitty, Big City is pretty. The cell-shaded art style works perfectly, and the intentionally bland humans work in its favor. This isn’t a game that needs to look realistic, it’s more akin to Untitled Goose Game than Stray. The cutesy visuals are simply sublime, and fit what the creators are going for.

Unless otherwise stated, the product in this article was provided for review purposes.

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