Platform reviewed: Steam (PC)
Price: $14.99
About a year ago, I adopted my first cat. While the experience made me nervous about inviting this little orange furball into my home, I always wondered what it was like for him. From being a scared little cat hiding under my bed to warming up to me and becoming a big snuggle bug, we both went on a journey together. Copycat allows you to experience these moments through a cat’s eyes. You play as Dawn, a shy cat recently rescued from a shelter by an older lady named Olive. The narrative explores the limits of your relationships as a cat and provides moments to use your cat-like reflexes to guide Dawn in her new life with Olive.
I started out in the shelter, where Olive was picking up her new cat. I could scroll through the available cats and learn about their personalities. Some were more reserved, while others would have given Olive a run for her money with their energy and activity levels. I ended up choosing the kitty that looked just like my orange tiger, which ended up being a tough choice for me emotionally later on in the gameplay.
Olive and I didn’t get along right away, which is understandable for a cat in a big, scary new world. I could choose to be shy or distrust Olive’s overwhelming affection, which frustrated her because she just wanted to bond with me. As time went on, I learned that Olive was rapidly declining in health and ignoring both her doctor's and daughter’s orders. As a cat, of course I didn’t understand what was happening, only that it seems like my new owner is ignoring me.
Throughout all of this, there are moments where I honed in on my cat instincts both in reality and a dream-like world. I practiced catching prey when Olive put a feather wand in front of me which I then used those skills when I was on my own in the wild. In the dream-like mystical world, I faced my fears and became a confident queen cat by platforming into giant food bowls, roaring at my enemies to make them disappear, and catching all the rabbits to become the ultimate predator of my dreams.
In the final scenes, I was driven emotionally to be a part of a family and the decision of being able to forgive Olive. I learned that Olive had a previous cat who looked just like me, and when that cat came home, it was quickly mistaken for me. I was the Copycat. I was faced with confusion and hung around the house for a while until finally I had the chance to confront the other cat. It was at this moment that Olive came outside and realized her mistake. The events after this had me emotionally distraught for the rest of the game. Since I was playing a cat that looked just like mine it made it that much harder to want to finish the game. I won’t spoil any further, but I will say the ending did give me a bit of resolution emotionally.
While I might have struggled emotionally to finish this game, Copycat did touch on most if not all the feelings a new pet would go through in each situation that was presented in the game. I could feel the joy while playing with the feather wand and the fear when faced against a gang of cats in the alleyway. I believe the music and audio added to these moments with a backdrop of soft melodies while I meowed and purred during the happy moments. The music would then pick up to an intense pace accompanied by hissing or yelling.
Final Grade: A-
Copycat did what it aimed to do, tell the story through the lens of a cat and leap through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the narrative. The audio cues made me hone in on my own emotions and guide Dawn to overcome her fears and insecurities. I truly did enjoy the game, as I went back through 1.5 more times to finish the Steam achievements, and did find additional items and minigames each time that I didn’t interact with in my first playthrough. One thing that I did find challenging was the quick time events with one at the very end not allowing me enough time to hit all the correct buttons. Thankfully, the timer went away and allowed me to continue forward. If you are looking for an emotional story to play I recommend pouncing on Copycat.
Review code provided by Spoonful of Wonder.
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