A review of Little Kitty, Big City Switch: An endless source of possibilities
Our Verdict
Little Kitty, Big City is a purr-fectly charming game with oodles of personality. Short but incredibly sweet, it invites you to explore a metropolitan playground through the eyes of a curious kitty in the most delightful way. A must for cat-lovers, and a meow-gical time for gamers of all ages.
I adore felines. My cat, also known as my son, my sweet baby boy, the love of my life, or by his official government name, Mr. Xiao Meow Pretty Paws, is as spoilt as a cat can get, as everyone who knows me can attest to. That's why there was no doubt, when the teaser for Little Kitty, Big City appeared at the indie showcase last summer, with its sleek black cat that looks a lot like my Xiao. A Little Kitty, Big City review was required of me.
I can assure you that this game will enchant you from the very beginning if you share my passion for cats—which, of course, is the reason you're here. The story opens with the title character, a little cat, lounging on the window ledge of a high-rise apartment, enjoying a perfect position to nap. The cat finds himself in a garbage can on the street below when a succession of frightening sounds send him plunging.
The problem is that since this cat lives inside, the large, bustling world seems more larger and busier, and he has no clue how he will return to his owner after travelling all the way up there. Fortunately, he makes a number of new acquaintances along the road who can assist (or hinder) him on his route home. Some of them are quite useful, while others are not so helpful.
The two biggest challenges our feline friend has are the steep ascent to his favourite window ledge and his hunger. Therefore, finding and consuming fish around the town is your major objective in order to get the necessary stamina to complete the walk. It's easy to get sidetracked when you're a little cat in a huge metropolis like this, but there are dozens of mini missions and side tales along the way, as well as loads of other enjoyable experiences and activities for you to partake in.
Little Kitty, Big City's universe is really more like a playground than anything else, with plenty of interesting elements to interact with, little required tasks, and no fail states, timers, or HP to worry about. It's a rather calm and calming game, but it also keeps players interested with all the tiny things you find out as you go along, which is what really sets it apart from the many wholesome and cozy games that are out there. It really reminds me more of a carefree platformer from the PS2 era than anything I've played lately. It has features that appeal to a wide range of players, from young children and novices to seasoned gamers eager to unwind.
Kitty can leap quickly or precisely, jump with both paws to knock items (or people) over, use his mouth to pick up or pull stuff, zoomies (sprint), meow, and emote. In addition, he has the ability to slither through tiny gaps in fences or hedges and climb ivy once he has caught a fish. The climbing function, which was added later and is somewhat restricted until you acquire more fish, is my favourite feature since it not only opens up new locations but also gives previously explored areas a deeper feel. It also makes excellent use of the city's very tiny layout. It gives the gameplay a light framework but yet lets you go at your own speed.
Even though the basic principles are straightforward, you may use them in some really creative ways during the course of your journey. Unintentionally hitting your head against a wall or wall by mistake becomes a method of pressing a button that is too large for your little hands. Not only is it hilarious to trip someone over by nuzzling their legs, but you can also take anything they're carrying, like a smartphone or a bagel.
Naturally, doing so improves your exploration of the city and aids in completing missions and earning rewards. Once you offer the crow some shiny objects in return for a fish, you can use those same shiny objects to buy cute, wearable cat caps from the same crow (via small gachapon machines throughout the city, which is just lovely). You discover that you can deliver Tanuki feathers to open magical, cosmic fast-travel manholes (you heard me) after discovering that you can sneak up on, trap, and release birds to gather a feather (and use the bread or bagels you steal from people to attract the birds).
These mini-missions blend in well with the game's themes and are also really cute. Every element exudes charm and gives the city a sense of life, whether you're searching for ducklings to return to their dad in time for show and tell at the pond, finding a chameleon that's very good at hiding, or finding a Shiba Inu's favourite tennis balls. Plus, the way cat reacts to the world with such curiosity and positivity is enough to make your heart melt. And the conversation that exists in the game between Kitty and the other animals? Perfect. Perfect without a doubt. I like every minute of it.
Apart from the missions, hoardable caps, and accessories, there are extra tasks known as "cat-chievements" that you may do. These include 'Back of the Net', which you may complete by kicking four football balls into their corresponding nets located across the city, 'Trip Hazard', which needs you to make twenty people stumble, and 'If I Fits, I Sits', which asks you to 'enjoy five cardboard boxes Although you only really get a feeling of pride from these cute little extras, I truly like that you are rewarded for touring the city and taking full use of the game. In my attempt to finish them all, I invested significantly more time than was necessary.
Little Kitty, Big City has similarly charming visuals. I like how the more realistic, cartoonish animals contrast with the basic people, and the stylized surroundings wonderfully convey the energy of a busy metropolis. With so many people and birds living in the streets, it's also a very welcome decision to have the city's pipes burst to prevent cars from passing through. Of course, the water also acts as a barrier for our hydrophobic cat, which forces you to explore the map vertically rather than just walking along the roads.
The interactive quality of everything adds another level to the playground-like atmosphere, allowing you to explore and play with anything from paint cans and plant pots to garbage cans and vents—all quite fitting for a cat. In relation to kitty-isms, Little Kitty, Big City excels in this area—or should I say, "claws it"?
Double Dagger has captured everything that makes a cat so cat-like, whether it's stretching, napping, baking biscuits (also known as "making muffins" in-game or "padadoodoos" in my house), leaping back and hissing after coming into contact with water, or getting ready to pounce. Beyond only the main cat, there are other adorable animals as well. Tanuki, the dogs, the crow, and all the other critters are exquisitely animated, and it's obvious that a lot of love and care went into making them come to life.
Clearly, a lot of thought went into the menus and user interface (UI), which feature bright colours, easy-to-read language, and a cartoonish, fun aesthetic. When you wish to try on headwear, you get a great view of your cat idle and the map looks to have been clumsily made by hand in pencil. The cursor is a small cat's paw. You may save at any moment, and there are other welcome choices in the menu that let you adjust the dialog's size, field of vision, camera sensitivity, and other settings.
The game gains even more vitality from the sound design. Naturally, Little Kitty, Big City lacks formal "voice acting," but from what I've heard, the dev team's own cats' purrs and meows are authentic recordings, and I imagine the other animal noises are from the same source. The game also includes a great soundtrack of live music produced by Riley Koenig and recorded just for the game, which gives off a nice smooth, jazzy atmosphere that wonderfully matches the action. The other sound effects are amusing and subtle.
Let's talk about performance now. I've been using my OLED Switch to play the game, and I've put in a few hours playing it both docked and handheld. The instruction is gradually given to you as you explore and engage with different creatures, and the controls are simple to understand and intuitive. Particularly for younger players, it could have been helpful to have a control layout page in the settings menu to help you remember things if you take a break from the game, but even without one, it's not too difficult to get back into the swing of things.
On my Switch, the game works very well; I didn't encounter any latency or stuttering at all. The map is rather tiny, so load screens are not necessary. Teleporting between areas is fast and easy; progress is only interrupted to display a lovely animation.
However, I did run across a few little problems and issues with the pre-release version. There have been occasions when I've levitated briefly over ledges, cut through walls, became caught behind boxes, and peeked under the map. Fortunately, I only saw these bugs occasionally throughout my playthrough; they usually occurred while I was scurrying about in inappropriate areas. In similar circumstances, the game also finds a way to swiftly cure itself; I have never been able to crash or softlock the game. Additionally, I'm hoping Double Dagger irons out these little problems in the complete release version so you won't run across them.
All in all, Little Kitty, Big City is a pretty charming journey that fulfils all of my expectations. The game is supposed to last two hours of playtime, or five for completionists, but I ended up playing it for longer since I couldn't put it down because it's such a delightful experience. I've grown to love the title cat nearly as much as my own; it's obvious that a lot of love went into this effort. Nearly.
We've included Little Kitty, Big City on our list of the greatest cat games and cute games. It's launching on Switch, Xbox, Game Pass, and PC via Steam (it's even compatible with Steam Deck!). I'm going to go hang out with my own little cat, who I can't help but photograph because of her adorable face, now if you'll excuse me.