Seeking a companion, an old lady strolls down the halls of a cat adoption centre. She coughs and splutters while perusing the cats available, preferring an adult cat to spend her days with rather than a kitten. On the car journey home, the cat meows constantly, and once free of the carrier chooses to hide in the garage. Over time, the old lady gains the cat’s trust, and it isn’t long until they’re given free roam of the house and garden. That’s until an identical cat shows up, stealing the new cat’s place and breaking bonds that took weeks to make.
Out on the street, our frightened feline must find their place in the world and make the decision to become a stray or confront their doppelganger. Problem is, they aren’t tough enough to be a street cat, and neither do they feel loveable enough to be a house cat. What a catastrophe.
Funded by the Australian government and created by just two developers, Copycat is a 3-hour adventure that dares to rouse the emotions. Mostly though, it’s about being a cat – which means incessantly meowing, turning the house upside down, stealing food, and pouncing on anything that moves. Yes, this cat happens to be a mischief maker, which makes for a fun and playful opening when exploring your new home. There’s always a main objective to focus on, which will advance the story, and there’s scope to play around too.
Once leaving the house it becomes more exploration focused, giving free reign of the cul-de-sac and the chance to “meet” the neighbours. During its second half it takes a more action-focused approach with a simple stealth scene involving patrolling dogs, a few chase sequences, and a lot of button-matching mini-games. Dream-like sequences help expand the narrative, in which our furry friend takes on the persona of a wild cat catching rabbits in a savanna. On that subject, the story is narrated like a wildlife documentary and can be quite comical at times. While Copycat is intended to be emotional, you may find yourself chuckling too.
There are a few sights to take in, such as a jaunt through a park with a river, before everything wraps up with a satisfying conclusion. This isn’t something that overstays its welcome and there’s enough variety to keep things interesting and engaging until the ending credits roll. A complex game this isn’t, however – although you may have to look hard for certain key items, progression is mostly straightforward, and a lot of its mini-games can be beaten on the first attempt. It’s a mixed bag visually too, looking scrappy in places but quite appealing in others – especially at nighttime when the streets are lit.
Considering it has come from a small team most of its shortcomings can be forgiven, as they’ve successfully managed to tell an inspired story while tapping into the skittish nature of our feline friends. It’s also a game with surprisingly wide appeal, being playful enough to engage younger minds while being tactful with its themes to absorb older gamers. It’s one to consider when the next dull afternoon arises.
Spoonful Of Wonders’s Copycat is out now on PS5 and Xbox Series. Published by Nuuvem and Neverland Entertainment. A PC version is also available.