Look, I woke up today not thinking that I was going to get emotional over a cat. I’m a dog person. Wally will forever be the love of my life. But I’d heard whisperings of Copycat – the flagship game by Spoonful of Wonder, and thought what better thing to do on a sunny Saturday than to be significantly upset over a dumb cat? Who would be that weird? Apparently a lot of people, if what I’ve seen in the cozy game circles have anything to say.
For my discontent over (most) cats in general – Copycat is a stunning indie game which shows up staight as you launch it. As the loading screen comes up, we’re greeted by fantasic score by Daniel Bunting, emmersing us straight into a world of a little bit of whimsy, a little bit of wonder. Whilst I was exploring the options in the settings, the opening track was on repeat for a hot minute and I’d quite happily keep it going. Visually – I was so impressed with the lighting to the point if they just let go into a sandbox mode with a camera – I’d be purring with delight.
The Copycat Storyline is over three chapters
Copycat follows the journey of you, as a cat, being adopted by a lovely little old lady named Olive. Who, does not deserve your absolute disdain for humans. (You monster, you.) You do not like Olive. You do not like humans. But here you are, starting on a new adventure from the shelter. Throughout the following days, you begin to explore and find out things are bit strange around the house. Little hints that things are going on. This is where the narrative aspects of Copycat shine through spectacularly. Being able to see things from Dawn’s point of view, with the added little annotations was particularly engaging and often led me to want to explore further.
The demo finishes at what I expect to be the end of Chapter One. You’ve had a bit of a life ephininy by this stage and all is well.
Until, the following acts that follow, in where it explores exactly what happens when your home environment is ripped out from under you. And navigating the struggles to get back there, and dealing with a copycat takes over your spot in the house. I don’t believe for a second that this game will not have you in tears by the end of it, if the first hour of a demo was anything to go by.
But Clo, what about being a cat???
Now, I keep hearing you asking the important question, can I play the cat in Copycat? Do I get to do cat things? Yes! You are the cat! You do get to meow. And jump on things. And knock things over. Just being an overall menance. (Was knocking down a perfectly fine Tasmanian bottle of wine really neccessary?)
A couple of quick things to take note of:
- A controller is recommended for the best use (I used my xbox controller with no issues)
- Headphones are also recommended
Accessibility – subtitles were automatically enabled (yay!) and the option to put on closed captions as well was a pleasent surprise. The controls in the game were also quite easy to understand, and there is a guiding light to show you where you need to go if you get stuck.
Final Thoughts on CopyCat
Copycat will be one of those cozy games that will remain in your heart for a long while, even after the game has finished. If you’re into something that is narrative driven, well thought out and makes you feel like you need to consider where and what your sense of belonging is – this is going to be right up your alley.
PLATFORMS
PC (launch) Mac, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox X/S & Nintendo Switch.
RELEASE DATE
September 2024
Estimated Play Time
Three Hours
