Little Kitty, Big City (Switch)

Although I’m personally not the biggest Nintendo fan, their Nintendo Directs have made me aware of some interesting third-party games for their platforms. Such was the case with Little Kitty, Big City, which I first heard about through their 2023 Indie World presentation, thanks to its art direction and atmosphere. Though I played a demo of the game on PC through Steam and enjoyed it, I intended to play the full game on console, which I did when it launched for the Switch due to it having a reduced launch price on there compared with the Xbox Series X. I then got to playing the game as soon as I could, finding it overall fun in the short time it lasted.

While napping in the sun on the edge of its owner’s apartment, a cat (Little Kitty) is scared by a dog and falls onto the street. Little Kitty must now find a way back up the building to reunite with its owner.

The gameplay has seen comparison with Untitled Goose Game, which is accurate in the way that you control an animal completing a list of tasks while utilizing the abilities of that animal. These abilities include swiping with your claws, crawling through small holes and pouncing, the last of which can also be extended by holding the button, complete with an indicator on where you will land. Combining crawling with pouncing also allows you to sneak up on birds (and let them go) to collect Feathers. Additionally, you can interact with humans by rubbing against them or receiving pets, or even knock them down to steal whatever they’re carrying to complete some tasks, be it a phone or food. Not all human encounters are friendly though, as you may have to sneak through some areas without being spotted, at the risk of being thrown out. Lastly in your arsenal of cat abilities, there is a dedicated meowing button, holding which will let you perform a selection of emotions that are unlockable, as well as being able to jump into boxes and trash cans and sleep in designated spots.

 

You can steal from humans.

The main goal of the gameplay is to collect fish, of which there are four, to increase your stamina meter, allowing you to climb on ivy for an increasing amount of time to finally climb back home. Climbing is also a very useful ability for traversal, though it should be noted that the cat cannot touch water, or else it will jump back and hiss (this can actually be taken advantage of if done right). The aforementioned Feathers are not the only gameplay-relevant collectible, as you can also look around for Shinies to pay off a crow in exchange for cosmetic hats. Interestingly, some Shinies can be earned by recycling aluminum cans, complete with an animation of the cat dropping one from its mouth into the proper receptacle. Interacting with various other animals on your journey is encouraged, as additional features such as fast travel, a map and a photo mode can be unlocked by interacting with and completing tasks for them, plus they can even reappear on your final journey back home.

 

Eating fish extends your stamina meter.

While the game is generally solid with a fun gameplay loop, the experience wasn’t free of issues. Throughout the game, there are breakable jars that contain Shinies, but I once encountered a jar that would not break no matter what I did, and was only able to finally break it after I restarted the game. Birds are also usually good at flying away if you approach without sneaking up on them, however I had one instance where a bird would not fly away no matter how close I got and refused to budge, so I was able to take advantage of that to successfully pounce at it. I also faced some texture and asset pop-in at times, especially in the endgame, but I don’t know how much of this was a result of the Switch’s underpowered hardware.

Similarly to Untitled Goose Game, the gameplay is complimented by a stylized art direction featuring realistic animal animations and sounds, with the soundtrack and Japanese setting giving the experience a light tone with a touch of whimsy. Special mention goes to the cat animations, as well as the usage of native Japanese animals such as Shiba Inus and a tanuki. Though minor and not seen in the game much, I also liked the extra detail of Little Kitty getting scared by a cucumber in the same way it would with water. Dialogue is given entirely through subtitles, and while I found the writing funny, I did notice a handful of grammatical errors in the text.

 

Big stretch.

Though short, Little Kitty, Big City is entertaining in the time that it lasts. Though perfect for cat lovers, I would also recommend it to those looking for a similar experience to Untitled Goose Game or those looking for another cat simulation game after Stray.