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Searching for a Pawsitivly Purrfect Puzzler? Look No Further - Cats in Time Review

7K View2022-06-27

If you follow my reviews, you know I bleed a little bit of my soul onto the page every time I write. That way, you all get to know the person behind the writing and where I'm coming from. With that in mind, I’m going to provide a handy list of all my biases in one place. Let’s go: Blue is better than red, texting is better than calling, iOS is better than Android, and CATS are waaaay better than dogs! Had this game been titled Dogs in Time...I would have gladly skipped it. Luckily, Cats in Time not only contains my preferred variety of adorable tiny furballs, but it’s also an addictive puzzle-based hidden object gem with some historical elements to boot. I daresay it's the cat's meow!

Developed by Pine Studio, Cats in Time is a free-to-play puzzle game where you're tasked with finding cats by solving puzzles and riddles across 3D-rendered environments from different ages in history. Cats in Time whisker-ed the paw-dience away in 2021 by winning a Pick Up & Play award and an Indie Games Festival award by Google Play, and it's easy to see why. I found the game incredibly easy to get into. It kept me invested with its simple yet fun game mechanics and characterful backdrops.

The narrative of Cats in Time (yes, there's an actual story!) is pretty straightforward but effectively sets the context for chasing cats across history. Professor Tim Edger has mastered time travel and thus has invented a time machine. Low and behold, his beloved felines activate the device while playing and are lost to space-time. Just like that, WHAM, we have an interesting setup for an engaging game. This really does speak to how simplicity works best. I've played tons of games with more complex story arcs that weren't half as interesting or fun as Cats in Time.

The opening narrative is more than just a cinematic to set up the story. It also introduces the gameplay by giving a quick tutorial through helping the professor fix his machine. The gameplay happens to be as straightforward and successful as the story.

Each stage in Cats in Time is set in a different historical period that ranges from 2502 BC Ancient Egypt to 2174 Future Tokyo. Each level presents a 3D diorama you can rotate and interact with to find the precious kitties. Some fur babies will be in plain sight, while others will require solving puzzles to find. Progression to the next area doesn't require full completion of a stage; generally, you only need to find six out of ten cats in a given area before you can move on. But if you're on Team Cat like me, you believe in no cat left behind.

As soon as I started the game, I realized and appreciated that there's no need to play it linearly. I was able to hop to any time period I want—and I’d better be able to shift around to where- and whenever if I’ve got a time machine! The New Yorker in me appreciated how Cats in Time had a ‘90s New York City, complete with a "Starducks" shop. Although I DO NOT remember The Bronx being as wholesome in the ‘90s as depicted in the game, I could still appreciate the shout-out.

Cats in Time stages stick with a cute atmosphere for its visuals. Cats are placed in weird and funny places, but they also fit the level's theme. In Ancient Egypt, for example, the cats wear little fezzes on their heads, while in 1262 Mediterranean Greece, they wear...sailor hats? Okay, some themes feel more solid than others.

Keeping with the game's easy-going and fun style, the monetization scheme for Cats in Time isn't too aggressive. Seven playable periods exist, but only the first two levels of each are free. That’s a total of fourteen playable levels without paying anything. A single payment of $6 doubles that number, removes all ads, and unlocks unlimited hints. If I had one criticism about Cats in Time, it would be that given how much fun I had playing this game, I burned through levels at a rapid pace. I had already managed to save 100 of the 290 total cats available, so buying additional levels definitely was worth it.

For me, what makes a game five stars is that it has some type of real-world application. It requires us to think differently or teaches us something about a group we may not have known much about. Cats in Time sets itself apart from a good game to an excellent one by adding a charitable aspect to the gameplay. For every one hundred thousand cats saved in the game, Pine Studio has pledged to buy ten kilograms (or about twenty-two pounds) worth of cat food for the nonprofit cat rescue association Prava Šapa, which means "true paw" in Croatian. So not only was I saving cats virtually, I was doing so in the real world too. What a purrfect addition to an already wonderful gaming experience!

Cats in Time offers everything I want in a mobile game, from the easy-to-use interface and cute visuals to the addicting gameplay. Then it goes beyond my expectations, upping the ante by putting its money where its mouth is and saving cats in the real world. For those who want some light-hearted, easy-to-play fun on your mobile device, take a meow-ment and play Cats in Time. You'll be happy you did!

SCORE: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

PLAY IF YOU LIKE:

• Puzzle games. If you read my review on 3D Escape Game: Chinese Room, you know I'm no stranger to puzzlers! What's great about Cats in Time is that it has puzzle elements and hidden objects balled into one.

• Cats. And who wouldn't love these adorable troublemakers?! With its emphasis on helping cats in need, Cats in Time is designed with cat-lovers in mind.

💬 Have you played Cats in Time? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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