Review: Little Kitty, Big City (Switch)
When playing through Little Kitty, Big City, itâs difficult to avoid drawing comparisons with Untitled Goose Game. Both see you play as a cute, mischievous animal, and both have you tackle a series of emergent tasks that often come at the expense of the poor humans that inhabit the surrounding area.
With Little Kitty, Big City, however, developer Double Dagger Studio has taken the opportunity to draw inspiration from the gameâs feisty feline protagonist and make the experience a bit more whimsical, a bit more stylised, and a bit more ambitious. The end result is a true joy to behold and play, but one thatâs also held back from true greatness by its repetitive structure.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
The general gist is that you play as an unnamed cat who, after falling from a ledge following what looked like the most delightful nap, must find its way back home. The problem, however, is that home is all the way up in an apartment building in the middle of a bustling city. So, armed with nothing but the fur on its back, the cat must set off on an adventure to find its way back to safety and comfort.
Now, despite the title, weâd say that the city in which you play is really anything but âbigâ. To be clear, this isnât a bad thing. For those who might be familiar with the Yakuza (sorry, Like A Dragon) franchise, whose own recurring KamurochĆ area is pleasantly compact, the environment here will feel quite similar, placing far more emphasis on density rather than sheer size.
What this means is that you can barely move two feet without stumbling across something that might be worth a second look. This could be a new character, a ledge leading to a secret area, a crawl space, an item, or even a place in which to curl up and take a nap. Thereâs so much to see and so many interesting creatures to meet, itâs ultimately a shame that the majority of the gameplay is relegated to basic fetch quests.
Thatâs ultimately what Little Kitty, Big City is all about: collecting stuff. Almost immediately, youâre tasked with locating 25 âshiniesâ in order to retrieve a reward from a crow. From there, additional fetch quests are added to the mix, so youâll be hunting for feathers, tennis balls, dog bones, smartphones, and more. Little rewards and new mechanics are mixed in to coax you forward, such as a lovely little photo mode, the ability to snatch bread from unsuspecting humans, and a climbing mechanic, but we do wish there was a tad more variety with the overall gameplay.
One collectible type that we did enjoy was the plethora of hats that you can wear on your travels. These include a workmanâs hard hat, a ladybug hat, a corn hood, a banana hat, and so much more. You can find these in generally hard-to-reach spots on the map, or youâre given access once you complete certain tasks. Itâs well worth the time and effort to locate them all just to see how they look on your character.
Thankfully, to make up for some of the gameplayâs repetition, controlling your âLittle Kittyâ is an absolute joy, and this is largely down to Double Dagger’s fantastic animation. If youâve ever had the pleasure of welcoming a cat into your family, then youâll be blown away at just how realistic the in-game protagonist is. Every little touch, including the little pitter-patter of its feet, the way it stretches and wriggles its way underneath gaps, and the adorable âbrrrpâ it emits when leaping onto platforms, is all spot on. If this doesnât endear you to the endless charm of cats and kittens, then nothing will.
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)
That said, movement isnât always perfect. Jumping in particular can be a bit fiddly at times which, given the fact that cats are typically agile and graceful, can prove particularly irritating. You can quickly tap âBâ to execute a short hop, or you can hold it down and use an on-screen guide to aim your jump accurately.
This is great in theory, but even when you line up your jump to perfection, the occasionally dodgy physics can sometimes send you flying off-course. It doesnât happen too often, but when youâve successfully navigated a few gaps only to tumble back down to the ground at the last hurdle, itâll make you wish that a bit more polish had been applied to this particular mechanic.
In terms of visuals and performance, Little Kitty, Big City isnât the kind of game to push the Switch to its absolute limits, and for the most part, it looks and runs just fine. The frame rate can drop every now and then, particularly when you pan the camera around the busy streets, but itâs otherwise mostly stable. We were aware of a few bugs when we went hands-on with the game back at Summer Game Fest 2023, but it seems that these, too, have been stamped out nicely. All in all, it’s a pleasant enough experience that won’t have you regretting your decision to play on Switch rather than elsewhere.
Conclusion
Little Kitty, Big City is an adorable adventure that will almost certainly turn you into a cat lover, if you’re not one already. It oozes charm and the realistic cat animations are simply incredible, although for as fun as it is to wander about the city, the game leans heavily on fetch quests and gathering up collectibles, which can lead to repetition. If you’re someone who thrives on that kind of gameplay, however, then you’ll have an absolute blast with this one.
