Copycat Review

If you are looking for an emotional story told through the eyes of a cat, maybe Copycat is the game for you. Brought to you by Spoonful of Wonder as their debut game, Copycat is a slice of life told through the eyes of a shelter cat living in her new home. It tells the story of loss, a found family, and the importance of a loving home.

The story in Copycat is one full of heart. You start the game as Olive, an older lady who is clearly undergoing some medical issues. Olive is in an animal shelter looking to adopt a new cat. The game has a series of options and the freedom to pick whichever you like; it will not change the name or the story. Once you have picked the cat, Olive has another episode; you see from her first person that she feels dizzy and weak at the knees. She does manage to adopt a cat despite this.

From here, you take over the game from the cat's POV. On the way home, Olive chats to her, naming her Dawn. You soon learn this is after her previous cat, who has run away. While playing as the new Dawn, you learn she is a skittish cat with a hard life with her previous owners. Through context clues and the Wildlife Narrator who gives cat lessons, you learn that the new Dawn wants to go home to her previous family, not understanding they were unkind people who don't seem to deserve her loyalty.

When you return to Olive's house, you have your first chance to explore, play as a cat, and learn the mechanics. We will go through these mechanics later, but while in Olive's house and garden, it is the prime time to learn how to cat correctly. Once you have picked up the mechanics, you can explore the story more, learning more about Olive through messages left by her daughter and a phone conversation you overhear.

These conversations reveal Olive is far more unwell than originally thought. She should have been using oxygen every night, had many pills to take, and, according to her daughter, she was not in a position to look after her cat. From these conversations, we also learn that Olive is telling her daughter that her new cat is the same as Dawn.

We also have Dawn's inner monologue, along with the story of Olive's failing health. As said before, the Wildlife Narrator plays a strong role in telling us how Dawn feels. He is introduced while the TV is on, playing a nature documentary. From then on, when Dawn falls asleep, this Narrator takes over, telling us how her life relates to her more primal side. When she falls asleep, her dreams are taken over by a big cat that is hunting rabbits.

These dreams are very representative of what Dawn and Olive are going through, with moments of peace, such as having the jaguar (or maybe a panther) as a huge bear hunting very small and easy-to-catch rabbits. However, there may be a huge rabbit or a large challenge in moments of distress and despair, so pray for Dawn to overcome them.

So, the Copycat's story takes off with Olive being ill. After a few days together and building trust, Olive allows Dawn to go outside with a collar to keep her from getting lost like the first Dawn. While outside, you can learn more about hunting and hear Dawn lament the loss of her previous family. In a few more short days, you can play a game with Olive, bonding with her still further. It is after this that Olive will have her fall.

Olive falls into the bathroom with Dawn, seeing she is clearly distressed and does not want Dawn to see her in this vulnerable state. From there, Olive makes her way to bed, and the next morning, Dawn waits outside to be fed. It will quickly become clear to you that Olive is having another medical emergency and probably cannot get out of bed. The Wildlife Narrator will encourage Dawn to get Olive up. This includes bringing her prey you have caught or trash found in the bin, causing a commotion in the art room, and trending paint around the house.

By the end of the day, Olive's daughter had become worried; after leaving multiple messages on the answerphone, she came around with some paramedics. Olive is rushed to the hospital while you, as Dawn, hide.

When they are back, you get to meet Olive's daughter. She is a very interesting character, presented initially as a worried daughter, but she ends up being a character with so many layers. Here, you discover what happened to the original Dawn, as the same thing happens to you. It turns out it was Olive's own daughter who made the original Dawn leave.

She kicked her out as she now does with you. This seems inherently unkind, but it is for Olive's sake. The older woman might not be able to care for a cat, and focusing on the needs of the animal rather than herself may be part of the reason she forgets to use her oxygen when she needs to.

While outside, you lose your collar and see another cat, a copycat, I should say, who looks just like you. It's the original Dawn, and she is the one who is then brought back into Olive's home. From here, you realize you are the real Copycat, and now you have to survive alone in the outside world.

The story has a lot more content beyond this, but this gives you a good idea of the type of tale being told. Copycat exists to tell a story, and it does it so well. Every character has depth and struggle. You know they are struggling and want to be there for each other, yet maybe not know how. For the story alone, most people would enjoy playing Copycat.

The gameplay is where there are some issues with Copycat. Making the playable character a cat should open up a world of opportunities. They are leith creatures, able to explore vertical space in a way humans can't. There have been a few games in recent years that have allowed you to play as a cat, with Stray being the most popular.

Stray allowed little freedom of movement as the ledges that could be moved too were all predetermined, meaning you could miss a single jump or go to a place the game did not allow. Copycat attempts to avoid this problem by allowing free movement to any ledge, as you can jump to wherever you want.

However, this does not work out the way you would hope. Instead, the jumps feel like you are floating through the air with little control or precision. Navigating the space is also very strange. The sprinting is so fast that it can be hard to turn corners while doing so. Although it is very fun to run around meowing the whole time.

The minigames will break up the less effective running around. They also move seamlessly into the dream, with the same games being used in both the real world and Dawn's dreams. While being simple, they are a great addition to break up the gameplay and add a new feature that is really fun.

Unfortunately, the gameplay is one of the biggest letdowns of the game. A beautiful story is being told, but the floaty cat and annoying sprinting are really hard to move past. While the story will still be worth it for most, it is worth mentioning that the gameplay is where the biggest letdown does lie. It is a real shame, but it will be down to individuals if this is a deal breaker for them.

The graphics in Copycat are passable. The space feels large, and the scale as a cat is accurate. It is a well-done effect of being small in a regular home. The cat graphics are pretty good, particularly in cutscenes when the cat will stretch and lay on the ground.

The main issue comes in through the in-game TV. There will be documentaries about Big Cats on TV, but these are all stock footage of real animals. The problem here was this created a comparison to the in-game graphics, which were attempting to be realistic.

This is a real misstep, as it could have been easily rectified. The dream sequences are very stylized; in fact, they might be the most visually impressive section of the game. If these graphics had been used for the sections on the TV, it would have removed that direct comparison to a real cat, which pointed out the issues with the in-game cat.

The dream sequences are really well done. They have a blocky texture that is really stylized and adds a fun dimension to Copycat. They also play with scale during these sequences, with the jaguar being huge and the rabbits being even bigger. It is a visually amazing part of the game and a real testament to the artistic ability of the game makers. It is a shame more of the game doesn't utilize this, but it is fantastic when it does.

The sound design is amazing throughout Copycat. There is a particular sequence with a dog that includes some tense music, and the tension in the music made this section a lot scarier. Daniel Bunting made the score, and it is an excellent addition to the game, especially during the dream sequences. The voice acting is also incredible. All the actors add a lot of nuance to their roles. And obviously, the cat noises are very cute.

Copycat is made to pull at your heartstrings, which is what it will do. The gameplay is the least effective part of the game, but an experience held together so tightly by narrative, such as this one, can get away with this. There are enough fun elements to look past this, and the story is worth enjoying. The visuals aren't perfect, but there are enough stylized sections that work a lot better. The sound is perfect, and the voice acting, ambiance, and score are amazing.