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Copycat is a game developed by indie studio Spoonful of Wonder where you play as a cat fighting to get back home.
Copycat will make you cry, but there's a good reason for that.
Spoonful of Wonder, aka the developers behind the upcoming cat game Copycat wanted to tell a human story through the eyes of a cat.
"Animals see a side of us that no one else sees." said Samantha Cable, one half of the development team.
"(People) want to see how their pets see the world," said other half Kostia Liakhov.
In other words, playing as a cat allows for a unique but familiar perspective that aids players through the core of what Copycat wants to explore. Copycat is a game that looks at what it means to truly find home, by losing it.
Catlike Behavior
In Copycat, the player take the reigns of a newly adopted rescue cat in the home of an elderly woman. As such, you get to partake in very catlike behavior from stealing food to hissing at your new owner.
What sets Copycat apart from a naughty cat simulator like, say Little Kitty Big City, is you get to sit with the weight of your decisions. Since you get an intimate glimpse into your human's life, there's more impact in how your decisions might affect her. That decision to scratch or bite, stay or leave, during difficult moments turns into a chance to connect or disconnect from your new family.
To be naughty or to be empathetic, these are choices Copycat will make you face.
Then, there's a twist.
Just as you get settled into the comfy life, your kitty character is thrust back onto the streets. The purrpetrator, another cat, one that looks suspiciously like you, has taken your place. Stakes just got higher. Now you have to fight for your home.
What Home Means to a Cat
Let's be literal for a moment.
Most cats are reliant on humans to house them. Feral and community cat colonies exist of course, but an outdoor life for a domestic cat is a tough one. They face a fight for resources, hostile humans, structural upheavals, high euthanasia rates at shelters among many other dangers.
Shelters are overcrowded with low adoption rates. It can be a scary world for a cat.
Players select their cat character at the beginning of the game during an adoption sequence. The option allows for players to choose cats that may resemble their own cats living or passed.
"We've got a sub-theme in our story about abandonment," said Cable. "I want pet owners that do finish playing this game to have more responsibility about abandonment and seeing as very nuanced and complex situation."
Home, something we might take for granted means a whole lot when it's threatened. It's also something as pet owners and community members have responsibility in when it comes to cats.
Liakhov hopes that the game will reach those who might not have cats yet. "People who are not pet owners, maybe they should consider adopting one, you know?"
Catharsis Through Crying
Crying can be a necessity. It's a chance for us to release a bunch of pent up frustrations or grief. It can also be a way for us to connect and reflect.
Copycat gives us humans the opportunity to slow down and look at cats in a different way.
This quote in the game sums up the drive to belong and fight to be where we are needed.
"We wanted to make sure that our ending makes people learn something at the end of the day," said Cable. "(And) also make people feel these, strong emotions and hug their pets and their loved ones."
So yes, Copycat will probably make you cry, but it will also help you appreciate what you have that much more.
Copycat released on September 19 to Steam. There is a demo available. Be sure to wishlist the game and leave a review! These things help the developers tremendously.
