Review of Copycat

My feelings about Copycat from Spoonful of Wonder are … complicated. I have to give them mad props for making a game that seems deeply personal and has something to say. They are a small independent studio, and it’s always great to see people like that making a splash in the gaming world.

That said, I have some issues with the game. 

The game is the story of Dawn, a cat that is adopted by an older lady and taken home but then is cast out and forced to confront being abandoned as well as the day-to-day pressures of living on the streets.    The game is all the feels, except when it’s not, which is one of the problems I had with it.  The tone seems to switch a lot.  One moment, you are experiencing gut-wrenching angst, and then it encourages you to chase rabbits or shred toilet paper.  

I think this project showcases one of the greatest powers of games in how, by doing things in the game, we are more invested than just by watching something. I just think that this power is not always used wisely.  There are times when you, as the player, know that something bad is happening, but the game will not let you move the game forward until you do something like run around and put kitten paw paint prints all over the house.    I don’t think this is done for bad reasons. They just needed to add gameplay elements and probably aimed not to be entirely a downer experience.  The quick-time gameplay elements also, at times, were not implemented in the best way.   A ten-button prompt was not really what I was looking for in a narrative-driven game.  I think this story might have been maybe told in a different format, a light novel would seem a great fit.  All that being said, it is evident that it was made with a lot of love, and if you want to get a deep emotional experience, it will undoubtedly deliver.  

Bonus thought (Spoiler)

The game does include trigger warnings about suicide, but I was not expecting a point in the game where I got to decide if the cat jumped in front of a car.  If you love cats, you should probably know that going in.