Little Kitty, Big City PS5 Review. It’s important to take pleasure in the simple things and that’s something that Little Kitty, Big City excels in; it’s categorically one of the sweetest games that I’ve played in recent memory. Every inch of this game oozes the kind of atmosphere I needed at the moment, while just being a fun sandbox to explore.
While it might have some clunky movement in places, I couldn’t help but think that this was by design. Cats are chaotic creatures at the best of times, and you’re able to harness that chaos in this small town. What more could you ask for really?
Little Kitty, Big City Review PS5 – A Cat’s Life
A Leisurely Quest
The story of Little Kitty, Big City is simple; you’re an indoors cat that needs to get back home to their owner, navigating the outside world for the first time and meeting the denizens of the town.
It’s a cute premise and it never goes beyond its means. What you see is what you get, and what you get is a story that feels like it was penned by some seriously veteran cat owners.
The opening of the game is a gorgeously animated sequence where your main feline finds themselves falling to the ground in a slapstick sequence that had me grinning from the outset; there’s nothing mean-spirited about Little Kitty, Big City, instead leaning into the more comical side of things.
For the main objective of the game being to find your way home, there’s no real sense of pressure or threat. You just wander around, find other cute animals, and complete small tasks for them.
Adventure at your Own Pace
You do have a main objective in Little Kitty, Big City, but as the name would suggest, there’s a bit more to the game than just running down the linear path. First of all, that makes for an incredibly short game that glosses over a lot of what makes this game so appealing.
Second of all, these small side objectives hide some incredibly cute touches that really bring the game into its own. You’ll get cute hats for your cat, find fun poses to use during photo mode, and just get the chance to read more of the funny dialogue from the cast.
You’d be doing a disservice to skip these side missions. With how the main quest is structured, you’re very much encouraged to explore this sandbox and naturally come across these objectives as a part of your journey. You’ll find yourself naturally wanting to make a bit of a mess.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, you’d knock jam jars off of a shelf if you were a cat too.
Off to Adventure
The scope of Little Kitty, Big City is relatively modest; you explore a small part of a bigger city that steadily grows in scope across the course of the game. You unlock the ability to climb green ivy a short while in and then you’re set off on a journey of discovery.
I already enjoy urban landscapes in games and this is one that I not only learned like the back of my hand, but had a damn good time exploring. There’s a verticality that’s almost inherent to being a cat and nothing is wasted in ensuring that you get to the places that you might not supposed to be in.
You can find your way onto people’s balconies, looking over the city looking for your next place to explore. You can also pick out your next victim on ground level to knock down and steal their sandwiches or phone. Or you might just cozy up to them, your call.
The visual style of Little Kitty, Big City does a lot of heavy lifting in tying this all together into a cartoon delight that is full of expression and detail. The same goes for the soundtrack, with a nice acoustic undertone.
Everything just feels nice! There were a few moments where I wish the platforming felt a bit smoother with having to aim long-range pounces, but I feel like this is the necessary cost of not having automated setpieces.
Sticking To Its Guns
It sounds like a bit of a bizarre compliment, but I appreciate that Big Kitty, Little City knows what lane its in and chooses to stay firmly within it. The concept of a “cat game” is far from a new concept, but it’s one that’s certainly entered the zeitgeist recently with the rampant success of games like Stray.
To some extent, it feels like we were all secretly hankering for a “cat game” that fulfilled what we really wanted out of the genre. And I would argue that this game actually comes the closest to fulfilling that unenviable task.
I loved Stray for what it did, but the inclusion of supernatural and Lovecraftian oddities left me feeling a bit confused when compared to how the game originally appeared. If you’re like me, this game scratches that itch and then some more.
While it might be modest in length, that short runtime is packed full of charm and love for a world that is as condensed as it is full of things to do. More than ever, I would encourage a completionist run-through if you can. Not only will you extend your time with the game, it quietly feels like – for a change – this was the intended way to play the game.
The destination is only a small part of the journey, and this is a journey full of laughs, fun and some incredibly cute moments. There isn’t a run button in Little Kitty, Big City; you’ve got a button for the zoomies. That’s enough for me.
Little Kitty, Big City is available now on PS5.
Review code generously provided by the publisher.