Cats and the Other Lives

About

"Cats and the Other Lives" is a narrative-driven adventure game that explores the boundary between reality and the surreal. Players uncover the truth behind a series of mysterious disappearances in a small coastal town, where cats may hold the key to understanding otherworldly forces at play. The game features a unique blend of feline companionship, investigation, and supernatural elements to create an immersive and unsettling experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 398 reviews

story176 positive mentions

stability4 negative mentions

The game features a beautifully written story that explores deep themes of family trauma and healing, often evoking strong emotions in players.
The pixel art and animations are charming and well-crafted, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
Playing as a cat allows for unique interactions and gameplay mechanics that add a fun and whimsical element to the narrative.

The gameplay can feel linear and restrictive, with limited exploration and a lack of meaningful choices for the player.
Some mini-games and action sequences can be frustrating and poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.
The pacing can be slow at times, especially in the beginning, which may deter some players from fully engaging with the story.

story
400 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
55%
2%
The story of "Cats and the Other Lives" is widely praised for its emotional depth and engaging narrative, told from the perspective of a family cat named Aspen. Players appreciate the intricate character development and the exploration of heavy themes such as grief, family dynamics, and generational trauma, often leading to heartfelt moments that resonate deeply. While some find the pacing slow and the gameplay limited, the overall consensus is that the storytelling is compelling and beautifully executed, making it a must-play for fans of narrative-driven games.
- “A wonderful game with a very well written story.”
- “The story is beautiful, heart-wrenching, and absolutely unforgettable.”
- “A wonderfully told story and little puzzle adventure, some of the chase sequences feel a little long but otherwise an entertaining and worthwhile story.”
- “The story is a rather bland one around a family reuniting and how the cat handles it. There's over 100,000 games on Steam.”
- “Looks good on paper, not much there when you play it, just trite plot and dialogues, with limited gameplay.”
- “The puzzles are either too easy or just plain annoying, and the story kind of feels like it's going nowhere.”
gameplay
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
75%
8%
The gameplay is primarily a point-and-click experience with minimal mechanics, focusing heavily on narrative and character interactions rather than challenging gameplay. While some players appreciate the charming cat mechanics and the engaging story, many criticize the gameplay for being dull, overly simplistic, and often feeling secondary to the narrative. Overall, it offers a casual experience with a few light puzzles, but those seeking more substantial gameplay may find it lacking.
- “The fun gameplay lightens the mood, however, and acting like a cat with both its physical limitations and natural abilities offers some enjoyable challenges and puzzles.”
- “The gameplay works within a 2D world, where the cat can run and jump across furniture and bookcases.”
- “The gameplay is pretty casual for the most part, which serves to mediate the intensity of the drama-filled narrative, though sporadic puzzles and minigames add some interest and variety to the mechanics.”
- “The idea of the game is appealing, but the gameplay is honestly pretty bad.”
- “The developers failed one of the most basic, fundamental requirements of game design: 'show, don't tell.' You'll spend a huge amount of time not playing the game, but clicking through endless lines of poorly written visual novel text cutscenes.”
- “Gameplay is dull and feels like a very secondary component to the game.”
emotional
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely praised for its deeply emotional narrative, exploring themes of grief, loss, and family dynamics through the perspective of a ghost cat. Players report being moved to tears by the heartfelt storytelling, beautiful pixel art, and poignant soundtrack, creating a unique experience that resonates long after gameplay. Overall, it is described as an emotional rollercoaster that combines moments of sadness, warmth, and reflection, making it a must-play for those who appreciate narrative-driven games.
- “The emotional depth and warmth of this game truly resonate, creating a unique experience that goes beyond typical gameplay.”
- “A beautiful game that warms you towards the Mason family members and the cat Aspen that you play as, with beautiful touching stories that portray grief, loss, and dreams in a raw and realistic but also magical and poetic way.”
- “The story is well-written, especially the ending that really touched me and made me cry.”
graphics
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
51%
5%
The graphics of the game are primarily characterized by a charming pixel art style that many players find beautiful and expressive, enhancing the overall atmosphere and storytelling. However, some users criticize the lack of resolution options and graphical settings, which can lead to performance issues. Overall, while the pixel graphics are appreciated for their detail and cuteness, there are mixed feelings about the technical execution and limitations.
- “The aesthetics are a true highlight of the experience with intricately detailed pixel art and fantastically believable animations.”
- “Beautiful visuals and very cute (and accurate) cat mechanics.”
- “The graphics and atmosphere are on point; beautiful pixel art and animations make the big house you explore feel like a convincing place.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “I have integrated graphics that supports 720p to 900p max and I was not able to change resolution or graphical settings, so I was stuck with sometimes fluid, sometimes laggy experience.”
music
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
40%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its exceptional quality and ability to enhance the emotional depth of the experience, fitting seamlessly with the game's atmosphere and narrative. Reviewers highlight the soothing and atmospheric soundtrack, which effectively conveys various moods and complements the beautiful pixel art. Overall, the music is considered a significant contributor to the game's charm and storytelling, making it a standout feature.
- “The music conveys emotions and situations beautifully, and yes you can meow as the cat.”
- “The music constantly changes between modes and moods to fit whatever situation you find yourself in.”
- “Great pixel graphics, engaging and heartfelt story, awesome music.”
- “It's like getting emotionally punched while listening to spa music.”
- “No voice acting, apart from the odd mumble, scream, or gesture, but music is very atmospheric and manages to create a somber and sullen mood.”
- “And the music really elevates the experience of the melancholic and drudgery tone set and established with the painful memories with the house and the pain of leaving it behind.”
atmosphere
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
17%
10%
The game's atmosphere is a captivating blend of eerie and comforting elements, enhanced by charming visuals and an immersive soundtrack. Players appreciate the balance between darker themes and lighthearted moments, with the pixel art and sound design contributing significantly to the overall experience. The setting, often described as nostalgic and mysterious, invites exploration while maintaining a deep emotional resonance.
- “The adorable cat protagonist and the charming, atmospheric setting make exploring a joy.”
- “A beautifully directed, drawn, and animated story about family issues and values in the eerie atmosphere of the haunted mansion.”
- “Great story and immersive atmosphere, dark and mysterious with a nice topping of cuteness.”
- “These potentially triggering subjects are paired with a generally very creepy atmosphere in the game, which does not help to make it less emotionally straining.”
- “The focus in cats and the other lives is the atmosphere and its detailed narrative.”
- “The manor is filled with a homely, but almost nostalgic atmosphere which is amplified by its bright 2D pixel art.”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as unique and heartfelt, blending hilarity with darker themes as players navigate the life of a quirky, over-fed cat in a dysfunctional family setting. Reviewers highlight the game's charming animations, clever writing, and the ability to evoke laughter through relatable cat behaviors and amusing interactions, making it both entertaining and endearing. Overall, the humor is praised for its creativity and ability to enhance the emotional depth of the story, contributing to a cozy and engaging atmosphere.
- “It's a unique, heartfelt, and often hilarious little story about the bonds of a dysfunctional family, of ambitions and expectations; all through the eyes of an old, over-fed feline living its day to day in the wake of its owner's death.”
- “I don't know how often I sat there, giggling, laughing, even doing a video of the gameplay to send around to my friends because I was so amazed and entertained... it's funny, it's adorable, the animations are purrfect, the typical cat behavior makes you smile and makes you happy... the moments when the human people around you tell you not to do it, but.... you sit there, grin like an idiot, and click it!”
- “The creators of this game had some really creative and funny ideas for sure; they alone are reason enough to play until the end.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game has limited replayability, primarily appealing to achievement hunters due to the difficulty of obtaining certain achievements that can be easily missed. While the first chapter offers some minor differences from the demo, overall, players do not find significant reasons to replay the game.
- “The game is absolutely gorgeous, and there are small differences from its demo version, so replayability is not an issue for the first chapter of the game.”
- “The replayability value is limited, mainly appealing to achievement hunters.”
- “While there are achievements to pursue, they can be quite challenging to obtain, which affects the overall replayability.”
- “It's not very replayable besides the achievements, which can be quite difficult to obtain since they can be easily missed.”
- “Replayability value: no (only for achievement hunters).”
- “But so far it's absolutely gorgeous; there are small differences from its demo version, so don't think that replayability is an issue for the first chapter of the game.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent freezes during startup and loading, as well as problems with buggy achievements. These technical difficulties often require players to restart their computers, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Very nice game, but sadly very buggy for me.”
- “The game currently has buggy achievements revolving around getting all 36 memories and unlocking all other achievements.”
- “The game just freezes every time I load it, and then I have to restart my computer because I can't get off the loading screen.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly towards the end, but many still feel that the overall experience is rewarding and worth the effort. Hints are available to assist, though they may not fully alleviate the grind.
- “The hints can help, but it becomes tedious.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the character development is praised for its depth and intensity, showcasing significant effort in direction and screenplay. While some users desire more story content, they still find the existing character arcs and resolutions satisfying.
- “You could tell a lot of hard work went into directing and planning out events, with some excellent screenplay and intense character development.”
- “I wish there were simply more to the story, but the character development of different characters and the overall resolution as it is now is still satisfying.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary significantly across different hardware configurations.