Cats are Liquid - ALitS | Game Brain

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Cats are Liquid - A Light in the Shadows is a 2D platformer where you play as a cat with the power to transform into liquid. The game features 90 levels across 9 worlds, with mechanics such as flying and bomb-summoning. The story follows a cat trying to escape from rooms set by its owner, gaining new abilities and meeting a new friend, told through in-game text pieces. With a minimalistic, colorful style, the game only has 8 ads and no in-app purchases.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,140 reviews

story416 positive mentions

monetization72 negative mentions

The game features a captivating and emotional storyline that keeps players engaged.
The graphics are simple yet charming, enhancing the overall experience.
The gameplay mechanics are fun and challenging, providing a satisfying experience.

Some players experience control issues, particularly with responsiveness during gameplay.
The ending can be disappointing or confusing for some, leaving unanswered questions.
Certain levels may feel overly difficult or frustrating, leading to potential rage quitting.

story
764 mentions
54 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely praised for its depth and emotional impact, often described as surprising and heart-wrenching, with themes of grief and existential reflection. Players appreciate the way the narrative unfolds gradually through gameplay, although some find it confusing or vague at times. While the story enhances the overall experience, it can also be quite sad, leading to mixed feelings about the ending and its implications.
- “The story is very engaging and really makes you feel emotions.”
- “The story is deep and cool, showing the player how your different action buttons at hand can be taken away at any time and how you need to continue on to accomplish your mission.”
- “The story was... it was absolutely fantastic.”
- “So first of all, the story sucks. It's just 'she wants to leave' over and over. The ending isn't even rewarding; it's just 'I wanna stay here, it's safe,' and that's it. Then you get crushed and the credits roll -_- like how is that even an ending?”
- “The story was honestly really sad; I found myself tearing up a bit while reading the words along my playthrough of the game.”
- “The story is really bad and meaningless - it feels like it was written by a teenager trying to be poetic and insightful.”
graphics
175 mentions
63 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their simplicity and charm, with many users appreciating the minimalist and cute art style that complements the emotional storyline. Reviewers highlight the calming color palette and smooth animations, noting that the visuals enhance the overall gameplay experience without being overly complex. While some mention minor issues with controls, the general consensus is that the graphics are both beautiful and effective in conveying the game's themes.
- “This game has an absolutely beautiful art style, design, and controls.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous, the music is nice, and the controls are easy to pick up on.”
- “The graphics are simple yet fit in wonderfully.”
- “The graphics are really bad, the sound effects don't suit the game, the fonts... a 3-year-old toddler's handwriting would be better than this game's handwriting!”
- “The graphics are just solid color blocks, yet it somehow runs at 25 fps.”
- “Although the graphics are just simple cubes and bloom (really liked the previous design tho), the next installment appears to be a little more polished with several more details.”
gameplay
166 mentions
62 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay is widely praised for its solid mechanics, smooth platforming, and engaging puzzles, offering a balance of challenge and accessibility that keeps players invested. Many reviewers highlight the emotional depth of the story, which complements the gameplay experience, while the controls are noted for being intuitive and easy to learn. Overall, the game is described as fun, addictive, and visually appealing, with minimal ads enhancing the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is fun and engaging, though at the final stretch, the levels are very short and do not require too much skill.”
- “The mechanics were smooth, interesting, and fun, and each level was different and varied.”
- “The gameplay is stellar and the controls are easy for any gamer to use.”
- “The gameplay is a bit boring at the start; but quickly gets exciting, overall you should definitely play this; unless you hate sad endings.”
- “Coming from someone who played it all - gameplay is repetitive and annoying - sections are either so easy you slide past it all, or unfair and lacking playtesting.”
- “The gameplay itself is completely annoying, so lame and useless, and the animation is nothing compared to the original one.”
music
97 mentions
54 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is universally praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many players describing it as relaxing, emotional, and perfectly fitting for the gameplay. Reviewers highlight how the soundtrack complements the game's aesthetic and narrative, often evoking strong feelings and adding depth to the experience. Overall, the music is considered one of the standout features, contributing significantly to the game's charm and replayability.
- “The music is the single best thing I have ever heard, and the levels are fun to try, not too hard, and easy enough to enjoy.”
- “Everything, from the minimalistic visuals to the calming yet strangely nostalgic music to the story that gets me emotional every time - it's all so wonderfully put together into this, dare I say, masterpiece of a game.”
- “The music is gorgeous, and I definitely cannot recommend this game enough.”
- “The music is simple and relaxing.”
- “Very good game, nice controls, good story but one thing: I know I have SFX and music on, yet it only played in world 8 of the reset.”
- “Its an awesome game with deep lore and music that just gives you a bad feeling in a good way!”
monetization
93 mentions
19 % positive mentions
3 % neutral mentions
77 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is highly praised, with users noting that it is largely ad-free and completely free to play, enhancing the overall experience. Most players report encountering very few ads, typically only after completing levels or worlds, and many appreciate that these ads are skippable and non-intrusive. Additionally, there are no microtransactions, making it a refreshing change from other mobile games that often bombard players with ads and in-game purchases.
- “One awesome aspect of this game is there are no ads and it’s completely free.”
- “Not constantly trying to get you to buy things; in fact, I don't think there's any microtransactions.”
- “This is the best mobile game I have ever played. It has no ads, a moving storyline, interesting mechanics, and lots of playtime.”
- “The only thing I find kind of annoying is the ads after each neon level of each world; that's really the only thing that's kind of annoying.”
- “Perfect game; it hasn't got many ads. In my opinion, it should have more ads because there are just 5 ads in the whole game.”
- “While this game feels almost unfinished, it is one of the best mobile platformers out there with its unique levels and movement system, and I also really appreciate how far and few between the ads are.”
emotional
79 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its deeply emotional narrative, which intertwines themes of love, loss, and nostalgia, leaving players feeling profoundly impacted, often to the point of tears. The combination of engaging gameplay, beautiful minimalist visuals, and a heart-wrenching storyline creates a unique experience that resonates with players on a personal level, making it a standout title in the mobile gaming landscape. Many reviewers highlight the emotional highs and lows throughout the game, particularly the poignant ending that lingers long after gameplay concludes.
- “The music, physics of the different cat abilities, and heartbreaking story of love and loss had me replaying it over and over again.”
- “Both a challenging and engaging platformer, but also an absolutely heart-wrenching story that is revealed to the player piece by piece.”
- “The game constantly throws you for a loop as it seamlessly melds together gameplay and story, emotional highs and lows striking you from all sides.”
stability
13 mentions
23 % positive mentions
-15 % neutral mentions
92 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally praised, with many users reporting no significant bugs, crashes, or glitches, leading to an enjoyable gameplay experience. However, some players have noted that performance issues may arise on older or slower devices, which can result in freezing or control problems. Despite these occasional concerns, the majority of reviews highlight a smooth experience with engaging gameplay and a compelling story.
- “No glitches, great gameplay and story, cute, fun but sometimes challenging... the best!”
- “The game runs smoothly without any crashes, making for a seamless experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the game is; I can focus on enjoying the story without interruptions.”
- “Although the game is definitely constant, certain glitches are caused by the liquidity of the cat.”
- “I had to use the controls that were given on mobile, which were buggy and had problems.”
- “It's one of the most entertaining games I've played in a while, but I don't recommend it if you have an old phone or a phone that is slow because from other 1-star reviews, apparently it freezes.”
humor
9 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players finding the cat's reactions and the overall premise amusing. The blend of funny graphics, entertaining gameplay, and humorous critical reviews adds to the enjoyment, making it a delightful experience for players. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with engaging puzzles and challenges, enhancing its fun factor.
- “I also thought it was so funny that the cat's reaction to the power-up was to get scared of it.”
- “It starts off as a funny liquid cat platformer, but as you get deeper into it, you begin to understand the plot.”
- “Me and my cousin are playing it and we are both so excited and scared and happy and laughing; it's literally so fun!”
replayability
5 mentions
40 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers a decent amount of content and two new game modes post-story, but many players feel it lacks significant replay value. While some enjoy the experience enough to want to replay it, suggestions for additional challenges and a "reset saved data" option indicate a desire for more depth in replayability. Thus, it is considered somewhat replayable, but with limitations.
- “I love the story, the art style, the music, the replayability, if that's a word, the gameplay, and the existential dread.”
- “9/10, it's replayable but only to a certain degree.”
- “The only criticism I have for the game is that while it has quite a bit of content, including two entire new game modes (unlocked after the completion of the main story), the game otherwise lacks replay value.”
- “I loved it and want more, but I would like a 'reset saved data' option so I could play it over and over. Also, I personally think that challenges should be added for even more replayability; that's just what I think, though.”
- “Can be completed in a day or two, but potentially replayable.”
optimization
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
-20 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed feedback. While many players commend the graphics and smooth performance across various devices, some have noted areas for improvement, particularly in lighting and performance consistency. Despite these issues, the game remains enjoyable and engaging for its genre.
- “Amazing game, I played it myself and I gotta say the graphics are good, but I have noticed places where you could have optimized the lighting.”
- “Great fun and addicting, controls are easy and it runs smoothly.”
- “It has a nice simplistic design, runs smoothly on any device, keep up the amazing work, and if you're reading this, get this game and have a nice day :D”
- “I played a better game first 😂 then 'Light in Shadows'... commendable improvement in graphics and fluidity, but it felt really weird playing 'Light in Shadows' due to its somewhat slow performance.”
- “Amazing game! I played it myself, and I have to say the graphics are good, but I have noticed areas where the lighting could have been better optimized.”
- “The game has potential, but the optimization is lacking, leading to frustrating performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
atmosphere
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its stunning visuals and engaging music, which create an immersive experience that captivates players. The seamless integration of the story enhances the overall ambiance, making it a compelling puzzle game that keeps players hooked without distractions.
- “When I played it, I was stunned by the atmosphere and the music.”
- “The music is great, and the atmosphere kept me hooked without a single ad to interrupt it.”
- “The story fits well with the atmosphere and is surprisingly engaging.”
character development
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by its engaging storyline and charming character design, which features a unique combination of cats and balls. Players appreciate the smooth gameplay and immersive narration that enhances the lore, contributing to a captivating overall experience.
- “The character design is so adorable, and the narration draws you into the lore.”
- “The game is smooth, the storyline is interesting, and the character design is cute.”
- “The story is good, and the character design is cute because of the combination of a cat and a ball.”