Copycat Review

There’s an element of Copycat that echoed very close to my own personal journey of late— the struggles that came with my own Mum’s cancer diagnosis and treatment. It was a moment in time that was difficult to come to terms with and remains fresh in my memory. Everything I thought I knew about the world was turned upside down in the time that she fought, and it’s a situation I hope very few people have to witness. If you’re wondering how that at all connects to a video game where you play a cute cat doing cute cat things, you might want to settle in.

Having lost her pet cat under unusual circumstances, Olive ventures to the local cat shelter to adopt a new pet in the hope it can fill the kitty shaped hole in her heart. Once the initial awkward introductions are made, you take control of your chosen cat named Dawn and slowly come to terms with your new surroundings. That’s just scratching the surface (pardon the cat pun) as to what Copycat entails, as you play into Dawn’s wild antics while a darker plot plays out around you.

The catuation (that’s cat situation) seems innocent enough, as you paw your way around the two-story home and get up to the kind of mischief my own cat would adore. Dawn also finds time to dream about being in the wild, doing panther type things like chasing rabbits and lording over the land. It’s incredibly cute, though by design Copycat is not as colourful as 2024’s other major cat outing Little Kitty, Big City. It has a certain charm when Dawn’s eyes light up at the sight of a juicy steak or leaves paw prints on the floor from spilt paint. But as the story progresses around you, it becomes clear that the levity of cat life exists only to soften the blow of what follows.

The simple life

Dawn eventually finds itself out on the streets, confused and alone, and tasked with finding a way back, uncovering the true meaning home. I won’t spoil all the specifics, but Olive’s situation isn’t a comfortable one and leads to some confronting situations. From any other point of view, it can be harrowing to watch. But from a cat who wanted to live in the wild before falling for Olive’s homely charm, it’s a uniquely emotional angle. You’re not just reacting to the story, you’re seeing it from the perspective of an animal that doesn’t understand the how or why.

It isn’t an easy tale to sit through, not from a gameplay perspective, but from an understanding and acceptance of its journey. As I mentioned above, my personal life in recent years felt reflected within Dawn and Olive’s story. Despite knowing what I was in for, there are key moments that hit maybe too close to home, deeply personal feelings bubbling back to the surface. I’ve since come to terms with everything that happened in my own life, and in the few hours living within Copycat’s world I was forced to face them in a new way. For this, however, I’m grateful; I’m a cat person, after all, and Copycat’s reflections on life connected with me deeply.

There’s an awkwardness to Copycat’s world, however. It’s an evidently small studio experience, stilted character animations and, at times, awkward controls. As Dawn, you’ll be running back and forth interacting with only one or two keys, occasionally spamming them to knock items off shelves. You’ll get the occasional switch up, namely in Dawn’s dream sequences, but it’s hardly an involved process and could have been given a tweak or two to feel more rewarding.

Do cats dream of electric rabbits?

To suggest any of that dampens the experience does its story a disservice though. The look and feel plays its part without interfering with what’s important, and there are some genuinely well-crafted moments elsewhere. Using real footage of big cats on the TV is a neat touch, and later sequences play with light to evoke fear and uncertainty effectively.

Credit, too, goes to the emotionally driven performances of the voice cast. I can imagine that was a difficult assignment, but they all executed their roles wonderfully, especially Olive. It’s always nice to play a game of any kind that has that genuine Australian twang, not the forced and always over the top Aussie many developers lean towards. It complements the genuine emotional tone, grounding Dawn’s journey as the narrator (of sorts) does his best to lighten the mood when the situation allows.

Final Thoughts

Copycat will challenge you emotionally if you’re not ready for it but remains easy to play, ensuring you’re not distracted by overly complex mechanics. More time could have been spent on the visual presentation, the character models, and perhaps more responsive controls for our feline protagonist, but the story of Copycat does more than enough to rectify that awkwardness. It’s a journey I’m thankful to have taken, but the word of caution the game opens with holds true. Be ready to shed some tears, whether you’ve experienced this personally or not.

Reviewed on PC // Review code supplied by publisher

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