3 
0 Perfectly cozy, perfectly heartbreaking. Copycat is the newest narrative adventure from Spoonful of Wonder, Neverland Entertainment and Nuuvem inc. Put yourself in the paws of a rescue cat called Dawn and learn the true meaning of home. Copycat’s full release date is September 19th and you can grab it on Steam.
There are slight spoilers present in this review!
Prepare your paws, you’ve got a new home!
Gameplay
Meet Dawn, a sceptical shelter cat who believes she’s a wildcat rather than a common house cat. She very quickly gets adopted by a nice old woman named Olive. Despite Olive’s efforts, Dawn still plans to escape out into the wilds as soon as she can.
It’s slow progress in her new home, but a relationship is built between Dawn and her new owner as she learns about the meaning of family and what it means to be loved. Just as everything starts to look perfect, disaster strikes. After falling ill, Olive’s daughter rushes her mum to hospital and, upon her return, accidentally replaces Dawn with a copycat.
Players follow Dawn as she learns the importance of love, friendship and having somewhere to belong.
The fact that this is Spoonful of Wonders debut into the gaming world is astonishing. Copycat delivers a story with perfect pacing, comforting characters and a universal message that all players can appreciate. The simplistic nature of the game only makes itself better. Copycat takes a simple route to emphasising the importance of its story much like games such as Journey.
This is the story of a cat…
Because you’re playing as a cat, the story unfolds through the eyes of Dawn and the voice of a Nature Expert documentary style. As Dawn’s approach to Olive and the concept of family changes, so does Dawn’s inner conscience, emphasised by the way the Expert speaks to the cat in the game.
There are two sides to Dawn. One is the house cat which makes up the bulk of the game, the other is a panther that resides in a dreamscape. On a surface level, it can be interpreted as just that – a house cat that has dreams. However, Spoonful of Wonder’s approach to this split element only adds to the story depth.
As Dawn learns to love the family she has found, the dreamscape changes from chasing rabbits to replaying games that you have already played with Olive. Consequently, when things take a turn for the worst in the real world, so too does the dreamscape. Colours dim and the world becomes more chaotic as Dawn loses her sense of self and reason.
I am not a crybaby by any means. In fact, I would like to think I’m quite level-headed and yet I was still in tears at this game. While you might be playing as a cat, the message of this game is one that is universal. It’s an exploration of finding somewhere you belong and what the true meaning of a home is. Pair that message with a defenceless creature that doesn’t have the same level of comprehension and it really is a heartbreaking story.
Graphics & Audio
Following Spoonful of Wonder’s approach to the story, the graphics and audio match up really well. Nothing feels overdone at any point in this game. Everything fits in really well, with the music only enhancing the emotions that the game is trying to portray. There were a few moments where it looked a bit odd. If Dawn was climbing up on counters or walking along fences then it didn’t always fit. Jumping can also cause some issues and there were times where I got stuck under window sills because of the camera angle. That being said, it wasn’t enough for me to think the game was bad or that effort hadn’t been put into the development of the game.
I particularly like the graphics that feature in the panther sections of the game. For example, the bright colours in contrast to the real world emphasise the fact that we are in a dream and Dawn really does want to be a wildcat. I also love the callbacks that the game makes to itself. At the very beginning of the game, Dawn and Olive have a little duet, with Olive humming a song and Dawn meowing. This hummed tune repeats at various places throughout the game which really makes everything feel that little bit more connected. It is an amazing way of making everything feel connected throughout playing.
Longevity
It took me three and a half hours to play through Copycat so it can easily be completed in one sitting. There are a few options to make in the game however they don’t seem to make too much of a difference to the story. This game could easily be a comfort game that you keep going back to every so often. There are also a bunch of achievements that you can grab. Keen-eyed players can collect all of them in one playthrough as they’re not difficult to get.
I am planning on going through the game again and making opposite choices to my initial playthrough. Nevertheless, one of the strengths of this game is its message. It is powerful enough to not require a secondary playthrough. Everything you need to know can be found in one run which might be a welcome change to a few current games that have too many endings.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Copycat is a game about loss, heartbreak and finding a place to call home even when it feels like there isn’t one. Despite the simplistic design, Copycat takes minor moments and makes them bigger than a game about a cat should be able to. The care and attention to tone and messaging has made this one of the best games I’ve played in 2024. It’s the perfect addition to the library of any narrative game fan.
This has by far been the easiest game to give the Thumb Culture Platinum award.
Check out the trailer below and prepare to get your hands on Copycat.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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