Developed by Australian indie studio Spoonful Of Wonder, Copycat is an award-winning narrative-driven indie game about a pet who learns to deal with abandonment and a human forced to surrender. Journey on an emotional rollercoaster that pulls at the heartstrings and reminds you how it feels to be left behind.
Developed by: CAPCOM
Played on: Steam
Length: 3 hours
A review key was provided by Spoonful Of Wonder.
Spoonful Of Wonder makes their studio debut with Copycat, a game that has all the right ingredients for a tearjerker. The game follows the tale of Dawn, a sceptical shelter cat who would rather be in the wild than be readopted again. However, she begins to have second thoughts after meeting her new owner Olive, a lonely elderly woman looking for a furry companion.
If you think Copycat is just another copycat (pun intended) of every other emotional game about pets, you wouldn’t be wrong. The game does share many similarities with its feline competitors, down to its somber story, pretty graphics, and emotional soundtrack to really wring out those tears. But unlike others from its genre, Copycat centers its story around the idea of abandonment which is both an intriguing and confusing take on the tale.
For most of the game, you experience the perspective of a cat who has been abandoned by its owner and forced out onto the streets. The game’s title becomes a clever plot twist, foreshadowing a darker narrative about irresponsible adoption and animal abandonment. Copycat draws out the pain by placing this poor kitty in one tough scenario after another, painting a poignant picture of the cruel reality faced by stray animals everywhere.
As a darker tale is told in the background, cheeky mini games take over the foreground to elevate the game slightly above your average walking simulator. Although the gameplay mechanics aren’t worth writing home about, some mini games might bring you a good chuckle. The ability to make a mess and knock things off tables as a cat is always fun, and the accompanying narration with full voice acting adds plenty of personality to this title.
Despite a fairly solid foundation, Copycat suffers from pacing issues and draggy storytelling especially in its latter half. While it did a good job of establishing the stakes for our feline main character, the story seemed unsure of how it was going to resolve itself; ultimately landing on an unconvincing ending that seemed to ignore the darker parts of its narrative in favour of a more romanticised conclusion.
On that note, it is worth bringing to attention that there have been extremely mixed reactions to the game so far. While some players felt detached from its narrative, others were brought to tears while playing it. My opinion on the matter? If you’re a big enough cat lover and an extremely casual gamer, give it a go.
Verdict: A Game Made For Cat Lovers
Spoonful Of Wonder’s debut game has all the right ingredients for a tearjerker, including an emotionally heavy narrative about irresponsible adoption and abandonment packed into one 3-hour sitting. Although pacing issues and an unconvincing ending prevent us from giving it a high score, we think cat lovers will still find plenty to love about this title.
Wishlist or buy Copycat on Steam, and top up your Steam Wallet on Codashop.
