Cozy and Relaxing Hidden Object Game

Purrfectly Hidden Cats – Kittenwood was on the screen as I was browsing for cozy games to add to my wishlist. My kids, looking over my shoulder at the time, spotted this game and immediately started asking me to buy it. Normally I would tell them no, but the game looked cute and cozy and was priced under a dollar. I went ahead and picked it up so that we could play it together.

Engaging Interactions with a Cat-Filled Cityscape

We had a great time finding all of the cats in the Kittenwood city scene. The art is cute and charming, and the soundtrack suits it very well. The game is more than just a simple 2D hidden object puzzle. Part of the fun is interacting with different objects around the city, looking for cats that only become visible after you have clicked on the object behind/in which they are taking cover.

As you click on objects to interact with them, you will hear sound effects to match. This was a particular delight for my children, who took to clicking everywhere in the city seeking fun sound effects. To be fair, we did manage to locate a few hidden cats via their search for noises.

As you discover cats, they react and then change to a brighter contrasting color to stand out from the background city art. The city art has a lovely feature in that even though it is essentially a monotone style line art image, the background has a gradient feature that is lighter along the top and gets darker near the bottom. It’s surprising how much depth was added to the art with this simple addition, and it helps to break up the areas of the image while you are on the hunt for the hidden cats.

There is a large number of Steam achievements available in the game. They range from finding each of the cats (which are individually named, and many express their personalities as you discover them) to rewarding you for thoroughly interacting with the cityscape.

Shiny Things:

• Cozy and pleasant way to spend an hour or few
• More depth than a basic hidden object game
• Pleasant soundtrack with fun sound effects
• Cute dialogue to be discovered around town

Not So Shiny Things:

• Optional level that unlocks after finding all cats shifts the mood from cozy to a race mode (was less my jam than the base game section)
• Found myself wishing there was a second city scene to search for kitties when I was done

Overall, I had a nice time playing this game with my kids. I also played again after we finished so that I could get the last couple of achievements unlocked. This is a lovely, cozy game for the price, with special appeal for cat lovers. I can see myself revisiting it after time has passed and I’ve forgotten the cats’ locations. If this developer makes a follow-up or similar game I’ll be checking that one out as well.