Cattails

 Switch
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 23
  3. Negative: 6 out of 23

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  1. Ammers
    Apr 22, 2019
    8
    Cattails is a charming exploration game full of cute pixel cats and winsome personality! Many describe it as “Stardew Valley but with cats” and I would agree to a certain extent-- mainly in the environmental design, the sacred temple (similar to the community center), and the wake-sleep daily gameplay loop. Though a bit rough around the edges with room to grow, I found the game entirelyCattails is a charming exploration game full of cute pixel cats and winsome personality! Many describe it as “Stardew Valley but with cats” and I would agree to a certain extent-- mainly in the environmental design, the sacred temple (similar to the community center), and the wake-sleep daily gameplay loop. Though a bit rough around the edges with room to grow, I found the game entirely enjoyable and addictive. If you are someone who ever binge read the Warriors young adults novels by Erin Hunter in your teens, this game is for you! (It's also for any cat or animal lovers in general.)

    Cattails’ map sprites for both prey and cats are super cute, and so are the cat’s individual close up portraits! The map overall could use an extra detail and shading pass, as it appears a bit flat in places. There are a broad variety of cat pelt colors to choose, available from different vendors and festivals. You can tell which colony cats may have been designed by Kickstarter backers from their unique dialogue and appearances, some sporting unnatural colors. You can increase friendship/affinity with cats in your colony and in other colonies with gift giving to unlock new dialogue and interactions, though it is nothing nearly as complex as the friendship/romance cutscenes in Stardew.

    Stardew Valley Parallels ----- Hunting and foraging takes the place of farming as your main form of sustenance and currency-earning. You have to spot prey and sneak up, but not too close, hitting the pounce button at just the right time without scaring off your prey. Different prey is found in different areas based on the seasons. Instead of one town like in Stardew, there are three rival cat colonies, and you will eventually be able to found your own as the fourth. Interaction with other cats in the world is more limited than the Stardew Valley villagers with notable amounts of repeated dialogue. Each season is 10 days, with a festival on the last day of each season that features a cute mini game and seasonal cosmetics to purchase. Seeing all the colonies together at the festivals is heartwarming!

    The only real direction you are given, aside from the daily colony noticeboard task, is to restore the Forest Guardian via completing quests found within the temple at the center of the map. These quests are similar to the community center bundles. When completed a challenge is unlocked somewhere on the map to complete, one puzzle associated with each quest. When finished, you gain the ability to create, lead, and customize your own colony. This is the most interesting part of the game and it is a shame that there is little left to do after decorating and populating your colony.

    Combat is simple and straightforward. You claw at each other until one goes down first. There are a few combat abilities you can equip and your Fighting passive skill makes you hit harder and faster. I found myself wishing there were more enemies to fight rather than just the other clans. Perhaps the occasional stray dog, passing fox, a hawk or owl going after your prey, etc.
    There are various outfits, accessories, and even pet bugs you can deck out your cat with with. You can expand and customize your den with a handful of obtainable items as well, with the options to add storage, a small growing area for herbs, and a nursery. That’s right, you can have kittens, up to four! After maxing friendship with a marriageable cat, you can court them, marry them and have kittens that are a blend of the parent’s colors, each with unique personalities.

    Cattails is a very chill, slow paced game meant for cat and animal lovers. It’s easy to play and enjoy while multitasking other media. If lack of direction or story in a game tends to dissuade you from playing it, Cattails may not be for you. The bulk of the gameplay loop involves exploring and hunting. It’s fun, addictive, and the flaws did not prevent me from thoroughly enjoying it. The time I’ve spent on the game was well worth the money spent, especially at the sale price. The Cattails experience is pleasantly simplistic and wholesome, with a lot of heart!    … Expand
  2. swampthings
    Dec 30, 2020
    8
    This is a good solid game with one fatal flaw that prevents me from giving it 10 stars. There's no autosave, and it's way too easy to lose all your progress. So I played for about 20 hours, accidentally hit the wrong button, which I attribute to bad design, and I lost everything except the first hour of my play.

    It's a really fun, semi-open-world game. Well, it's more a big world than    This is a good solid game with one fatal flaw that prevents me from giving it 10 stars. There's no autosave, and it's way too easy to lose all your progress. So I played for about 20 hours, accidentally hit the wrong button, which I attribute to bad design, and I lost everything except the first hour of my play.

    It's a really fun, semi-open-world game. Well, it's more a big world than an open world. It's super slow paced, so it's great for casual gamers.    … Expand
  3. Ludwigbot
    Jun 28, 2021
    3
    So why did they get rid of the cat? Like did the mum not KNOW that the cat was in the back seat? And then she just casts it out into the wilderness? I don't get it. Other than that its it made my son cry at the start. I can't also get a black hare so its stupid so i can't get any further in the game.
  4. Mikeychump
    May 28, 2021
    4
    This game is one of the most boring games I've ever played. The only fun part is killing mice. It's an ugly game. The pixelised cats are cute, and nothing else. Everything looks exactly the same. Exploring isn't enjoyable. I paid about 5 bucks for the game on sale, and that's probably the perfect price. I was surprised to find that this game had so many favorable reviews. It's worse thanThis game is one of the most boring games I've ever played. The only fun part is killing mice. It's an ugly game. The pixelised cats are cute, and nothing else. Everything looks exactly the same. Exploring isn't enjoyable. I paid about 5 bucks for the game on sale, and that's probably the perfect price. I was surprised to find that this game had so many favorable reviews. It's worse than Harvest Moon: Light of Hope. And that's saying something. I gave it a 4 because I like the concept, I like the animal artwork, but I rarely play the game anymore. I was only able to stand it for about 20 hours before giving up on anything interesting happening.… Expand
  5. rainn38
    Oct 9, 2021
    8
    I really enjoyed this game. After a while, it might get a little repetitive, but I like that you have daily challenges and can work towards a goal (creating your own colony). Also, cats. What's not to like!
  6. Wrenigade
    Jan 4, 2022
    8
    Surprisingly good! Like a passion project where someone was like, "I want to live out my warrior cat fantasy but also play stardew valley and I'm going to tone down the cringe", it's very enjoyable hunting and solving puzzles and just being a cat.
  7. Dragoduval
    Jan 23, 2023
    8
    Not the game of the year, but i had a **** tons of funs with it and enjoyed it, so yea i do recommend it.
  8. LuckOfTheClaws
    Feb 6, 2023
    2
    The entire game is one long series of fetch quests and grinding currency. The map is close to useless and the hunting minigame which is needed to not be constantly starving is absolutely terrible; prey will hear you and run away before you’re in pouncing distance no matter how slowly you move, and you cannot run fast enough to catch them.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. GameGrin
    Apr 29, 2019
    75
    Despite the repetitiveness, Cattails does provide a lot of different things to do from romancing other cats, to starting your own community of cats. It offers something different from the usual RPG game and is well worth checking out if you are tired of the cookie cutter RPGs out there.
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  2. COGconnected
    Dec 10, 2018
    82
    Cattails is a surprisingly-polished and well-made game for a little indie title. The controls are easy to use, the mechanics are solid and the visuals are bright, colorful and cute. Again, it maybe lacks some of the vibrant detail of other open-world sims, and the fighting is a bit too simple. Dialogue with other cats can be fun but more response options could be added. Overall, though, the gameplay experience is an engaging one that will easily take 20-plus hours of your life away if you let it – but hey, you’ve still got eight more. If you love Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, or just cats, you’ll find this game to be a near-purrfect choice.
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  3. Video Chums
    Dec 7, 2018
    80
    Fans of felines looking for a relaxing survival exploration game for their Switch will fall in love with Cattails. Its strange world has a certain charm that I've never experienced before and I'm sure you'll agree.
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