Review: Little Kitty, Big City (Nintendo Switch)
Little Kitty, Big City is a third-person platformer for the Nintendo Switch. It serves as the debut game for indie developer studio Double Dagger, taking a cute cat and dropping it into a big city ripe for exploration. I had to continually drag myself away from the game to write this review, so it’s safe to assume this is a fun time.
The plot is simple; our feline protagonist has fallen from the lofty heights of a high-rise apartment window. The aim is to find your way home. Simple enough, right? Unfortunately our pampered pet lacks the energy for such a climb, leading to an adventure full of surprises as you work your way through the city in search of energy-giving food.
Little Kitty, Big City emulates the movements of a cat very well. As I explored, I felt like I was, in fact, controlling a cat. The way you walk on all fours, bat at things with your paws, and jump all feel authentic and easy to do. There are other kitty moves to discover as well, such as stretching, meowing, sleeping, licking, and more. If you’re a cat person, you’ll adore trying each of these.
Moves are not the only collectible. In fact, there’s a ton of items to find and collect in Little Kitty, Big City. A handy to-do list shows your main objectives for the story while a cat-chievements list provides 39 optional achievements. These are often humorous, like dumpster diving or sitting in a certain number of boxes (as cats do). You can also recycle cans, give bones to dogs, snap pics of yourself with a phone, and much more.
These details are what make the game enjoyable. There’s an innocence to running through the streets and climbing buildings as a cat, and a feeling of exhilaration when you find something in the most obscure of places. It reminds me a little of my time with LEGO City Undercover in terms of seeking out hidden items in every nook and cranny. If you enjoy exploration, you’ll be similarly entertained.
My favorite collectibles are the 40 different hats. Of course, we all know dressing kitties in real life is, well, painful (surely, I’m not the only kid who forced clothes on their cat). But in Little Kitty, Big City, our little black cat loves wearing hats. And they’re adorable. I won’t spoil what they are because half the fun is finding each and every one. I also love the pun-tastic descriptions that accompany their discovery.
Another enjoyable component are the NPCs you meet along the way. These take the form of other animals, from birds and dogs to lizards and bugs. Each has a story to tell (the ducks are particularly interesting) and usually provide Kitty with a mission of some sort. I also commend the developers on the writing. I appreciate dialogue that serves as entertainment rather than being superfluous and easily skippable. I genuinely wanted to see what each character had to say, with some clever quips that made me chuckle.
The jazzy soundtrack is also worth mentioning. Little Kitty, Big City is a relaxing adventure; there are no life meters, deaths, or boss fights. In fact, there are no fights of any kind. Although you can catch birds, this is a playful maneuver after which the birds fly away unharmed, leaving you with a collectible feather. The goal is simply to explore and have fun, and the music suits this mood perfectly. The twinkling upbeat tunes settle neatly into the background, providing the perfect backdrop for your cat-based adventure.
There’s a map available for finding your way around town. If I could make any suggestions for improvement, it would be to the map. There’s technically nothing wrong with it; it provides a simple way to navigate the streets. However, it only shows a few icons, which disappear once you’ve found the item in question. There’s no text nor any way to interact with the map. I’d love to see the option to pin a location I’d like to revisit, or zoom in and out, or add a navigation point to direct me somewhere. This isn’t a sprawling world à la Tears of the Kingdom, but I still feel like some small enhancements could improve the experience.
The other thing I need to mention is the price. At US$24.99, this adventure seems a little too expensive for me. It’s a shame, because I think if it was just $5 cheaper, it would be a more reasonable outlay. I adore this game, but it does have a short runtime of under 10 hours. While there’s plenty to do and it’s a blast to play, I wonder if it would find more success with a slightly cheaper price tag. Perhaps future DLC will help cover this cost; I would certainly welcome any reason to revisit this delightful city and its cute inhabitants.
Overall, Little Kitty, Big City is an enjoyable platformer that successfully emulates playing the role of a cat. This sweet and relaxing game provides plenty to do in an easy-to-navigate environment that’s ripe for exploring. I appreciate the work the developers have put into this, and I hope they get a chance to create similar titles in the future.
