Little Kitty, Big City is a third-person adventure video game where the player controls a black, domestic cat that is lost within a large Japanese city. The player has to navigate the cat back to its owner's apartment, but can also interact with the city via many typical cat actions, such as catch birds, jump into boxes and trash cans, steal items, and emote.[2][3][4] The player can also communicate with other animals and embark on quests, earning new emotes and wearable cosmetic hats as rewards.[5][6][7] Hats can also be found by locating hidden capsules around the city, or by collecting shiny objects and exchanging them with a crow.[8] A fast travel system allows the player to quickly move around the city by warping between sewer manholes they have found and activated.[9] By eating fish found throughout the city, the player gains the ability to climb ivy, with each fish increasing the maximum amount of time the cat can continuously climb without running out of stamina; the player must find every fish to reach the cat's apartment and finish the game.[10]
Development and release
In an interview with KING-TV, Double Dagger Studio founder Matt Wood said that the main inspiration of Little Kitty, Big City were his cats Mario and Roxy and his children.[11] On November 13, 2021, it was shown off at the indie Wholesome Games event during its Wholesome Snack showcase.[4][12]
In an Indie World presentation on April 19, 2023, it was announced that Little Kitty, Big City would be released for Nintendo Switch.[13] A demo of the game was showcased at Summer Game Fest 2023, where it was slated to be released in early 2024 for both Nintendo Switch and Windows, as well as Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.[14][15] A demo of the game was made temporarily available during Steam's Next Fest from June 19 to 26.[16][17]
Little Kitty, Big City received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[20] Wesley LeBlanc of Game Informer praised the mechanics, while Imran Khan of IGN complimented the graphics but criticized the camera controls. Maddi Chilton of PC Gamer commented on the exploration aspects, stating that "normally [she'd] worry that it would feel confined, but considering the scale of a cat (little), it feels like plenty to explore."[22] On the other hand, Jess Lee of Digital Spy criticized the game's personality, stating that "once the credits rolled, there was very little about the experience that stuck with [them]."[23]
Upon release of the demo, Lauren Aitken of PC Gamer favorably compared the game to Untitled Goose Game, praising its art style, quests, and animations.[16]
