With over 2,000 positive Steam reviews and more than 50,000 copies sold, this charming narrative game arrives on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 later this month, on May 29. It introduces the unique “catventure” genre, exploring themes of love, identity, and loss from a cat’s perspective.

Guided by a documentary-style narrator, Dawn prowls through sunlit backyards, shadowy alleys, and national parks, navigating a three-act story that delves into the true meaning of “home.” The game’s vibrant visuals and intuitive cat-like controls—climbing trees, knocking over objects, and meowing at passersby—immerse you in Dawn’s world.

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In the game, you take on the role of a border collie named Chesley, helping your human restore color and joy to their world. Set in a stunning landscape inspired by the Scottish highlands, Farewell North combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and heartfelt moments. You can run through vibrant fields, paddle across serene waters, and uncover the secrets hidden in an open-world chain of atmospheric islands.

The game is currently on its biggest discount yet as part of a daily deal, with a 30% price cut until January 15. You can also grab it as part of the Emotional Pet Tales bundle, which includes Copycat, at an additional 10% discount.

We also spoke with Kyle Banks, the creator behind Farewell North, who shared insights into the game’s development and the inspiration for Chesley’s touching story. If you’re a fan of adventure games that combine emotional depth, beautiful visuals, and a loyal canine companion, Farewell North is not to be missed.

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“But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world.” This famous quote from The Little Prince speaks to themes of trust, attachment, and forming bonds—topics often explored in literature and games alike. If I had a nickel for every indie adventure game featuring a cat searching for its home, I’d have two nickels. It’s not a lot, but it’s surprising that it has happened twice. The first game I’m referring to is Stray, an award-winning title where a cat navigates a long-forgotten cybercity. The second, Copycat from Spoonful of Wonder, has just been released, and I’m confident it will soon win your hearts as well.

Will you love me and let me meow forever?

In Copycat, we play as Dawn, a shelter cat who is readopted by a lonely older woman named Olive. Initially, Dawn is skeptical of her new situation, convinced she’s a wild cat and constantly plotting her escape. However, as Dawn and Olive gradually form a deep bond, their friendship blossoms, and Dawn’s doubts begin to fade. Just when things seem to be going well, Olive falls ill, and a stray copycat takes Dawn’s place, forcing her back onto the streets. Abandoned once more, Dawn begins to grapple with profound questions: Where do I belong? Who is the true copycat? What does home really mean?

We begin the game from Olive’s perspective at the moment she adopts Dawn. Once this pivotal event occurs, we switch to Dawn’s point of view and start to experience life as a cat. This means running through the house, knocking things over, creating hiding spots, scratching furniture, stealing food, and meowing to our heart’s content. Initially, navigating as a cat can be challenging, especially when it comes to jumping, but with practice, it becomes easier. As we become more familiar with our surroundings, a range of new activities is introduced, including reflex-based hunting, quick time events with various patterns, and even platforming. The diverse mechanics used to tell the story add depth and variety to the experience. Since the game is narrative-driven, players face numerous choices that impact their adventure, which I’ll delve into in more detail later.

Living the wildlife documentary

Let’s dive into the graphics and why I rated them so highly. If you’ve played the demo or seen gameplay footage or trailers, you might think the game looks a bit rough around the edges. I agree that achieving a realistic depiction of cats and the outside world isn’t the main goal of this game. However, the focus on the cats themselves is where the graphics shine. I did switch to a lower resolution at times to smooth out the gameplay, but I still wouldn’t consider the graphics bad.

The real standout moment came with the first change in art style, where we’re transported into a bright, geometric world of nature. This shift was both bewildering and fascinating. The movements, sounds, and surroundings were unique, and the music, reminiscent of The Lion King, was the perfect finishing touch. This transition between reality and a nature documentary fantasy cleverly highlights Dawn’s struggles with her identity and sense of belonging.

Beyond the initial art style changes, the creators continued to experiment. For instance, one cutscene employs slow motion to emphasize the animals' reflexes and speed. While the game starts with a specific point of view, it later allows us to explore different angles and perspectives. I also admired the use of lighting during darker moments—it was both symbolic and theatrical. Overall, the effort put into the visuals is commendable, which is why I awarded them the highest grade.

“Oh no, they choose violence.”

I have a feeling that cats are often misunderstood in media—they’re either depicted as silly, brainless goofballs (which, admittedly, isn’t entirely inaccurate) or as hidden masterminds plotting humanity’s downfall (a notion that’s not entirely without merit, to be fair). What I loved about this game is that it lets us experience a cat’s life firsthand. We see Dawn’s diabolical side as she intentionally destroys every piece of furniture in the house. We also get a glimpse of her humorous side through the remarks she makes as jokes during exploration (“Oh no, they choose violence” when approached by a gang of strays will forever be iconic to me). What makes Dawn a special protagonist is her silence combined with the ability to see her thoughts. This allows us to understand her longing for love, security, and a home, as well as her fear of attachment and abandonment stemming from her past. This connection makes us responsible for the choices we make.

The story of Copycat is linear, so there won’t be any actions or decisions that impact the outcome. However, players enjoy considerable freedom from the start—they can choose the color of the cat and its accessories. They are free to explore as much as they like, with guidance always available if they get lost. Players can choose to play around or not, and even the choice of picking up a piece of trash is up to them. These small details contribute to a more personal experience while keeping us engaged with the story.

Collecting parts

The "Bring the tissues" warning in the Steam description is no joke. Copycat is a game that will break you to make its impact truly resonate. It offers a devastating and tear-jerking experience as we delve into both Dawn’s insecurities and Olive’s struggles. The story revolves around an abandoned cat and a human who is giving up, both searching for the meaning of family and home as loneliness and darkness slowly envelop them. We discover alongside them that home can take many forms, leading to a profound emotional catharsis. In short, expect to cry a lot, and the tissues will disappear faster than Dawn can tear up the toilet paper.

Ending thoughts

This game is an experience for everyone, whether you have a cat or not. I highly recommend playing it in one sitting—it only takes about 3 hours to guide Dawn to her true home. For me, it was the best game I’ve played in a long time—not just because I have two cats, but because it reflected so much of our own lives. It’s comforting to realize that even in darkness, there’s light to be found.

Review copy provided by the publisher

5.0

The post Copycat – Home is where the cat is first appeared on IndieGames.

They met eight years ago in Germany while working their first jobs in the industry. As a creative team, they worked on various projects together, including short films and a children’s book. But their shared love for video games eventually inspired them to take a leap into the gaming world with their project as Spoonful of Wonder.

Transitioning from advertising to video game development wasn’t easy. While learning new skills like coding and game writing came naturally to them, handling business-related tasks like accounting and securing funding was more challenging. They began working on Copycat as a hobby, but to take it seriously, they needed financial support. Fortunately, Screen Australia provided them with a development grant, allowing them to focus on bringing their vision to life.

Copycat is not just a game about cats; it’s a deep exploration of themes like home, belonging, and identity. The idea was born out of their experiences with cats and their reflections on what home truly means. The game follows a three-act narrative structure, delving into sensitive topics like adoption, loneliness, and abandonment, all viewed through the eyes of the main character, a cat named Dawn.

Spoonful Of Wonder, specifically Samantha, the creator of Copycat, answered our questions about her inspirations and motivations. We gained insight into the preparations, development, and release of this cat-focused experience.

First of all I have to ask: who is responsible for the humourous dialogue in this game? What was your secret to keep it sassy and funny, but also deeply emotional?

The concept of Copycat was a team effort, but the writing was primarily in my domain. Dawn is sassy, funny and fiery. She is hurt, and wholeheartedly believes forever home doesn’t exist. For Dawn, it’s easier to run away from home, than be adopted and rejected. Dawn comes to the conclusion she was never meant to be a pet, instead she belongs in the wild—and that’s where she will find her real family.

How did you come up with an idea to use wild cat documentaries as a tool to move the story forward?

Telling the three-act transformative narrative through the eyes of the silent protagonist required us to come up with solutions that would make the narrative flow while keeping the story accessible and enjoyable. This is where we decided to develop the nature documentary character to be the inner monologue of Dawn. In the beginning of the story, he was knowledgeable and reliable. But towards the end of the story, he became a bit more Stanley Parable-esque; guiding players when needed, then becoming their worst critic just moments later. It was so fun to write about his character. Our voice actor, David Molloy, did an excellent job bringing him to life.

Did you conduct any research of cat-related works of science or culture before making the game?

There are a plethora of cats-related works that we researched in preparation for Copycat. In the beginning of the game, Dawn explores her new home and gets into some mischief. Some works that we drew on for inspiration include ‘Aristocats’ (Disney, 1970), ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ (Universal Pictures, 2016) and the childrens book ‘Slinky Malinki’ (Dodd, 1990). Later in the game, when Dawn explores the outside world, we drew the charm of video game ‘Little Kitty Big City’ (Double Dagger Studio, 2024) and the wit of the childrens book ‘Scallywag’ (Rowe, 1990). We also read ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ (Bowen, 2012) for an exploration of the pet owner bond – but more on that in the next question.

In the game you made a reference to A Street Cat Named Bob – was the game inspired in any way by this story (considering Bob’s owner has lived in Australia for some time)?

I very much enjoyed reading ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ (Bowen, 2012) and ‘The World According to Bob’ (Bowen, 2015)! They really pulled the heartstrings. It was so wonderful to see the role a pet played in saving the author’s life. The book taught me not to underestimate the intelligence of a cat. It also showed a window into their intimate friendship. I was inspired to make Dawn and Olive’s friendship as special and nuanced as Bob and James’.

How did you manage to recreate cat’s behaviour and movement?

We had help from our talented animator called Radik Bilalov. He had a very good grasp on cat behaviour. We are lucky to have him on the team.

What allowed you to imagine cats’ thoughts? Do you believe cats can understand what we are saying to them?

Growing up, my sister and I had the opportunity to love seven cats. All of them were adopted from the shelter. Very early on, we gave each of the cats a personality and a voice—it was fun to imagine what they were thinking. We did the same process with Dawn! She was definitely the sassiest of the bunch. It is because she had such a rough time in her previous homes. By the time she meets Olive, she is a bit jaded and cynical. But slowly Olive opens up her heart to love. Answering the second half of your question, yeah I like to think cats understand what we say to them. It just depends if they are listening.

Are the events portrayed in Copycat based on or related to your personal experiences with owning a pet?

The joy of bringing a pet home for the very first time was such an important part of my childhood! All of my cats came from the pet shelter. So for the game, we wanted to give players an opportunity to walk in the paws of their newly adopted cat and experience the fear of adjusting to a new home. We spoke to many pet owners in the process to ensure the gameplay was correctly reflected and represented their varied experiences. One of the most important moments we worked on was the Adoption Form scene. We needed to make sure we were conveying the responsibility a pet owner has when they are adopting a new animal into their home. We received positive feedback from our community and that helped craft the writing and development of the scene.

We see both perspectives in the game – the cat’s and the owner’s. Copycat would still be a touching and significant story if it was told only from the animal’s side, however you decided to also show people’s struggles and regrets. Why?

90% of the game is played from Dawn’s point of view. Occasionally we would swap to another character to get a deeper insight into the scene. It was important for the story to show Olive’s struggles and her interpersonal drama. These cutaways were like a pallet cleaner for the story. We needed the audience to understand not everyone was mean to Dawn because they were evil, it’s because Olive and Mae were misunderstood. They had the best intentions and made the best decision in the moment. But sometimes those decisions had a negative impact on Dawn’s story. It added to the drama and tragedy nature of some of the plot points.

Players are presented with many choices during the playthrough – is it only about holding their attention, or does it also have anything to do with responsibility (a crucial theme in the game after all)?

Even though Copycat is a linear experience with a fixed ending, the choices exist for players to reflect their moral compass. It was also important that our character had agency. Dawn is in this world where she can’t control her choices, but the player can help her and guide her along the way. It makes her feel more in control while helping the protagonist empathise with her. Ultimately, Copycat is a poignant metaphor for the emotions we feel when we get left behind.

Copycat explores a lot of serious and even dark topics such as rejection and loneliness. At the end I’d like to ask: what is the most important message that you want to leave the players with after they finish the game?

We want players to turn to their partner, their friend, or their pet, and just give them a big hug! This is a moving game that breaks your heart then carefully puts back the pieces one-by-one. We want to leave players with a feeling of gratitude towards their pets. Pets are so special. They keep the loneliness away. Copycat pays an emotional homage to the ups and downs of finding where we belong and what home truly feels like.

Can we expect similar games from you in the future?

Copycat is our baby at the moment and we’re putting everything into making her strong and healthy. But yes, we do have an idea for our next project. Our dream is to continue making narrative-driven, animal-centric video games with beautiful graphics and a big heart. The next one will be underwater though!

How long has Copycat been in development and how much did the Screen Australia funding help you to breathe the life to this project?

We have been developing our debut game, Copycat’ for around three years now. But what turned this passion project into a reality was the support from Screen Australia. We are so grateful to the team: Amelia Laughlan, Chad Toprak and Lee Naimo. Funding has been instrumental in our development. It has elevated our game, provided a financial safety net, and given us a genuine industry jumpstart. Most importantly, it has allowed us to pay our collaborators for their time and creative energy, including our wonderful composer, voice-over actors, translators, coding contractors and audio engineer. We’re lucky Australia is so progressive and innovative when it comes to supporting games. We encourage all creatives to apply to Screen Australia to help shape future stories.

The post Unpacking Copycat: a meaning behind a narrative-driven adventure cat game first appeared on IndieGames.

Copycat tells the emotional story of a shelter cat who, after being adopted, faces a challenge when a jealous stray cat tries to take her place in the household. The game explores deep themes of home, belonging, and identity, making it a perfect choice for pet lovers and those who enjoy thought-provoking stories. The game offers a unique experience, where players see the world through the eyes of a cat. You can climb trees, fight dogs, explore your surroundings, and even cause a little mischief. The controls are designed to feel natural, mimicking a cat’s movements as you interact with the environment.

It’s a philosophical journey that encourages players to reflect on their own sense of belonging and place in the world. The game is fully voice-acted, featuring a talented cast that brings the story to life. The soundtrack, composed by Daniel Bunting, includes a variety of musical styles, from jazz to lullabies, adding to the game’s emotional depth.

For those eager to try it out, a demo is currently available on Steam. The full game will launch with a 10% discount, and versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox are also in development, with release dates to be announced later. Copycat is a project funded by Screen Australia.

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They met eight years ago in Germany while working their first jobs in the industry. As a creative team, they worked on various projects together, including short films and a children’s book. But their shared love for video games eventually inspired them to take a leap into the gaming world with their project as Spoonful of Wonder.

Transitioning from advertising to video game development wasn’t easy. While learning new skills like coding and game writing came naturally to them, handling business-related tasks like accounting and securing funding was more challenging. They began working on Copycat as a hobby, but to take it seriously, they needed financial support. Fortunately, Screen Australia provided them with a development grant, allowing them to focus on bringing their vision to life.

Copycat is not just a game about cats; it’s a deep exploration of themes like home, belonging, and identity. The idea was born out of their experiences with cats and their reflections on what home truly means. The game follows a three-act narrative structure, delving into sensitive topics like adoption, loneliness, and abandonment, all viewed through the eyes of the main character, a cat named Dawn.

Bringing Copycat to Life

In this game, player choices shape the story and relationships but don’t drastically change the ending. These choices, however, influence the player’s journey and ethical decisions, making each playthrough unique. The game’s art design is influenced by Samantha and Kostia’s backgrounds in film and advertising. They used color theory to evoke different emotions in each scene, drawing inspiration from indie games like Firewatch and Life is Strange.

Players can customize Dawn, choosing the cat’s color and collar. This feature wasn’t initially planned, but after feedback from the community, it was added to give players a more personal connection to the game. The collar’s color, in particular, carries symbolic meaning as it fades throughout the game, representing a loss of identity.

Copycat is also a fully voiced game, with voice actors including friends, streamers, and even their cat, Flame, who provided the meows. Recording Flame was surprisingly easy, as he naturally meows a lot, adding a special, personal touch to the game.

The positive feedback from the gaming community has been both overwhelming and motivating for Samantha and Kostia. As they approach the release of Copycat, they feel a mix of excitement and nervousness. They hope that Copycat will resonate with players around the world, opening doors for future creative projects under the Spoonful of Wonder banner.

The game will be available on To Steam next month. Additionally, you can read our first impressions of the game here.

The post The Journey of Samantha and Kostia: From Advertising to Video Games first appeared on IndieGames.

The game’s developer, Double Dagger Studio, is led by Matt T. Wood, a former Valve veteran. Wood’s extensive experience includes working on iconic titles like Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead. However, he left Valve to form his own company, seeking new challenges and creative freedom. This move also allowed him to spend more time with his children, who inspired Little Kitty, Big City.

The game’s concept originated from Wood’s interactions with his kids. “I made a quick prototype, put a video online, and it kind of blew up,” he recalls. The enthusiastic response encouraged him to develop the idea further. Initially, the game had survival elements, but Wood quickly realized that players preferred a stress-free, joyful experience. “When people want to play or connect with a cat, the last thing they want is to see it struggle or get hurt,” he explains.

Wood focused on creating an immersive and enjoyable player experience. He aimed to capture the essence of being a cat—exploring, causing mischief, and connecting with people. The game allows players to casually explore the city, interact with quirky characters, and engage in typical cat behaviors like nuzzling legs, knocking over plants, and finding sunny spots for naps.

A key element of the game’s charm is its realistic cat animations, thanks to animator Micah Breitweiser. Wood emphasizes the importance of fluid and natural movements to enhance the player’s connection with the virtual cat. “We invested in dynamic spine animation to make the movements feel more natural,” he says.

Little Kitty, Big City has been embraced by players of all ages, particularly families. Parents appreciate the game’s wholesome nature and the absence of distressing content. The game’s success on Game Pass also surprised Wood. “I assumed it would fly under the radar, but we received positive feedback from players who typically enjoy different genres,” he notes.

With the rise of “cat simulator” games like Stray and the upcoming Copycat, Wood believes the challenge will be to make future games unique. “There’s a lot of potential in making games that you actually play as a cat and not just a platformer with a cat character,” Wood concluded.

The post How relaxing adventure game Little Kitty, Big City became May's surprise hit first appeared on IndieGames.

A small indie studio based in Australia, consisting of just three developers: Samantha, Kostia, and Kiwi, has recently unveiled a demo for their upcoming narrative game, Copycat. While it might seem like just another cat-themed game at first glance, Copycat delivers more than anticipated. Throughout the hour spent exploring this demo, we were captivated by the game's visuals, aesthetics, and storyline, even though the actual gameplay elements left much to be desired. Nevertheless, Copycat holds promise to improve, with the complete version expected to be released later this year.

Speaking of the story, in its first chapter, Copycat explores the special bond between people and their pets, that is, the game takes us through the complex emotions of people. We follow Dawn, a shelter cat who would rather be in the wild (that's where the different images of Africa come from) than rehomed. But when she meets Olive, a lonely old woman suffering from the disappearance of her pet, Dawn changes her mind. Through their togetherness, Dawn and Olive become close friends, helping each other to heal and find a new beginning. However, when Olive falls ill, an unknown cat takes Dawn's place, forcing her to leave home. Therefore, as players, we will try to help Dawn as she wanders around the city to find her way home. It is the first chapter that tells us why the other cat "came back".

The game made me wonder how fragile we humans are, because it perfectly portrays an old woman who is close to death, and you will be even more shocked by the fact that she is lonely, because her family is no longer there for her, and she has to take care of herself. This is where the issue of the nursing home comes into play. Moreover, Copycat best conveys emotions with the help of voice acting, and not so much with the appearance and movements of the characters. I don't want to lie, but I really don't like how Olive looks graphically. I simply lack some ardor, some detail that will bring me closer to her. Of course, this is a matter of personal impression.

What particularly impressed me was the possibility of choosing the appearance of our cat, although it is not possible to customize it in detail, but we choose from the offered models. This selection holds a special significance because it not only affects the appearance of our cat, which remains unchanged throughout the act, but also provides insight into the unique nature and behavior of each cat. Upon arrival at Olive's house, the story at the beginning remains unchanged; Dawn refuses to open up to the old woman, despite Olive's good intentions to make her feel welcome. Many choices, especially at the beginning, are limited by Dawn's character, so don't expect a lot of different choices, but similar ones, with slightly different consequences.

However, I enjoyed the gameplay from the first-person perspective more than playing from the third-person perspective, mainly because in first-person we can immerse ourselves in the whole story better. But it is precisely the third-person perspective that allows us to experience a cat's life; we will explore the house, steal food from Olive, break household items, hide from her, etc. In addition, we will climb various trees and explore the old lady's garden. The gameplay has its difficulties, around the movement of the camera, the strange way the cat moves to its interesting jumping, that is, sometimes the game will not even register that you want to jump to a higher place or it will make the cat jump straight into a wall.

Dawn's true goal is clear: escape, leave her current life, and return to the free life of a stray cat. Every day, Dawn carefully plans and elaborates her escape. She adamantly does not want to stay with this old woman, which is why she is initially hostile. Dawn craves independent advancement, like a wild cat in Africa, as opposed to humans who need companionship. However, this dynamic of the relationship changes gradually rather than instantaneously, where a certain consciousness is implanted in Dawn, turning mistrust into trust. Dawn begins to notice and understand her owner's needs, sympathizing with Olive.

The central theme of the game revolves around exploring the duality between dreams and reality. Dawn is frequently envisioned as a predator, allowing players to immerse themselves in her feline desires and fantasies. This not only adds depth to the narrative but also establishes a connection between wild and domesticated cats. Spoonful of Wonder has excelled in both the artistic and technical aspects of the game, showcasing numerous strengths. However, despite the impressive narrative, the gameplay falls short of standing out.

Of course, we won't rush because this is the first chapter that introduces us to the basic mechanics of the game. I look forward to the idea of what this game can offer us in the future. It is clear that the developers are faced with limited resources, but this does not prevent them from creating an impressive narrative adventure in which the soundtrack, aesthetics, graphics and atmosphere fit perfectly with each other. As I mentioned earlier, the performances of the voice actors hold the reins of the game, and the change between the ordinary cat and its wild predatory instinct is especially intriguing.

Copycat will be available sometime this year for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

The post [Preview] Copycat first appeared on IndieGames.

Two years ago, the Pokémon Company decided to sue six Chinese companies making mobile games for copyright infringement and unfair competition. The mobile game in question was Pocket Monster Reissue (Koudaiyaoguai Fuke in Chinese), which was claimed to be a Pokémon clone. Which was actually true, because a lot of mobile games shamelessly copy Pokémon and it all flies under the radar. Could this happen with Palworld too? Very likely not. But, on the other hand, Pocketpair, the studio that developed Palword, is also not ethically "clean" because there are doubts that it uses generative AI in its games. Basically, generative AI can “learn” structure and patterns from a data set and then independently generate new examples that are similar to the ones it has learned. For example, a pal (that's what your companions in Palworld are called) named Anubis is quite similar to Lucario from Pokémon. Very likely because the AI took the similarities, added some basic characteristics of Anubis as a god from Egyptian mythology, mixed it and created the aforementioned fella.

Before creating Palworld, Pocketpair launched Craftopia, an open-world survival game that was released in early access but never made it out. The reasons for this decision are unknown, but the company apparently decided to refocus on a new project. Many actually point out the game's similarities to Palworld: same combat, same survival mechanics, same automation, same dungeon system, same building system, etc. In addition, the president and CEO of PocketPair Studios, Takuro Mizobe, is also a person heavily involved in the field of Crypto/Web3/NFT technology and is an open advocate of creating content generated by artificial intelligence

However, so far I have not seen concrete evidence to support such claims. I completely understand the reasons for the above accusations, given how unoriginal it all seems. It looks like they handpicked certain Pokémon and only changed the design slightly, while the rest of the models for items and structures look like generic elements you can find in the Unreal store. Regardless, I can't ignore the fact that this game throws up a lot of red flags that suggest there might be something fishy going on behind the scenes. It's especially odd that there's a lack of any concept art or a developer blog, which you can often find online related to other projects.

Because of this, a lot of drama stirred up on the Internet, where players were literally looking for similarities in the smallest details with Pokémon and Pals, and this was a hot topic on social media for several days (and still is). However, another perspective of this situation should be looked at. This actually works quite well for Palworld, because the game is constantly discussed and talked about. It is inevitable that there will be comments about the similarities, and perhaps the most interesting situation is that Pocketpair is also from Japan and is literally basking in the glory right in front of Nintendo. What surely attracted everyone is the fact that you can use guns, literally slaughter pals, explore a huge open world and play in cooperative multiplayer. In addition, there are survival elements, and the game does not require a huge grind from you in order to pass a certain part of the game. But, this is all superficial inside of it, after all, it is an Early Access title, and the main reason why everyone plays it is simple: If everyone is already playing it, why shouldn't I? Everyone is eager to experience what has created a certain hype, as the famous journalist Douglas Murray would say – the madness of the masses.

I believe that Palworld will be a light that will not last long, that is, it will have a short-term impact. I truly believe it will start a massive trend of games within the gaming industry dealing with taming and capturing monsters in an open world. Perhaps most developers will see an opportunity in the fact that the creature-collecting genre sells quite well. Part of me hopes that the future of the industry will not be marked by lack of effort and generated, plagiarized games. The industry is already experiencing a phase where developers are comfortable replaying the same game four times with minimal or no improvements.

Like Temtem, much of the excitement and success comes from spite. Pokémon fans, frustrated with the state of their own franchise, are exploring options that offer a similar experience or trying to encourage competitors to offer something innovative so that Game Freak and The Pokémon Company finally open their eyes. When was the last time we saw a Pokémon game with survival elements? You can buy Palworld for only €26, you have the freedom to create your character, there are no microtransactions for any optional in-game purchases, and there is a possibility that it will provide more content than some AAA games. So in the end I leave one open question: Is Palworld really just a quick cash grab or will it really turn into something unique over a period of time?

The post Why did Palworld become so popular? first appeared on IndieGames.

Studio Spoonful Of Wonder, a small team from Australia composed of three members: Samantha, Kostia and Kiwi, presents a game that explores the special bond between people and their pets. Through colorful visuals, the game guides us through the complex emotions of people, and brings a unique combination of ethics, aesthetics and wonder.

We follow Dawn, a shelter cat who would rather be in the wild than rehomed. But when she meets Olive, a lonely old woman suffering from the disappearance of her pet, Dawn changes her mind. Through their togetherness, Dawn and Olive become close friends, helping each other to heal and find a new beginning. However, when Olive falls ill, an unknown cat takes Dawn's place, forcing her to leave home. Therefore, as players, we will try to help Dawn as she wanders around the city to find her way home.

Key features:

• Reflect on themes of home, loneliness and belonging through a complex, three-act story told effortlessly through three hours of video game narrative.
• See the world through cat eyes: Climb trees, fight dogs, walk rooftops and explore the neighbourhood with intuitive, smooth cat-like controls. Make mischief, meow at everything that moves, drop things on the ground, hide in boxes and steal food from your human.
• Expertly designed graphics by award-winning art director, Kostia Liakhov. Enjoy atmospheric locations, dramatic scenes and beautiful effects, optimised for best performance.
• It's a fully voiced adventure with rich dialogue, with music by Daniel Bunting.

Copycat will be available sometime this year for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

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