Cat Isle Review: Little island, lots of cats

I'm going to be honest guys, I saw the name, I saw what you're doing, and I just went for the game. By the time I saw "cats arrive by train", I was already lost to it, and it only got cuter and cuter from there.

Cat Isle is a game where you get to run a cute little island shop, ringing a bell to let the cats know you're open, watch them walk around, and make sure you're stocked up on whatever they want to eat or drink. You're waiting and watching them as they arrive, getting more and more happy when you see that they're enjoying what you're offering. So for a cat owner, that's more or less our life.

It's a soft, simple game that leans into comfort rather than a challenge, and it will never feel like it's trying to stress you out.

It never really feels like a job, there is no pressure hiding anywhere, it's just you, your island, and a horde of cute little feline customers. Heaven, amirite? 

The world of Cat Isle

There isn't much of a plot in this game, and that isn't something that is holding it back as the world is doing all the talking. The train brings in the cats, coming to your island out of all others, to look for new things to buy, drink, or eat...And also watch a huge aquarium, fish, or lounge around.

There is no grand motive here, you won't be saving the world or solving some complicated mystery, your job is to make sure your purring customers have a nice place to spend their afternoon.

AltChar

Every day a bunch of cats come to visit your island.

It's a small premise, but it brings a large amount of warmth and happiness. Every cat that steps out of the train becomes something you're now looking after, something you should feed or give something to drink, or just simply pet until it's happy and gives you a heart. The kitties will purr if you pet them, the game designers knew that cat owners are not that easily impressed so they gathered all their knowledge to give us a game we will definitely enjoy playing.

All of the cats that come to your island aren't just your customers, they also become your cats in a way, and they better be having a nice time while they are there.

AltChar

In Cat Isle, you can see how much the cats enjoy your food.

The story leans heavily into that sense of comfort, gentle colours, soft music, and a sense that nothing bad could happen on this island. Cat Isle commits to being more of a feeling - of happiness and comfort - than of a story.

Stock it, sell it, pet it

The core loop of Cat Isle is pretty simple, and that also adds to the charm of it. You have your island where you ring a bell and a train brings the cats, afterwards it's all up to you to make sure they have a nice time. 

You watch, adjust, restock and then repeat. The entire game is built around supply and demand, but it will never feel like some sort of spreadsheet exercise, mostly because you're doing it all for a bunch of very cute cats which give you hints about what they want or don't want. It made me think how cool it would be if my cat told me what he likes and doesn't like, but then I realised that he probably wouldn't do that even if he could, just to mess with me.

AltChar

You get to see how the cats arrive at your island.

And that's all you really have to do, you have to pay attention to these little hints that the cats give you. Maybe they want more sandwiches, but less shrimps, or more matcha but less salmon, they'll always let you know their thoughts. And when you hit just the right amount, the cats will tell you it's "purrfect" and there won't be any need to change it.

There is a small cost you pay when you have too much of a certain item, but you'll hardly feel that in your income, as you play the game you'll get better and better at guessing the amount of items the cats want. This isn't a huge "punishment" and the managing of your shops is pretty intuitive, which keeps things rather relaxed. 

AltChar

Cat Isle is a cosy supply-and-demand management sim.

If you're in the mood to do something else, the game also gives you other options such as fishing (alongside the cats of course), petting them, and decorating your buildings. The decorating also ties back to your shops reputation, as higher reputation means a higher number of tips. Some cats will even drop you little gifts, giving you an extra reason to keep them happy.

Progression is split into five main levels, which bring you five different islands where you get to spend time and complete tasks such as hitting certain sales targets or simply decorating a building in a certain way. You'll get to unlock levels with certain themes, such as Newcomers Island, Fisherman's Isle, Nature's Sanctuary, and more.

Besides that, there is also a sandbox mode and a creative mode.

AltChar

The Gashapon in Cat Isle is as addictive as a real one would be.

Each of the islands has their own buildings which are similar to the theme of the island. Once you clear all five of them, you're free to keep on working and decorating your own personal kitty island for as long as you want, without any pressure or a timer that might run out. It's just you and your cats.

Money obviously matters, as everything from decorating shops to expanding your island costs coins, and prices are getting higher the further you get, which gives your economy management a bit more weight as you play the game.

One of the machines on your island is a gacha-style Gashapon machine, where you insert 100 coins and then see what decoration you'll get. I have to admit that it's exactly as addictive as it sounds - thankfully I don't have a habit of using real gacha machines - and I found myself feeding it coins just to see what I'll get next.

What really sells this game is all the little details that are scattered through, and all the little ways the developers showed all the hard work and love they've put into their game. All of these tiny touches, such as Cat Cola and kitty ramen which you can find on the menu, cats showing you that they could feel some love and then purring when you pet them, their ears twitching or the way you can see them breathe when they're napping on the edge of the island, all of these things make it so easy to lose track of time as you're playing. Everything is just so pleasant to look at and listen to.

AltChar

You get to see your island grow and become a cat sanctuary.

While I enjoyed both fishing with my kitties and bringing them the most delicious food I could find, I did also notice that hitting the fish can feel a bit tricky, and that sometimes it's a bit tough to figure out the right amount of food for them. I've found myself lowering it by now a couple of times just to get it right, but none of these things remove any of the charm Cat Isle has.

Comfort, colour, and cosy

Everything about Cat Isle screams gentle, cosy, and comforting. The soundtrack is soft and unhurried, it's almost the kind of music that makes you rock gently back and forth as you play without really noticing that you're doing that. Every activity has it's only little sound tucked in too, the coins clattering, water splashing, there are these small touches which quietly reinforce just how relaxing this whole experience is.

None of the sounds are flashy, and they builds some sort of ambient comfort, like an audio equivalent of a warm blanket, it's always there and making sure you're cosy and relaxed.

AltChar

Cat Isle is filled with pixels, sunshine, and zero worries.

I'd say that the visuals are doing the most work, out of all. The colour palette which consists of soft pinks, warm browns, and gentle greens immediately makes you think of Studio Ghibli, as this scenery could without a doubt be present in one of Miyazaki's anime films. It's without a doubt one of the games' stronger assets.

The game's pixel art brings it's own charm too and it almost has a handmade warmth to it, nothing feels sterile or too polished. It's just perfect the way it is, exactly what the game wants you to feel.

On the technical side, I didn't run into any performance issues at all during my time with the game, everything ran smoothly from start to finish. 

 Puuuuuuuurrfectly relaxing

I refuse to apologise for my cat puns, as I've limited myself to only two.

Anyways, Cat Isle knows what kind of game it wants to be and it never strays from it. It's a cosy and gentle game, where all the activities you're doing are soothing because they're coming from a gameplay loop you won't mind sinking an entire afternoon in (and you probably won't even notice you did).

The little details the game has to offer are just sealing the deal, all wrapped into a gentle soundtrack and soft pixel art. None of these details are really essential to the gameplay loop, but all of them are a big reason why the game sticks with you.

It's not a deep or demanding experience, and I don't want it to be, as the game is exactly as it presents itself.

If you love cats and are a fan of cosy management games, Cat Isle is exactly the place you'll want to visit. If you're not someone who enjoys these things, it might not be able to convert you but you never know, maybe you'll fall in love with this place after all.