Cats Around Us: Black Cat Avis (Xbox Series X|S)

I’d be lying if I said that we haven’t covered a lot of cat-centric hidden object games over the years. Even the keyword alone—cat—brings up more articles than any other sub-genre in the cozy space. Though, there is a reason behind its immense popularity: it’s an easy concept to stitch into the fabric, as is it a perfectly welcoming idea that, while a little short-sighted and lacking in any major technical detail, is as equally fun to prod and scratch at as it is relaxing to switch off to. Cats Around Us: Black Cat, like so many others that have graced the hidden object sphere in the past, is another prime example that we ought to take a closer look at. Does it reinvent the wheel? No. Does it make for a neat addition to the tapestry? Absolutely.

Technically, Cats Around Us doesn’t do anything that we haven’t already seen before. Like 100 Hidden Cats, Cats & Seek, or Find Matt’s Cats (you can see where we’re going here), it relies on a lot of the same lovable critter comforts—the adorable feline subjects, the easy-on-the-eye comic book aesthetic, and the simple gameplay mechanics that, quite frankly, anyone could easily grasp in less than sixty seconds. Black Cat, too, doesn’t aim to alter this formula, nor does it go one step above other games of its kind to prove a point or mark its territory. Simply, it exists in a familiar world—a place that we know and can’t help but love.

Spread over a five-page comic, Cats Around Us: Black Cat unravels to a simple series of hidden object plots that each foster their own distinct characteristics and hidden subjects. The black cat, as a symbol of feline camouflage, hogs each page and burrows its way into a collection of images, and you, as the seeker of said feline companions, are given the opportunity to scrub through the details and magnify them. As you spot the cat in each image, you can either move on to the next, participate in a secondary jigsaw puzzle, experiment with a multitude of colors combinations, or capture the moment with a quick snapshot.

With a little over two hundred cats to find across five pages, Cats Around Us rustles up a short but adorable tale about an owner and their mischievous friend who, as the title suggests, has a habit of hiding in the most peculiar of places. It doesn’t exactly transcend the usual hidden object formula, and it definitely doesn’t overstay its welcome with thousands of secrets and separate puzzles. Really, it keeps things simple, with a handful of comic book pages, two hundred cats, and a light box of customizable features and quality-of-life cards. With that, you can alter the color scheme, fool around with various jigsaw pieces, take photographs, and utilize a useful hint system to help you find cats that are a little trickier to deal with.

Cats Around Us isn’t a tough game to navigate. On the contrary, it’s a game that you could quite easily breeze through in a single sitting without having to face any major obstacles. As it doesn’t linger after the final cat has been scratched off of the checklist, you can more of less expect a short one-and-done experience with a simple challenge, nothing more, nothing less. But that sort of works in its favor here, as its shorter runtime allows you to appreciate each nook and cranny of each page. In any case, you would forget most of a journey by the final sequence. In Cats Around Us, though, you have more time to marvel at the finer details.

There are a couple of bad things here: the length of the game being the most noticeable part. While still pretty entertaining and cozy, it is a game that fails to provide a whopping amount of material for you to work with. To add, the game has a rather annoying habit of slotting text boxes on every page. Don’t get me wrong, it is a nice addition—to have names and separate descriptions for each cat, that is. Although, it can feel a little messy, especially when you include the amount of line work and black-and-white details. But this is nitpicking at this point, to be honest.

To state the obvious, cat-based hidden object games are immensely popular, and as a direct result of that, Cats Around Us has a rather unfortunate problem on its hands: a staggering amount of similar games that take a lot of the same basic components to weave what is, in short, an instantly recognizable experience. That being said, Cats Around Us does make for a pleasant addition to the cozy field. As short as it is, it does feel like a complete game; the extra features, photo mode, color combinations, and hint system, for example, all help to flesh out its few minor weaknesses.

Of course, you’re pretty much spoilt for choice when it comes to hidden object games, and so the odds of Cats Around Us falling to the bottom of the pile are sadly quite high in this case. If, however, you are looking for a quick and simple hidden object game that touches on the usual feline themes and comic book style, then I’d say that you should be able to get your money’s worth here. Just don’t expect a lengthy experience.

Verdict

Cats Around Us: Black Cat, as short and as familiar as it is, reinforces our love for cozy hidden object games with as little as a five-page comic book, a handful of mischievous cats, and all of the necessary padding to make an otherwise forgettable puzzler all the more unique. Sadly, it’s just a little too short. With a lack of subjects and little to no post-game bonuses or levels to unlock, it is a game that, like countless others of its kind, chooses to depart from the spotlight just as soon as it finds its place in the world. Don’t get me wrong, it is an adorable game, but it would certainly benefit from a few extra cats, pages, and embellishments.