Find Matt’s Cats Review (PC)

Find Matt’s Cats’ lovingly crafted collection of curated pixel-smitten artworks ticks a box that I can’t quite explain. In hidden object chapters like 100 Hidden Cats or Cats & Seek, I often find that there’s more that I want to unearth once the final feline is removed from the checklist. But here, in the jam-packed pixel pocket of Find Matt’s Cats, I don’t have that issue. I can’t quite put my finger on it, either. Perhaps it’s the fact that it features dozens more canvases to work with, or that it amplifies the interactive nodes and allows for greater engagement between the subjects and the jigsaw pieces that align with the image. To be honest, I’m not entirely what it is that draws me to Find Matt’s Cats, but the fact that it can keep me scrubbing through the nooks and crannies for a lot longer than I normally would in alternate worlds sort says it all here.

Maybe that’s just it. Maybe it’s that Find Matt’s Cats isn’t like your traditional one-page puzzler that you often find on the market, and that it doesn’t stick to the notion that a hidden object game needs a plethora of DLC and unnecessary expansions to be deemed worthy of a spot on the list. Instead of keeping to the tradition of spouting out new themes for the same IP, Find Matt’s Cats opts for the broader spectrum—the kind that fosters everything simultaneously and refuses to sneak in a paywall to sheathe future content updates. And with dozens of hours’ worth of content to ponder here with a whopping eighty-four canvases to carve through, you clearly have more than enough to keep you busy. Again, maybe that’s why I feel so compelled by it: it doesn’t skimp out on material, but instead provides the full weight of the portrait and doesn’t hold back on the extra details or layers.

Of course, Find Matt’s Cats still plays like an ordinary hidden object game, meaning, you don’t need to take any preliminary action in order to don the magnifying glass and get to work with the eighty-something art installations here. Like your casual seek-and-find pixel puzzler, you have the task of scrubbing through a series of levels, each with their own distinct themes and set pieces, and interacting with the environment to help pluck out the a vast array of items and, of course, the mischievous kittens that cram themselves into the strangest of places. What’s more, you have the task of completing various spot-the-difference puzzles and other “secret” challenges, all of which can be found and solved in various difficulty modes. And to be clear, there are thousands of things for you to find here, too, which further illustrates my point about it being a lot meatier than your average hidden object IP.

For a relatively small game with a simple concept, Find Matt’s Cats brings a great deal of depth to its design, with hundreds, if not thousands of clickable objects and troves upon troves of meta secrets and Easter Eggs to keep you mindlessly mulling over even the smallest pieces of the puzzle for hours. There’s a storyline here, too, albeit one that doesn’t require a lot of effort to construct and unfold. With a small troupe of primary characters and a snowballing plot that features several bouts of dark humor and the occasional tongue-in-cheek reference to the video game industry, Find Matt’s Cats doesn’t just stick to the same old formula; it builds on it and incorporates its own vital energy without losing sight of what makes a hidden object game feel so effortlessly satisfying and rewarding. And again, that’s another reason why I’m so drawn to it. It’s simple, and it keeps to the same basic blueprint. Yet, it also brings its own unique layer to the existing canvas.

While I have no quarrel with sagas like 100 Hidden Cats, I have to admit that, where you would typically need to invest in dozens of separate expansions to truly enjoy the experience in its entirety, Find Matt’s Cats does offer a more affordable alternative, and one that doesn’t skimp out on the quality or content. It also makes for an easy afternoon time-wasting affair, too, with mechanics that don’t require a lot of effort to learn and a library of challenges and touchable set pieces to keep you poking and prodding for the long haul. The fact that it also boasts some great artwork and a diverse range of themes and features, really, just makes it that much easier to fall in love with.

With thanks to its added character interactions and choice-based infrastructure, Find Matt’s Cats gives you a good amount to explore alongside the usual cat-based checkbox challenges. What’s more, it gives you the option to lean into its humorous aspect with a simple toggle. Though, toggling the dark humor isn’t essential for the experience; it just adds an extra layer for those who are looking for a story that’s more in sync with the elder seekers. Either way you slice it, Find Matt’s Cats is about as inclusive as they come, and so, beginner or veteran, you’re likely to find a spot to call home here, if only for a short while.

Verdict

Find Matt’s Cats offers a generously packed collection of hand-crafted artworks that will keep you scratching and scrubbing over every nook and cranny for dozens of hours. Thanks to its enormous checklist and finely detailed themed stages and high level of interactive storytelling and meta cues, it ought to give you more than enough to gawp at whilst you search for an alternate post to bury your claws.

Suffice it to say, if you have been desperately seeking for a hidden object game that delivers a solid variety of things for you to do and just enough content to warrant your attention for a handful of hours, then you needn’t look any further than Find Matt’s Cats. Conceptually, it’s a straightforward seek-and-find game with a familiar set of mechanics. Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll come to find that this kitty doesn’t just have paws, but the claws to make a pretty big dent in the hidden object sphere and leave a good impression. Well played, Matt.