Way back in 2018, before Animal Crossing: New Horizons, before the pandemic, and before the Nintendo eShop was packed with kitty games, there was Cattails: A relaxing feline RPG that combined the territorial nature of man’s second-best friend with the survival life-simminess of games like Stardew Valley. We gave it 8/10 at the time, praising its “fun mechanics, cheerful writing and lovely soundtrack” as the perfect thing to while away the pre-Animal Crossing hours.
Good mews for cat fans: Cattails is getting a standalone sequel, called Cattails: Wildwood Story, and it’s also coming to Switch! The game is currently being Kickstarted, but whether you back it or not, it’s already smashed its initial goal of $30,000 and is well on its way to $250,000 as we write this.
Here’s some of the description from the Kickstarter page:
Experience life as a cat in a strange wilderness. Prowl through dense forests, murky swamps, rocky highlands, and sandy beaches in search of rare herbs and delicious prey. Build and customize your colony’s base of operations and attract new residents to grow a prosperous community. Meet a diverse cast of unique cats and bring back gifts from your travels to make friends!
Cattails: Wildwood Story is a single-player game, and draws its inspiration from life sims (Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing), RPGs (Rune Factory) and dating sims to create a “unique cat-themed experience”, including plenty of NPCs (non-playable cats, obviously) to befriend, woo, and settle down with.
Unlike your usual life sims, Cattails has special cat-mechanics, too — sneaking, hunting, and even being unable to catch critters during hibernation season. You can even take another cat hunting with you!
Check out the Kickstarter for more information on Cattails: Wildwood Story, and keep an eye out for the game when it comes to Switch in late 2024.
