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A unique art style and plenty of feline charm help to make this a pleasant puzzler
One thing that isn’t difficult to discern when you look at YouTube viewing trends and indie video games, is that there are loads of people who simply love cats. Whether starring in some games, being heavily featured, or merely seen roaming around in the periphery, the ranks of feline fans making and purchasing games absolutely feels strong. Of course, the mere presence of some furry friends doesn’t inherently make any given title fun, but when included in a core game that’s at least made with some care they do help to sweeten the deal.That’s where I’ve landed with Cats Organized Neatly, a pretty straightforward puzzle game that happens to include a variety of cats of all shapes and sizes for you to work with. While you’ll start out pretty simply with basic shapes and grids you’ll need to fill in, with new cats being added every few levels you’ll quickly need to be more careful in your approach. Thankfully the shapes and layouts of your grids initially feel gentle, letting you get your footing before upping the challenge by continuing to mix things up. Then, with each new shape they’ll then force you to work prioritizing larger or irregular shapes first, working out where they’ll need to go, before dealing with smaller or simpler ones.While there’s nothing particularly inspired about this puzzle design, especially since it has existed in various forms of physical puzzles for decades, there’s something about the theming and charm in its presentation that helps to put it at the top of the pile. There has even been a previous release on Switch not so long ago with precisely the same conceit by another publisher, but by comparison the art style, simple cat sounds, and sense of warmth, Cats Organized Neatly brings to the table feels much more like a labor of love than what simply felt like a game made more to get out into the market quickly, less concerned with an overall quality experience.Now, if you’re not a fan of casual puzzle games, or have a serious beef with our domesticated feline companions, there’s obviously nothing that would justify giving it a look. It’s a pretty niche experience made for a specific sort of crowd, but there doesn’t have to be anything wrong with that. You can come for the puzzles and various cute cat characters, but what should make it worth staying is what feels like an experience made with some genuine love and care, and I can respect that even if I happen to be a dog person.
Justin Nation, Score:Good [7.5]