67) Copycat (2024)

Since I apparently have a new fascination with playing games in which I play as a cat, Copycat's siren call of feline antics was irresistible. Developed as the debut title from Spoonful of Wonderful, Copycat puts us in the role of a stray cat with a checkered past as we get adopted from a shelter and, over the course of the game, learn the true value of home. Though most of the game is lighthearted and silly, the narrative touches on some deeper, rather dark elements, handling them in a respectful and meaningful way.

We begin, as in any good game, by choosing our cat. As an elderly woman named Olive is guided into the animal shelter, we learn that she's looking for her cat that went missing named Dawn. As she looks over the selection of strays available, she chooses on that looks similar to her missing cat, claiming it to be hers. Our cat knows this not to be true, and the shelter worker has some reservations, but at Olive's insistence we get loaded into a carrier and taken to our new life. In the car, it's made clear that Olive knows full well that we are not her missing cat, but she nonetheless promises to provide us with something our cat has never had.

As we arrive in our new home, we're eventually coaxed out of our carrier by the elderly Olive, though we're given the options to scratch and hiss at her. Our cat is, understandably, hesitant to trust this new person, and we spend the first few days hiding and looking for ways out. As we eventually get more comfortable in our new home, we discover a few things about both Olive and Dawn. Dawn's inner monologue makes it clear that they've heard all of the same words and promises before, making it clear that they've had plenty of previous homes and owners and has become a bit jaded. Olive, for her part, is patient and willing to give us the space we need, though there's an underlying sense of desperation, as though she needs us more than she wants to admit.

We learn, through Olive's own words and her conversations over the phone with her daughter, that Olive lives a rather sad and lonely life. Her daughter, who objects to her having a cat, thinks it's past time for her mother to move into a retirement home. Though it runs counter to what Olive wants, it does come from a place of love and concern, though Olive is clearly resistant to the idea. After some time adjusting to our new home, Dawn begins to warm up to Olive, even allowing themselves to think, briefly, that perhaps this is an actual home.

One day, Olive fails to arrive for the daily ritual of feeding us, leading our cat to explore the house a bit more in search of both Olive and food. As we do what one might expect a cat to do, we find the door to Olive's bedroom closed, unyielding to our mighty meows. Soon after, Olive's daughter and paramedics arrive, and it's made clear that Olive's daughter does not like us in the slightest. After returning from the hospital, Olive's daughter insists, more than before, that it's time Olive move out of the house. We then get the bombshell revelation that Olive's daughter is the reason the original Dawn went missing.

From here, the game becomes more focused on survival and trying to find our way home. We get to see how, at every step, our cat is rejected and made to feel as though they don't belong. It's here that we find ourselves with an all too familiar feeling of not belonging, whether it be in a house, an alley, or in the wild. Spurned at every turn, we make our way back to Olive's house only to find it empty, Olive and her original Dawn having moved out. Destitute and alone, we get the final piece to the puzzle of our cat's past, getting a glimpse at a history of being rejected and unwanted. Without spoiling anything, the game opens with a trigger warning about feelings of self harm, and its here that see the story make good on that promise.

Copycat is a bit of an odd game. At times silly and lighthearted, it tells a very real, emotional story that mostly plays out in the background. At different points, I found myself empathizing with both Olive and Dawn, their struggles and worries all too real and relatable. While it's made clear that Olive is truly a loving and caring person, we're made to see her through the eyes of someone with deep-rooted issues concerning trust, and though it may be frustrating to see just how stubborn Dawn is in this regard, we do get to see the reasons why. What the game may lack in complex mechanics or challenging gameplay, it makes up for with surprisingly real and complex characters. Though it's a rather short experience, I can't deny that it's an impactful one that carries with it a great deal of sadness and pain, but also hope and love.