Introduction
Hidden Cats of Rome was released on July 24, 2024. It was developed by Nukearts Studio, and published by Silesia Games. You can buy it on the Nintendo Eshop. On behalf of the Handheld Gaming Community I would like to thank the publishers for the review code.
Overview
The game Hidden Cats of Rome is a puzzle game where you must find all of the cats in a given scene. The game has a handful of scenes, and the number of cats you must find ranges from 50 all the way up to 200. Some of the cats are very easy to find others are hiding within the scene waiting for you to move your cursor near them.
Gameplay
In the overview I indicated that your task in Hidden Cats of Rome is merely to find all of the cats in a given scene. However that isn’t all. The game has a number of different modes.
The main part of the game has a mode where the cats are always in fixed positions on the scene. If you opt for the advanced mode you will have to find 200 cats, along with a variety of humans, and special cats. If you manage to find the special cats, then you will unlock levels in the Hidden Kittens Bonus mode.
The controls are very good. You move the cursor with the left analog stick, and pan the viewport with the right. You select with the A button.
Graphics and Performance
Hidden Cats of Rome isn’t a demanding game, but the game is very good looking. It is very colorful. The scenes look especially good when you find enough items to cause a given a given area to restore its color.
Sound
The back ground music in the game is subtle, and often includes environmental sounds, or music that fits with the environment. For instance when you pan around to the Vatican City, you hear church bells. When you play one of the scenes in a gelato shop, you hear soft jazz. There are also cues that tell you that a cat is nearby.
Story
There isn’t a story at all, mainly because it is not necessary for a puzzle game such as this.
Value
You can purchase Hidden Cats of Rome on the Nintendo eShop for $3.99. I spent about three hours just playing the main modes plus a few of the Hidden Kittens scenes. I really enjoyed playing this game as it had a very satisfying feeling when you found all of the hidden items in a level. It was like crossing to-do items off a list. It was fun, but not taxing on your brain at all. I have no problem recommending this game to you if you like these hidden items sort of games.
Conclusion
There is something very satisfying about games like Hidden Cats of Rome, or Powerwash Simulator. The act of finding all of the hidden items, and crossing them off your list feels very good. While I don’t think there is a lot to this game, it was a lot of fun, and had plenty of content for a game that costs $3.99. You can purchase Hidden Cats of Rome for $3.99 on the Nintendo eShop. On behalf of the Handheld Gaming Community I would like to thank the publishers Silesia Games for the review code.
