Little Kitty Big City: The Warmth of Cosy Gaming

Proof That Sometimes the Purr-suit of Happiness Is as Simple as Being a Cat

Written by Rose Renaud

The mainstream popularity of the casual games genre has exploded in recent years. They have always been around and possess a sense of nostalgia with series like Animal Crossing and The Sims. They were worlds where we could spend hours engrossed with limited creative restrictions, bringing a comfort that many players need. They have become an essential part of the gaming scene. Cosy games are the type that gamers of many different backgrounds play to relax and mellow out, removing the stresses that other genres may possess and simply enjoying an experience painted beautifully by its creators. No rushed timelines or large decisions need to be made, just let go and vibe. Games that are comforting in these ways range from farming simulators to organisation games to calm narrative-driven adventures in fantastical settings.

One important element that contributes to a loved and successful cosy game is the atmosphere it constructs. All are made up of visual design, music, gameplay, characters, and mechanics that create a desirable space. That comforting and warm atmosphere draws players in and keeps them coming back, becoming a place they want to inhabit. Cosy games that know what they want to be are some of the best out there in the gaming scene, and one game released recently caught the attention of cosy-loving players, which embodied all these aspects and understood the illustration of what it wanted and needed to become.

Little Kitty Big City (2024), developed by Double Dagger Studios, is an adorable adventure game that encapsulates freedom, relaxation, and the joys of being a cat all in a single package. Following its successor of a newly found indie cat-simulator style, BlueTwelve Studio’s Stray (2022), you play as a cat who uses curiosity to drive the narrative. Unlike Stray, Little Kitty Big City takes on a more contemporary storyline. We follow our protagonist, an indoor black cat, as they have fallen off their windowsill napping spot and into the streets below. You are thrust into a world of busy pedestrians, colourful street creatures, and terrifying puddles of water. Taking place in a Japanese city, a player’s kitty can uncover their inner street-roaming desires with many opportunities for platforming and mischief.

The game’s main quest and side quests are organised in a way where it is a calming experience rather than a daunting one. There is no rush to get back to your apartment. You are simply a cat taking their adventure at their own pace. There are fun distractions everywhere – skills to learn, animals to befriend, places to climb, napping spots, kitty-sized hats to collect. Going at the player’s pace is an aspect of cosy games that enhances the laid-back experience. There is plenty to do in this big city, where you can uncover every feature in each corner, sidestreet, alleyway, rooftop, shop, house, parking spot, and backyard. 

The game does an excellent job of encouraging exploration, and it does this through cat-inspired mechanics. If you see a potted plant placed in a high place, you use your swatting move with your paws to send it crashing to the floor with a satisfying smash. If you see a human carrying an object, you can trip them and snatch it. And if it was a sandwich or a bagel, you can use it to bait birds and pounce on them to collect their feathers. To collect currency, you find Shinies — pieces of shiny little objects like bottle caps, paper clips, bolts, etc, to trade with crows for advice or hat collectables. There are plenty of secret achievements for players to figure out as well, taking specific cat-like thinking to complete while encouraging playtime. You can get back up to your apartment first, or tackle side quests and achievements, or play in any order you choose. You can always go back to run around the big city streets once again. 

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Using a cat to portray a cosy and casual game perfectly personifies that easygoing and mellow feeling. There are glorious napping spots that shine under beams of light that you are encouraged to cuddle up into. You can leave your pawprints in wet cement or use wet paint to mark your tracks, not caring about the pavement or the expensive car. The cat does not have a care in the world, only desiring to go with the flow and relax at any opportunity. The appropriate protagonist for a cosy gaming experience. It is a big bonus for cat lovers, where every little thing this kitty does becomes the most adorable thing you could lay your eyes on. With learning different emote expressions, you can take a big stretch or fits into any place you sits. 

Embodying a cat itself adds to the atmosphere of the game. The scene set in Little Kitty Big City is a mixture of this feline wonder and the familiar feeling of nostalgia that is delivered. There is something about the art style, its colours and its lack of harsh lines, that invoke a sense of comfort. This is a space you feel at home, where you have nothing to worry about. It is almost like a childhood sense of freedom that is simple and domestic. The setting of a city in Japan contributes as well, being reminiscent of a Studio Ghibli film or a slice-of-life anime. This can connect to all the lovely photos and videos online of Japanese street cats living their best lives of snoozing in the sun or interacting with kind humans. What better creature to show the joys of relaxation and playfulness than a cat? Exploring this big city as a kitty reminds us of spaces we love and feel safe in, adding to the emotions it portrays.

The love for this game took players by storm, and it is not surprising with how highly anticipated its release was. Cosy gamers wanted another chance to become a cat, which proves the song from The Aristocats (1970) was right. Casual games like this have inspired players to enjoy the simple things in life. To slow down and breathe. To take the time to rest and recharge. That games do not need to be rushed or heavy. It doesn’t always need to be 90-hour action adventures or round after round of competitive multiplayer. We are allowed to play casually. We are allowed to enjoy the simplicities laid out before us. Sometimes we just need to see it through the eyes of a cat to understand. Little Kitty Big City became a great title for the genre that proved itself to be what it was promised: a soothing yet chaotic adventure reminiscent of a warm, refreshing catnap.