100 hidden cats

Developer: Anatoliy Loginovskikh, Alexandr Telminov | Publisher: Anatoliy Loginovskikh | Release Date: 2021 | Genre: Casual / Hidden Object / Indie | Website: N/A | Purchase: Steam

Cat owners will know that cats can hide in the strangest places, but 100 Hidden Cats makes the search a little less challenging by placing most of its feline friends almost directly in plain sight. As part of Anatoliy Loginovskikh’s long-running “100 hidden” series, the game presents players with one large black-and-white city illustration and asks them to find all 100 cats hidden within it.

The Steam page describes the game as “ultra hard,” but this feels like a bit of an exaggeration. In fact, it could almost have been called 5 Hidden Cats, as that is about the number that actually took more than a second to find. Most of the cats stand out clearly against the background, and anyone familiar with previous entries such as 100 Hidden Snails, 100 Hidden Birds, or 100 Hidden Mice will know exactly what to expect.

Gameplay is as simple as ever. Players scroll around the monochrome illustration and click on any cats they spot. Each cat found unlocks a Steam achievement, which means the game is likely to appeal most to achievement hunters. There are no timers, hints, penalties, mini-games, or interactive puzzles to worry about. Pressing “N” activates night mode, while pressing “Del” followed by “Esc” resets progress and achievements.

Visually, 100 Hidden Cats uses the familiar black-and-white cartoon line-art style associated with the series. The city setting is pleasant enough, but it lacks the surreal charm of 100 Hidden Snails or the more interesting interactions of 100 Hidden Eternals. The drawing is clean and readable, although this also makes many of the cats very easy to spot. There are a few basic animations, such as cars driving along the road, but nothing special. 

The audio is basic and does little to elevate the experience. Controls are equally straightforward, with everything handled using the mouse. There is very little that can go wrong mechanically, but there is also very little here beyond the initial search.

Overall, 100 Hidden Cats is a harmless but extremely slight hidden object game. It is cheap, quick, and easy to complete, but it offers very little challenge or replay value. Compared to the better entries in the series, it feels too straightforward to be memorable. Still, players looking for a short cat-themed distraction or a quick batch of achievements may get exactly what they want from it.