Hidden Cats in London

Developer: Nukearts Studio | Publisher: Nukearts Studio | Release Date: 2022 | Genre: Casual / Hidden Object / Indie | Website: N/A | Purchase: Steam

Cat owners will know that the furry little critters have a penchant for falling asleep in the strangest places and can get up to all kinds of mischief. Thankfully, they are relatively easy to find if they are within earshot, and the rustling of food is usually enough to coax them out of hiding. However, Hidden Cats in London challenges players to locate a whole clowder of kitties concealed in a sizeable monochromatic illustration. As hinted by the very descriptive title of the game, the setting is London for this second entry in the Hidden Cats series. This means players will see a lot of familiar sights, such as the London Eye, London Bridge, Big Ben, and more while searching for the cats.

Hidden Cats in London features two modes: “Normal” and “Advanced.” Normal mode presents players with a sizeable monochromatic illustration of London, where 100 cats are hidden in fixed positions. Players can zoom in and out as well as scroll around the illustration and must click on each cat that they spot. Players are given three hints, which show where one of the cats is hidden, but these are best saved for the tricky ones. Advance Mode ups the ante with 150 cats hidden in semi-random positions. In this mode, players can also find specific city people to earn hints and locate the special cats to unlock bonus levels. The bonus levels are much smaller than the main level and feature a bookshop, pub, tube station, music studio, and palace room. Each is home to 50 hidden kittens, and players are given only one hint per level when finding them. Completing all the levels shouldn’t take more than two hours, but considering the low price tag, this is still great value for money.

In terms of gameplay, the title of Hidden Cats in London says it all. Cats are hidden about, and clicking on them marks them as found. Although there is only one illustration for the main game, it is reasonably large and contains some animated elements. Even when fully zoomed in, some cats are still tiny, so finding them all can be challenging. Cats can also be hiding or obscured by some of the animated elements, such as the vehicles, boats, and trains on the level. Fortunately, the game does not burden players with a timer or any penalties, so the search can be conducted in a stress-free manner. There’s also no story or mini-games to distract players from the task at hand. One of the neat touches of Hidden Cats in London is that the cats are all grouped into “zones,” and finding them all in a particular zone will fill it with color. This looks great and makes it easier to spot which areas are still hiding cats. The cats are mostly hidden in plain sight, but some bonus levels require players to click on objects to reveal cats hiding behind or inside them. Nukearts Studio also included some helpful accessibility options, such as dark mode and color blindness mode, for players who need them. We should also mention the special “named” cats that unlock the bonus levels when found, as clicking on them reveals an adorable photo of the real feline on which they are based.

Hidden Cats in London is a very casual and relaxing title, which extends to the soundtrack. The game’s overall sound is very chill, but there are some changes to the background music as players scroll around the image. In addition, cats meow when players scroll over an area where they are hiding, and while this is useful, some players might find it annoying. Thankfully, the music, effects, and UI volumes can all be adjusted independently. The controls for Hidden Cats in London are as simple as the game, and everything can be done via a mouse. Once again, the accessibility options for inverting mouse zoom, setting the mouse drag sensitivity, and edge screen scrolling are welcome additions.

Overall, Hidden Cats in London is a very wholesome game that is quite addictive. It is very much a casual experience, making it perfect for anyone who wants to relax with something that isn’t too taxing. Eagle-eyed players should be able to spot the kittens hidden away on the bonus levels with ease, but the semi-random nature of Advance mode gives the game some replay value. It’s the type of game that can easily be completed in one sitting, but the low price and stress-free gameplay make it a worthwhile purchase. We definitely had fun finding all the cats and look forward to doing it again in the upcoming Hidden Cats in New York.