Developed by Devcats, A Planet Full of Cats is much more than just a hidden object game. It’s a proper adventure in which you’ll not only search for hidden cats, but also undertake missions to help them. The game has been available on Steam since 9 April and is Steam Deck-verified.
A purrfect adventure?
If you’re expecting a simple hidden object game, think again. A Planet Full of Cats is a full-blown adventure in which searching for hidden objects is the central theme, but it’s not the only activity. As you progress, new areas will always be waiting to be explored, creating a Metroidvania-style environment. There are also mini-puzzles to solve and hidden rooms to discover (essential for progressing through the game).
The idea behind this game is to create a genuine adventure centred on the search for hidden objects, but with narrative and exploration elements too. Added to this are boss fights, which unfortunately always follow the same mechanics.
As we progress through the game, we’ll explore a variety of settings featuring highly detailed, polished graphics. Our journey is accompanied by an ever-changing soundtrack that never gets boring.
Unfortunately, A Planet Full of Cats lacks a clear indication of the current objectives. At times, we find ourselves wandering aimlessly or having to read discussions on Steam to work out what to do next. For instance, the various characters we encounter offer us quests, yet there is no log to consult. Furthermore, acquiring skills is fundamental to progressing in the game, yet we are given no indication of how to do so.
Added to this are a few minor flaws: a cutscene is shown every time you start the game, even though it only makes sense the first time you play; dialogues you’ve already encountered cannot be quickly skipped; and teleportation is only unlocked very late in the game.
Work-in-progress
A Planet Full of Cats is an ambitious project that transcends the mechanics of a standard hidden object game. The aim was to create a more immersive, long-lasting adventure with a strong exploration element, mini-games, and more sophisticated mechanics than are typical of the genre.
Unfortunately, the game hasn’t quite hit the mark overall. In fact, several bugs have disrupted what was supposed to be an enjoyable gaming experience since launch day. However, it should be noted that the development team is very responsive and is releasing various patches to improve the game.
In our experience, too, things didn’t go entirely smoothly. For example, the game didn’t work on Steam Deck at launch despite the stated compatibility, but fortunately, this issue was resolved immediately. We also encountered several bugs, though in our case these could be resolved simply by changing areas. After the game’s release, the developers added a cloud save feature, which meant that the save file was deleted upon updating. Fortunately, we had made a copy of the save file, which allowed us to retain our progress.
However, there is also an underlying structural issue. In A Planet Full of Cats, there is a lack of clear direction, particularly in the early stages. It is unclear what to do next or what the main objective is. For example, the dialogue refers to a main quest, but we are never told what it is. There is also a risk of getting stuck and going round in circles. Evidence of this can be seen in the Steam discussions, where the main topic is ‘I’m stuck — what should I do next?’.
As the developers are actively working on the game, we hope that it can be refined further. However, given its work-in-progress status, it might have been more effective to release the game via Early Access.
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