Sometimes, simplistic experiences make for the best, which could very well sum up what you can expect with Double Dagger Studio’s debut game, Little Kitty, Big City, which pretty much gives away the premise right in its title. You play as a little kitty that needs to explore the big city, there really isn’t much more to it. This doesn’t detract from the experience, though, as the city getting lost in the city is exactly the charm of the experience. You want to get engrossed. The journey, not the destination, is what makes the game an experience worth having.
The opening of the game sees our feline friend lounging in a window before being startled and falling from the window to the street below. If we are being honest, even for a creature with nine lives and a penchant for landing on its feet, this felt like a risky decision. Once on the ground, being a pampered pet, this kitty is too hungry to make the journey home, which is outlined to players very early on. In a similar fashion to games like Breath of the Wild, your goal is to increase your stamina to climb the building yourself. This is apt as the game’s climbing mechanic uses a stamina system inspired by that game.
For the most part, from here on out, you are given free rein to explore how and where you want to, with some limitations in paths blocked by puddles of water or objects. That’s right, the Kitty hates water. In fact, despite the cartoony art style, you play as a very typical cat, similar to Stray, which was released a few years prior. Your cat can nuzzle against people passing by, climb on walls, swipe their claws, and pounce. At one point, I just got distracted and tripped people to steal their cell phones and make a pile of them, I don’t know why I did it. It’s the fact that the experience can become so quirky yet engrossing, rewarding you for just being a cat, where the game showcases its strengths.
Collectible items can be gathered to unlock certain things, with one being gained through pouncing on birds. The way you are supposed to do this is by finding bread to distract them before getting into your stalking stance and jumping on them. This process can be a little too time-consuming for me, so I go the much harder route of just trying to jump them. The pounce mechanic is used to claim as well, and for the most part, it is pretty responsive. The controls in general can be a little weird to get used to, with the pounce being in place of a standard jump, trying to do a simple maneuver in a string of movements can sometimes become blocked up because of this.
These elements are baked into several of the narrative experiences as well, with most being optional but worth it. One of my personal favorites involves agreeing to help a cat at the local grocer by climbing the shelves and knocking off jars of something jelly-like, to shatter them. When you mess around in a person’s business, they will often get a broom to sweep you out too, adding to the cat experience. There are several of these to experience, with some much more engrossing, like finding lost ducklings across the city, but it’s always worth it to make friends with the local animals.
The main story of Little Kitty, Big City, unfortunately, is pretty light on narrative. After falling from your home, a crow gives you a core task to find shinies, basically just metal. Upon completing this, which acts predominantly to introduce you to how you will complete your goal, the next tasks involve simply wandering the city till you find what you are looking for. The city is gorgeous and fun to explore, so that helps, but it is possible to not engage with characters at all and complete your task. There is no benefit to doing this, mind you, but it would have been nicer to have more moments linked to the progression of your Kitty. It can feel less like a quest to return home in this way and more of a mild inconvenience.
The city, for its part, is inviting. Based on Japanese cities, there are multiple culture shock elements to find, my favorite touch being the manhole covers that all have unique art on them, something that became common in the 1980s as part of the beautification of cities across Japan. The city can be explored with no loading screens, but features, at least how I divide it, three areas, with only one feeling like being in the actual city. In fairness, the map is pretty small, allowing you to get lost searching for the next thing you need, looping the entire map a few times before you even realize it. This being said, they manage to pack a lot of discoverability in this small period.
As you improve your climb, more vertical areas become accessible to the player. You can climb up the building to the roofs, which occasionally offer additional pathways across the roofs to hidden collectible hats you can dress your kitty with. Additionally, areas that might have looked off-limits can all be gotten to once you figure out the right route to take. Well past the length of the main experience, I was still making discoveries, which is a nice problem to have.
The game is short, though, with the main story being beatable in probably two hours, more if you’re like me and get distracted easily. Even then, you probably will be done quickly. Normally, I can live with a short experience, but in a case like this, where I am enjoying myself so much, it feels a shame cause I want so much more to love, but I can make due all the same.
Verdict
Little Kitty, Big City delivers on its two big promises. Taking the role of a kitty that encourages you to embrace the feline inside of you is never dull, especially when you go off to do your own this. The City is beautifully crafted and fun to explore, filled to the brim with people who have cell phones you can steal! There is a lot to love in here if you’re looking for an experience that is tranquil and worry-free.
That isn’t without its issues, but to be honest, these problems are more pronounced because of how much I enjoyed my time in the city. The short story and overall experience only feels that way cause I would have liked more things to keep me exploring. I would have also liked to see some more cities to explore as well, since what I did have was great, but a little small. Both of these are offset in part by enjoyable side quests and a lot of discoverability, but it doesn’t stop me from wondering what could have been.
I still think you should play Little Kitty, Big City, though. Your time with it might be fleeting, but it will be memorable.
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Review For PlayStation 5, Also available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, and PC
A code was provided by Double Dagger Studio for the purposes of this review.
Developer: Double Dagger Studio
Publisher: Double Dagger Studio
Release Date: May 9th, 2025
PROS:
+Cute and Charming City
+Fun To Explore
+Living out your cat life
+Side quests with cast of cute characters
CONS:
-Story short at 1-2 hours to complete
-City is a little small
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Little Kitty, Big City
