Game: Cats and Sokoban – Mimi’s Scratcher
Genre: Puzzle, Indie, Casual
System: Steam (Windows only)
Developer | Publisher: Wise Box Studios
Controller Support: None
Price: US $1.39 | UK £1.18 | EU € 1.39
Release Date: December 16th, 2022
Review code used, with many thanks to Wise Box Studios.
Cats and Sokoban – Mimi’s Scratcher is a Sokoban-style game that features a cat named Mimi. At every level, she needs to interact with boxes and move around inside of a room to get the boxes in the right positions to help her reach her favourite toy: her scratcher.
The Gameplay of Cats and Sokoban – Mimi’s Scratcher
Like many Sokoban-style games, Mimi’s Scratcher is controlled entirely by the directional buttons. Players can use either the WASD or the directional buttons, which is nice for accessibility. There is also a reset button, a button to change the color of the background, a hint button, and that’s about it.
Mimi can push the boxes around with her little nose, moving them into position. Mimi can climb onto a wall if the box is pressed against the wall. She can also stack boxes by pushing two boxes together into the same square. There are also crates that don’t move and other setups that allow her to jump over empty spaces and even bring boxes over empty spaces in her mouth.
There is not a lot to Cats and Sokoban – Mimi’s Scratcher, but that’s part of its charm. There are a grand total of 55 puzzles, and a few of them get pretty difficult.
The Cat Animations are Gold
Anyone that loves cats (I deeply love cats), can tell you that some of the motions of cats in video games, especially low-budget indie games, can be super wonky. This cat has fairly natural movements and natural sounds like purring and meowing.
I don’t know how much effort they put in or if they bought Mimi as an asset, but either way, the cat animations are fantastic. I applaud anyone willing to put in the time to get their cat perfect, and it is really needed, given how front and centre she is as a character.
The Pros of Cats and Sokoban – Mimi’s Scratcher
This game is super cute and very fun. If you like Sokoban-type games, you’ll probably like this title. Especially for the few bucks it costs for the 55 puzzles you get.
I like the slow tutorial; new concepts are introduced slowly over several puzzles, allowing players to figure it out before they are thrown into the deep end.
It’s also very easy to tell how tall of a box tower you’ll have to build to get to the scratcher. It’s a very well-put-together game, and it looks like developers thought through most of the aspects of the game quite a bit. Cats and Sokoban – Mimi’s Scratcher is a wonderful game.
The Cons of Cats and Sokoban – Mimi’s Scratcher
I would change a couple of things about Cats and Sokoban – Mimi’s Scratcher, but not much. For example, there is one instance where the easy puzzle for a new concept is before the intro ones. I got through it, but it feels like they might be a little out of order. It was puzzle number 13; this puzzle should have been after 14 and 15, in my opinion.
The music is incredibly loud, even after turning it down. I just took out my headphones instead of being slammed by the music every time I opened this game up. The music is also pretty repetitive, so you’re better off without it.
My last little complaint is the hint system; I don’t really like it. It gives information, but usually not where you need it. It only provides what the final product should look like, not how to get there.
Conclusion
Cats and Sokoban – Mimi’s Scratcher is a great game. I could recommend this game to anyone who loves little games like this. Even if you’ve never played a Sokoban-like game, this is a great title to choose for your first one.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot.