Game: Meowing Point
Genre: Adventure, Casual, Indie, RPG
System: Steam (Windows, macOS)
Developer | Publisher: yofrancisco
Controller Support: No
Price: US $6.66 | UK £5.62 | EU € 6,57
Release Date: October 30th, 2023
Review code used with many thanks to yofrancisco.
Meowing Point is a 2023 hidden object game developed and published by yofrancisco.
Premise of Meowing Point
In Meowing Point, we have to find and save some kittens that have been turned into stone. To do so, we walk around a small town based in the developer’s hometown in Australia and solved some puzzles.
Gameplay
It would be wrong to describe Meowing Point as a hidden object game. We do have to find kittens around a scene, much like the “Hidden Cats in…” series. There’s even a similar kitten “meow” whenever we see a cat.
Instead of a 2D drawing, we search for a fully 3D rendered image. Moving the point of view or the camera angle with the left mouse button gives a different perspective, and new cats are uncovered. In other words, by dragging the picture around, we have a different perspective and can see new hidden cats. You can zoom in and out of the image to some extent. A nice touch is the addition of collectable plastic bottles to recycle.
Why isn’t Meowing Point just a hidden object game? We can change the point of view, move within the scenes, and discover new locations. It is such a clever way to transition between scenes. The developer describes the game as point-and-click exploration, which sounds right.
We have some elements of adventure games, the inclusion of puzzles. Mostly, we need to find something like a key to unlock a door and so on. Some of the puzzles can be a bit too complicated for an exploration game. However, if you get stuck, the developer has kindly provided us, the players, with a walkthrough and even an achievement guide on the Steam community page.
A Beautiful Walk?
Esthetically speaking, Meowing Point looks like it was made in the 90s. The models of the kittens are cute but, like everything else, somewhat rough and simplistic. The scenes had an orange-yellow tint, which made it tiresome to look at, at some points. It’s based on a real town in Australia, which is a nice personal touch. I found the scenes a little abstract for my taste, but that can be a stylistic choice.
The game’s logo looks completely different in style compared to the game’s genre. Looking at it, I expect some pixel action/horror game. Instead, it’s a hidden kittens exploration game.
The soundtrack is excellent and fits well with the idea and premise of the game. I liked that the credits for the music tracks are displayed right on the screen and not hidden away in the menus. I was not too fond of the meowing sound effect when finding a kitten, but that’s a matter of personal taste.
General settings
Meowing Point has the usual settings, windowed and full-screen mode, sound, and sound effects. There are no settings for image quality. For me, the game loaded quickly, and I didn’t have any problems on that front.
Conclusion
While Meowing Point is not a bad game, it doesn’t yet feel good either. It needs a lot more polishing and content. The idea behind the game is excellent; dragging a fully 3D-rendered picture around to change the perspective and unravel hidden nooks within it is very clever. Look at the trailer on the Steam page. If you like the style, you might enjoy the game as well. For me, though, Meowing Point is a great idea, the execution of which needs a lot more work before I can recommend it wholeheartedly.
Final Verdict: I’m Not Sure. 