Mimi the Cat - New Friends Review

Game: Mimi the Cat – New Friends
Genre: Strategy, Puzzle, Cats
System: Steam
Developer|Publisher: Wise Box Studios
Controller Support: Partial
Price: UK £1.74 | US $2.09 | EU € 2,09
Release Date: June 23, 2023

Review code provided with many thanks to Wise Box Studios.

I was lucky enough to get to play Mimi’s Scratcher by Wise Box Games back in December of 2022. So when a new game by the same developers popped up in our list here at LadiesGamers, I was ready to hop on it. This one, Mimi the Cat – New Friends, resembles Mimi’s Scratchers. So let’s dive into this Sokoban and see what’s new.

Sokoban and the History of Mimi

Sokoban is a genre of games that requires players to push around boxes. Both of these Mimi’s games are all about cats pushing boxes to get to their scratchers or their beds. Mimi’s Scratcher was pretty basic; it was you, the Mimi cat on screen, and some boxes floating in space. It was fun, but very basic.

The picture is split in two, with a level from Mimi's Scratcher on the left and Mimi the Cat on the right. The left shows Mimi on a puzzle board, floating in space. There is little decoration and the graphics are simpler. In the Mimi the Cat side, players can see that much has changed. There is now a background that looks like a living room filled with other cats, cat beds, decorations, and more. The cat model, box model have also been upgraded. — Here is the difference in looks between the two games.

Mimi the Cat – New Friends takes this to a new level, adding decorative elements, new puzzles, and additional cat friends to collect. There are a total of 50 levels in Mimi the Cat – New Friends, five less than Mimi’s Scratcher. The basics are the same; players still need to push boxes, climb on boxes, and manoeuvre around them to get to the cat bed in the center of every level.

There is a lot similar between the two games, but Mimi the Cat – New Friends just looks a lot better and is smoother than the original.

This shows Mimi the cat picking up a box in her mouth and jumping across a divide with the box. — You can pick up boxes and bring them along.

Some other new additions to this game are the other cat’s players can collect by landing on Golden Cats in levels. Each one is a cat that the developers have had or still have, each one lovingly rendered with the cat’s unique markings. The walls are also decorated with photos of beloved dogs and other friends.

A pop up with a new unlocked cat model; this is an orange and white cat named Nevezinho. — Every unlocked cat model is based on a real cat the devs had or have.

The Gameplay of Mimi the Cat – New Friends

While Mimi the Cat – New Friends looks great, it does run hot. There were suddenly a whole lot more models to load, and my computer’s fan noticed the difference. I worry that this game won’t run at all on older hardware; it’s pretty graphics-intensive. Considering how little moves around on the screen, though, I’m not sure where all that power is going.

Another level in Mimi the cat with boxes to move around. — Another level.

That being said, the gameplay of Mimi the Cat – New Friends is fun. If you like Sokoban games or even if you have never played one, this game is a great introduction to the genre. There’s not a whole lot of difficulty on display; the starting first levels are basically introducing the different concepts and tutorializing the game, and then there are only a handful of levels with any real challenge to them.

It was fun, only had two little glitchy moments that I noticed, and it overall was a great time. I spent about 2 hours completing the game, which is a nice amount of time for the price tag.

Another level in Mimi the cat with boxes to move around, but the lights are off and the room is much darker. — One of the glitches was the lights were randomly out in one of the levels.

Short With a Lot of Easy Levels

Overall, Mimi the Cat – New Friends was a little too easy. There is a solid foundation here, but it feels unfinished. Mostly because there are so many tutorial levels and so few levels with much challenge. I know that it only had five fewer levels than Mimi’s Scratcher, but I really felt those missing five.

This shows a Mimi the Cat level with the hints turned on. The hints show where the boxes need to be in order to win. — The hint system is fine, but it doesn’t really teach you how to put the boxes where they need to go.

The game is fine, the hints are fine, the message is adorable, and there is a reference to well-loved pets and the previous game. It has all the hallmarks of a perfect follow-up. All it’s missing is just a little bit more content. I would love to see some follow-up DLC with more cats to unlock and a few more non-tutorial challenge levels.

The picture shows the background of the game, filled with cats and cat toys, along with a caption that says "Thank you so much. Letter from the developers: [we] would like to express our gratitude for choosing to play our game. [All cats] are real kittens that are or have been part of our lives. It's a joy to immortalize the presence of our beloved felines in this game." — Aww, that’s so sweet.

Mimi is curling up in her cat bed with hearts floating around her. — Time to make the kitten happy!

Conclusion

Overall, Mimi the Cat – New Friends is cute, uplifting, adorable, lovingly rendered, and a fun Sokoban. I love this game, and I feel like anyone who likes Sokoban will also love it too. There is a lot of heart on display, and it’s a beautiful way to immortalize some fur friends that are no longer with you.

I would say that Mimi the Cat – New Friends is about five levels and a glitch fix short of being two thumbs up from me.

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot.