Thunder rumbled in the distance, soft and muted. A storm was coming- but you had very little to fear.
... it had been a long time. Or had it been a mere fortnight ago?
Perhaps then things would have been different.  You would have had a reason to cower behind the cold metal bars, smelling the fear of the other unfortunate souls left, caught, and abandoned by whatever circumstance brought them here.
Here, where sorrow clung in the air.
On nights such as this, the walls rumbled and the window panes shook, rattling within time-worn frames. Mewls of distress and frustration echoing the halls, but no comfort was to come. It never did.
And yet somehow, all of that changed for you in an instant.
That all changed when that fragile old woman stood, scouring over the cages. All of that changed the moment she locked eyes with you. Oh, how quickly she nodded, her withered hand grasping the pen, scrawling her name across the page. How quickly it all changed in the mere blink of an eye.
The lightning flashed, momentarily illuminating the walls as another muted rumble of thunder rolled in the distance. 

On the way to your new home.

CopyCat is the breakout title for developer Spoonful of Wonder, weaving together a beautiful narrative-driven adventure of rejection, belonging, and the true meaning of home.  The game uses a mixture of gorgeous stylized graphics, moving musical score, masterful storytelling and charming voicework to craft this truly touching story. Playing as Dawn, a recently adopted shelter-cat, explore your newfound home, learn more about the circumstances surrounding your adoption- as well as get to know Olive, your new owner. At first glance, this is a delightfully lighthearted tale of a  fanciful feline finding a new home, and the friendship of a human companion, but there is far more going on just beneath the surface.

You might make some friends in unexpected places.

The graphics are absolutely beautiful, bringing a sense of stunningly well-used cartoon-realism to the forefront. This really allows for the character of Dawn to shine though, capitalizing on some of the more charming and whimsical aspects of our fellow feline companions. Run, jump, explore, steal food, knock over knick-knacks, and sabotage the most highly regarded item in the house: The Toilet Paper Roll. The art is absolutely brilliant and allow for all the characters to emote and tell this story, from beginning to end in a way that will absolutely captivate and delight players.

The temptation is far too great...

Not only do the graphics aide in telling the captivating story CopyCat lovingly crafts, but the outstanding musical score as well. Beautifully orchestrated, it  paces the story in a magical way: It ebbs and flows, helping to spin you about the wonderfully woven world. Tearing through the house with reckless abandon, chasing butterflies in the garden and roaming dark desolate street- the music absolutely sets the tone. Emotional highs, and devastating lows- the soundtrack really punches home each and every moment, tugging at your heartstrings, and loosing you within the story.

All good things come to an end... don't they?

What really sets CopyCat apart from other games, I feel, is the bold and honest storytelling. While players may expect a fully lighthearted experience based on other similar looking titles in the genre, I would SINCERELY advise players to use caution. While the game starts out quite warm and heartfelt, there is a lot of delving into the human condition that comes later in the game. While I did enjoy the joyful moments CopyCat can bring (and believe me, they are bountiful) - there are some points where there are much darker scenarios presented. Some of which were so dark I was not expecting them, nor do I feel they were fully addressed in a way that felt meaningful or "resolved". Unfortunately, I do feel that some of the sudden darker tones, while put in a way that would likely not be understood by children, still would lead me to advise against this title for any younger audiences. Overall, I think there is a beautiful tale here that delves deeper than just the adoption of a cat, but into who you are as a person, and where your true home is.

Olive is eager to gain your love and trust, despite the circumstances.

To add icing on the cake, there is some phenomenal voice-work that has gone into CopyCat. Primarily, you will be hearing a lot of dialogue from Olive, your new owner. There are, however, a fair amount of voiced characters, including Olives daughter, neighbors, and the surprisingly ever persistent Wildlife Channel Narrator. In what almost always leads you on a most humorous turn of events, the lovely Narrator loves to present you with fascinating facts about felines, as well as their more wild-natured habits. Overall, the voice cast is lovely, and contribute wonderfully to the setting and ultimately helping to deliver this one of a kind story.

Surviving outside the walls of a household presents its own set of challenges.

All of that being said, that is not to say that there are not things that could use for some improvement. While a majority of the controls and animations feel seamless, the jump can feel lackluster and floaty- occasionally making your cat seems to  against the wall or bobble awkwardly. This is a somewhat minor qualm, considering the astounding amount of attention to detail that went into the cat movement animations, in general. Some of the physics of household items can feel too weightless, and have very little "impact" (and take away some of the satisfaction). As delightful as it is being a cat that loves to knock everything to the ground, sometimes I wish the vase would actually break. In it's current state, I did note there was some glitchyness within the menus, occasionally lending me to forcibly quit the title- it happened  infrequently, yet still often enough to be of note. The largest issue I found, was that in the first half of the game, you have a real sense of freedom (within the space of your new home and yard), that seems to be cut short in the second half of the game. Suddenly, players will likely notice a sharp increase in the bane of existence: Invisible Walls. I felt the immersion took a sharp hit with the uptick, though it was easily enough forgotten as the story continued to unfold, as well as the use of dynamic angles attempted to soften the blow. With some time before launch, perhaps a few of these issues can be addressed, though even if they are unable to, the overall value of the game is far from minimized due to them.

Beautifully crafted, the graphical design of CopyCat really shines.

Overall, CopyCat is a beautiful short-format narrative driven game. Despite it's few shortcomings, it's a fantastic game that really has the ability to speak to people using phenomenal storytelling, music and art. While ultimately lighthearted, there are some more mature themes touched on, and could considered sensitive subject matter for certain players. Beyond this, there is a genuinely touching story about where it is you rest your head, and where you call home. While most players will be able to complete the adventure in roughly 3 hours, if you are fond of exploration and are looking to 100% the game, you may clock in closer to 7-9 hours. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this delightful slightly-more-than-cozy game to anyone who is looking for a unique change of pace, and wanting to find something beyond the surface level as far as story.

CopyCat releases on Steam September 19th, 2024.