Copycat Review

Copycat has a severely emotional story about cats and how they see us from their perspective.

Developers’ collective minds split into two when they decide to include a cat as a protagonist: either a cute game about cute cats or a fallen hero who gets humanity on its way back up.

The latter being Stray, the last few years have seen the emergence of cats being quite good companions and role models in video games. We have no complaints; cats are curious animals and love how they react to our behaviors.

I own cats and love cats to the end. I never wanted them to feel terrible for who they were, and I wanted to help them as much as possible. Knowing that I have a soft spot for cats, seeing Copycat initially was just a “Kitty!” reaction. Little did I know, Copycat had something else for me in its story and characters.

I mentioned how Stray got people’s attention because cats are universally accepted as cute and loveable creatures. It makes quite an interesting story once you settle your game about a cat traversing through a cyberpunk world while helping both cats and humans to survive. However, in Copycat, we’ll be diving deep into the harsh realities of humanity and how they treat cats as a whole.

Before opting for Copycat for another cute cat adventure, please be advised that  Copycat includes some heavy topics about people’s bonds with pets. You might find some aspects of human behaviors unreasonable and out of place but do not perceive things from your perspective. Some people can act differently towards other human beings and animals, and Copycat has its own set of people with different thought processes.

Our story starts with seeing a woman walking with a pet shelter manager about adopting a cat. Although she eventually has problems with breathing, she tells the manager that she is holding up fine.

Then we get to choose a cat to adopt—six different breeds, from calico to tuxedo, from Van to tabbies. Which cat you opt for doesn’t matter, as they are all cuddly and loveable. After choosing the desired cat, you pick them up and take them home.

The ride is a bit bumpy, as you, the cat, have no idea where you are going. So you start questioning the intent of the old lady. It is great that developers emphasize the cat and give a response to what it goes through.

Sometimes, it can question itself or respond to certain acts from human beings. We don’t usually see this side of cats, but we can surely understand what goes inside their head. They are complicated yet easily understandable animals.

Just like any other cat, it takes quite a few days for us to get used to the household. As we get close to our new owner, Olive, we start sharing our secrets about each other, such as how Olive already owned a cat before and how the cat’s previous owners treated it awfully. Bad treatment, unfortunately, pushed our feline friend to be more skeptical and hostile towards new people, therefore our first few moves usually include hissing and biting.

As we are staying with Olive, her situation gets worse, and eventually, we find her in the bathroom, lying on the ground as she falls. It becomes obvious that Olive is rather a stubborn old lady who doesn’t like the idea of going to a retirement home.

Olive’s condition gets worse every single day to the point where one day, we cannot just see her inside the home; she doesn’t wake up, and we try our best to draw her attention.

The details and the story flow so evenly in Copycat. There is a huge emphasis on cats’ dreams, which we usually say, “Oh, it’s probably catching a fish or something.” But the developers have thought further and given our feline protagonist a bit more depth by connecting big cats to the equation. Most of the time, there is a documentary about big cats running in the background, and as we learn more, we see ourselves as big cats searching for food.

One other great thing is the inclusion of a narrator. Once the documentaries start playing, our lives are told by a narrator. Even sometimes, the narrator himself asks us questions. He’s more of a comfort character who talks when we are feeling down; he isn’t exactly the annoying companions who make one-liners to make themselves look annoying. The narrator, in some way, is our inside voice because of the points he makes.

Copycat usually provides two distinctive choices to choose from, and these are meant to either accompany- such as bite and hiss- or completely opposite of each other- like getting close or running away.

Although these opposite options might seem like they might lead to a different scenario, Copycat is a linear game with a linear story. Therefore, it’s not important what you choose, and the options are there to give the cat its personality.

Alongside options to choose from, we sometimes get to explore the house, backyard, and sometimes even the whole neighborhood. Copycat might seem like a glorified emotion simulator at first, but you, as a cat, get your freedom later in the game to do what you want. Cause ruckus, run after birds, greet people, and so forth.

Talking about emotions, Copycat might be one of the heaviest games I have played this year. Owning a cat and never thinking of approaching my cat with the intent of Olive made me realize how brutal people can be towards their pets.

Animals are just here to bond with people, and if we, as humans, don’t provide that friendship, they are most likely to feel depressed as we do. Animals can’t talk, that’s for sure, but Copycat reflects how they would have thought if they could speak.

So far, I have praised Copycat for its story and how it approached the problem of leaving things behind. However, there are some issues that I couldn’t ignore. The graphics, for the start, can be a bit jarring if you get used to playing games with extreme detail.

Human movements and facial expressions are pretty scary and feel unfinished—at some point, they made me believe cats are actually perceiving human beings. I’m not too sure if the developers went for that minor detail.

Animations of humans and sometimes the cat itself can be out of proportion, too. Feline’s movements, at least to some degree, can look bad, but since most of our time is spent looking at humans, it can be silly to look at how they move.

Besides that, the game runs great, the story is one of the strongest, and the voice acting is superb. Every chatter you hear from Olive or her daughter has a very nice tone, and the Australian accent is heavily emphasized.

Copycat is one of the titles that you would be focusing on because of its deep story rather than what it offers in graphic fidelity. The songs are well-knitted for the emotions, and every action has a long-lasting impact on all characters. I enjoyed looking through a cat’s perspective when bonding with other people and how sometimes we can mistreat them without knowing.

In short, Copycat is just an emotional rollercoaster of a story-driven game that is a bit harsh on the reality of truth. I know that talking about the story would be a huge spoiler for anyone who loves cats or wants to experience a rather cruel turn of events, but it would be worth it if you want to try out Copycat for yourself. Just don’t forget that everything will turn out to be better, eventually…