Oh my. It’s early in the week and I’ve found the time and health to sit at the PC and get some writing done. Which is great as I’ve been playing some boss indies recently. So let’s roll the dice and hit the City!
Little Kitty, Big City
DEVELOPER: Double Dagger Studio
PUBLISHER: Double Dagger Studio
Formats: PC, Switch, Xbox
Price: TBD
Steam Deck: Verified
Did you play Stray? Did you think it was a bit too dark annd a bit too serious for your liking? Well worry not because Double Dagger Studio have you covered with Little Kitty, Big City. A game that is just the most wholesome and relaxing experience possible.
You play as a cute cat that has found itself lost in the city and needs to find its way back home. You do this by wandering around, meeting various characters, doing tasks, getting lost, doing more tasks, causing mischief and just being a cat.
It is such a simple game, where tasks are as strenuous as collecting some items, knocking some things over, that sort of thing. But in all honesty it isn’t the tasks you need to complete to get home that make this such a fun experience.
It is the journey itself. The other animals you meet and chat with, the events that happen around you. The lovely colourful world you are in, the glorious but calming soundtrack that accompanies you on the journey. It all adds to up not actually wanting to go home and instead just be in the moment.
It is also for me, ADHD the game, in the most positive way imaginable. There is a structure in place, don’t get me wrong. Yet there is so much to distract that before you know it, you are like 5 tasks away from where you were originally going. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to be on the end of a anecdote being told by someone with ADHD, then this is the gaming version of that.
So instead of ‘Cat gets lost, does these things and goes home’. It becomes ‘Cat gets lost, speaks to this, does that, but on the way they saw this, which reminds me this thing I saw, so I did that thing… there was this women, she chased me… oh and there were puddles everywhere, did you know I don’t like puddles, you wouldn’t believe how I had to get this shiny the bird wanted… wait did I tell you about the bird? Oh the bird was cool… oh don’t let me forget about these hats I found, they are soooo cute….’ before eventually getting back why you had to even be in a shop in the first place.
I adore this game and my daughter saw it for all of two seconds and is also now infatuated with it. It is just a wonderful time and when the world is as dark as it is right now… I welcome something that brings this much colour, whimsy and pure joy.
Dice Assassin
DEVELOPER: Afil Games
PUBLISHER: Afil Games
Format: PC
Price: £1.99
Steam Deck: Unknown (Just fine with no tinkering)
I love games that take a bunch of existing ideas and seemingly thrown them at the wall and see what they can make from it. That feels exactly what Afil Games have done with Dice Assassins.
Part dice strategy game, part chess-like, part deck-builder, all come together for an intriguing if not perfect experience.
Let me give a bit of context.
You have a chessboard type area in which you play. On the board you have your characters and enemies that must be defeated. Dice rolls effect movement range and damage, with the cards affecting how you move and attack. You build your deck as you go, but this is very light in terms when compared to dedicated deck-builders, but it does add a layer of strategy.
I think the first couple of rounds you play can be a little confusing, but it soon all clicks into place and there is plenty of enjoyment to be had in the time you’ll spend with Dice Assassins. The issue is, I felt I completely had my fill after a few short hours.
Which is a shame as I love the concept and I love how it plays, but it feels a little undercooked in terms of proper challenge and progression. But… and here is the thing. It’s less than £2 and in all honesty, I think that is spot on for what you get and how much enjoyment you’ll get from it.
I hope this does well and I hope the developers are able to expand on the core game they have made here. Maybe something competitive could work, because the chessboard it the least important part of the game as it stands. But add a second player, with a their own build and I think there could be something special under the hood.
For the price, you can’t go wrong, it runs brilliantly on the Steam Deck and could well be the perfect game for a week of travelling every now and again.
