Little Kitty, Big City is a purrfect slice of life

If you’re a cat lover, it’s hard not to become smitten with Little Kitty, Big City. Created by indie studio Double Dagger Studio, this tiny furball of a game started off as a way for one of the developers to teach his kids programming. This eventually turned into the little project that could, and based solely on its announcement trailer back in 2023, it’s one of the most anticipated titles coming out on Nintendo Switch. Fortunately, I had the chance to play a quick 15-minute demo of the game during a Nintendo Switch Partners event behind closed doors during GDC 2024. And I came away wanting to give the kitty more chin scritches.

(Un)titled Cat Game

Little Kitty, Big City begins with a simple premise: an unnamed black cat is resting in its favorite spot on a ledge when a slip accidentally sends it tumbling off the side of the building in Looney Tunes fashion. Luckily, the cat is able to scramble against a few walls and clutch a poor bird in mid-air long enough to land safely in a trash bin. From there, the overarching goal is to find a way for the feline to get back home, though that’s easier said than done since the apartment is somewhere high up. The city also offers a lot of distractions and curiosities, so it might be worth seeing the sights instead. In fact, it might be more fun not to head back for an hour, maybe two, or three. Actually, let’s make it five. I mean, the human will be fine, right?

Much of the game is about the simple pleasures of being a cat wandering about town without having to worry about a time limit. Unlike Annapurna’s Stray, it takes a slice-of-life approach, though the animations for the cat are still rather impressive. You can pick up objects with your mouth, leap onto ledges, crawl through holes, and sprint ahead in a case of the zoomies. If you’re feeling particularly naughty, you can swipe at potted plants atop a fence and paw at the feet of random humans for some bread, which you can then use to lure a flock of birds before pouncing on them. You can even knock over some humans with a dash and run off with their phone.

All of the paw-sibilities

Unless there’s a puddle of water blocking your path, the cat has a lot of freedom in exploring the city and meeting other animals along the way. You can meet a chameleon who can camouflage itself against a wall, another cat who has more experience wandering the streets, and a crow who wants you to collect a bunch of shinies in exchange for a fish. You’ll find shinies peppered about town in various nooks and crannies, with a handful that can be earned by depositing cans into the recycle bin. Apart from that, you’ll also find collectible hats, which can make the cat’s face look like a daikon or a crab.

For more cute moments, the developers on site also mentioned that you can speak with a tanuki and gather together some lost ducklings later in the game. As for the other humans walking around, some will come and pet the cat, but others might be allergic and try shooing you away. 

The demo I played was apparently close to the finished game, though Double Dagger Studio has not yet revealed a more precise release date for Little Kitty, Big City other than 2024. The developers said that they’re still working on fixing bugs and that the full adventure will be around medium length at about 5 hours or less (Correction: Developer corrected statement from original 20 hours). For now, the game is slated to release on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.

This preview is based on a hands-on demo at the Nintendo Switch Partners event during GDC 2024.

Nick Tan

Contributing Editor

Once upon a time, Nick's parents confiscated his Super Nintendo because he was "playing it too much." He has secretly sworn revenge ever since. Nick is now a freelance writer for various video game sites. Powered by iced green tea, he typically plays RPGs of all kinds like Shin Megami Tensei, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout. In his spare time, he follows the latest season of Critical Role.