In February, I wrote a post about Quilts and Cats of Calico after checking out their online multiplayer beta in January. I've been waiting for the full game release to try the rest of it, and I received a review code. Now I'm here to tell you all about it.
As I mentioned in my previous perusal of the online multiplayer, the game showed signs of a good digital adaptation of a tabletop game. The full game not only has online multiplayer but also play modes for local co-op and playing against AI opponents. It also has a Story mode and a Master Quilter's Challenge mode. Monster Couch, responsible for the Wingspan digital adaptation, worked on Quilts and Cats of Calico and went a bit further by including the Story and Master Quilter modes.
Forget cat ladies; it's a cat kingdom!
I wasn't sure what to expect regarding the Story mode for Quilts and Cats of Calico. However, I must say that Quilts and Cats of Calico exceeded my expectations. The plot of the story mode is a little goofy, to say the least. The main character is a quilter who has just moved back home and has to navigate their hometown of cat worshippers, helping them repair quilts and dueling characters over who can attract the most cats to their quilt. All in the pursuit of cat superiority. I'm partially joking. The main character's hometown, the Free City of Tomkitty in the kingdom of Scratchington, is at war with another kingdom, and as a result, people are seeking good fortune from attracting the blessings of cats more than ever.
Yes, it's very much that silly. However, something about the painted-looking art, soothing audio, and mix of strange characters makes the game ridiculously endearing. Playing through the plot will have you wondering why the world is always fighting when there are cats to quilt for. If only people could get their priorities right.
It's a lot harder than it looks...
The silly plot, lovely art, and soothing music aren't the only things setting this digital adaptation apart: The Story mode is full of increasingly challenging puzzles and duels against characters. While someone quite skilled at strategy may be able to blaze through the challenges, the average player can expect to spend a good bit of time restarting puzzles and competition to get things right and complete objectives. It could be frustrating if not for the fact that the game looks so nice on screen, and the cats playing, running, and napping on the board weren't so entertaining.
So much so that my real-life cat, Luthor, constantly interrupted my game to bat at the cats on the screen. If you have your own cats, maybe they'll be obsessed with it, too.
Quilts and Cats of Calico doesn't end challenges with the end of the plot in Story mode. It offers more puzzles and duels after the end of the story. The Master Quilter's Challenge mode offers objectives to complete in 20 increasingly difficult challenges. While the overall rules of Calico gameplay are simple enough to learn and play with, these challenges offer up enough difficulty to keep even the most masterful puzzle gamer busy for quite a while.
At $19.99, Quilts and Cats of Calico is well worth it if you're looking for a cozy game with cats, puzzles, and colorful aesthetics. If you've got a cat who likes those iPad games with fish and bugs darting across the screen, it's also a pretty good game to entertain you both. Quilts and Cats of Calico is out now on PC via Steam and will be released on the Nintendo Switch later this year.