Hidden Cats in Tokyo Review

Developed by Nukearts and published by Silesia Games Sp. z o.o, Hidden Cats in Tokyo is exactly what it says on the tin. Hidden item games have been rumbling on for years, and there is a market for them, usually, older light gamers who want to play something with zero pressure and that keeps the mind focused.

                The added twist with this hidden object game is that the theme is Cats… in Tokyo! There are a lot of cliché background images of Japanese culture, like sumo wrestlers, sushi bars, samurai warriors, and anime cosplay. But although the game makes it clear you will be hunting for cats, there are other things to find on each round. Other than normal cats, you will be hunting for monster cats, special cats, hidden items and even certain people.

                When you find the monster cats or special cats, you are provided with special cards giving you a name and a background of these cats. It’s a nice little touch, and it does break up the search concentration. These cards can be looked through in the pause menu or in the main menu, and you see real pictures of cats on them, which are cute.

The round usually starts as a big black and white picture, which you can zoom in and out of. As you find the cats in the sections of the image, it adds colour to the picture to let you know all the cats have been found in that area. This helps you stop focusing on the same area, which is mercy at times, as some of the cats are very well hidden. There are also audio hints of a cat’s meow whenever there is a detectable cat in the section of the image you are looking at.

                On top of that, there is a hint button, should you get really stuck, but playing this with my family, I didn’t use the hint other than to test it out. We all used our keen eyes to speed through the game, and some of the images are so large that you must find over 100 cats in a round.

                The downside of the game is always the same with hidden item style games, and that is that there is no longevity. Once you have completed all the rounds and found everything, there is no real reason to play it again. It doesn’t stop it from being fun, but it exists like a gaming firework. There are challenges in each round to complete. First off, finding the cats, and then there are extra challenges for finding all the monster cats and other items. The last challenge is to finish without using the hint button. But that’s not enough to keep you going for long.

Conclusion

Hidden Cats in Tokyo is everything you need it to be. For older gamers familiar with Where’s Wally or Waldo, depending on where you are from, it’s just a fun challenge to find everything. I find the game something you can play with younger kids, as they also enjoy the hunt. You can get a little extra knowledge about Japan and Tokyo, too, so learn whilst you hunt for cats.

This game was reviewed based on the Xbox Series S/X release played on Series S|X. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. The reviewer purchased the title.