The front runner for the best video game cats of 2023

This is a story about cats.

But first you should know the basics saltsea Chronicles, The new game from Die Gute Fabrik will be released later this year for Switch, PS5 and PC. We’ve followed the studio for over 10 years, starting with the experimental PlayStation Move game Johann Sebastian Tournament in 2012 to mutationone of the best written games of 2019. More akin to a creative collective, the studio tends to blend compassionate and human stories with bright colors and playfulness.

Saltsea Chronicles It’s not just about cats, but I promise we’ll get there. The studio’s work sort of defies all elevator pitches, but let’s try anyway: Star Trek, by the way Kentucky Route Zero with the saturation to max.

As in Star Trek, you oversee a crew of unlikely allies on their journey to various islands. Each location has a unique population and a moral, philosophical, or dramatic dilemma to solve. You decide where the crew goes and who doesn’t, who goes ashore, what to say and what insights to share with those waiting on the ship – and then set off on the next adventure. But the mood is trending in the direction of Kentucky Route ZeroThe Good Factory’s own mutationand their contemporaries, blurring the lines between games, theater and literature.

In theory, all of this intoxicating stuff might be the most interesting thing about the game, and I should delve deeper into its many mechanics. But in practice toxoplasmosis. Like a tabby on catnip in a room full of scratching posts, I got distracted in the middle of my demo by one particular island and its furry population.

Image: The Good Factory

Los Gatos Island is teeming with people And cats. Lots and lots of cats. The game’s beautiful art direction borrows cut paper And Vector graphicsAs such, the cats are less specific breeds and more blobs with long ears and squiggly tails. You are adorable.

Cats sleep on the beach, gather in front of the doors, perch on train tracks and snuggle up on window sills. The world itself was modeled after her, like a mountain with a cat silhouette and a neighborhood stacked up like a scratching post. In one structure, humans and kittens keep warm near a giant stove shaped like a yawning cat’s head. And everything is covered in soft, plush fabric.

The initial appeal of Saltsea Chronicles, like so many cozy games, is the atmosphere. The Good Factory put a lot of effort into the way the cats flap at butterflies and shyly curl their tails. Objectives (little dots hovering over specific people and places) lead you to the narratively important parts, but they’re just one of many things you need to do. You can try to solve local problems even if some are unsolvable. Or you can simply collect stickers for your almanac. Anyway, around Los Gatos, people rest and wait to chat, it’s entirely up to you who you strike up a conversation with.

Image: The Good Factory

A visit to Los Gatos is not business critical. Depending on the choices you make during your quest, you may never come across the shore. That’s on purpose – the creators have filled the game with so much story that they hope players will want to make the journey multiple times.

Not only will you see different islands, you may also board different characters depending on the different perspective you view them through. You could choose the perspective of a goblin kid or a new caregiver who balances adventure with parenting. A team of creative and writing staff has played a crucial role in making sense of the lives and journeys of each of these characters.

This is a theme that was repeated throughout our hour of play: we gain a broader picture of the universe by including more viewpoints. For example, many islands have a similar deck, but with different house rules reflecting community perspectives. In one variant, you lose if you score more than 100 points – a nod to the locals’ post-hoarding mentality.

Yes, it becomes clear in the first moments how Saltsea ChroniclesThe structure will emulate the typical Star Trek episode and how the game will reflect a classic season. (It’s significant that the game itself will have an option that encourages screen pauses between islands, much like pausing between episodes of a series.) But with Los Gatos, the creators’ comparison to Star Trek goes even further.

As I wandered from room to room on the cat-infested island, I learned the less obvious function of their community houses: Los Gatos also serves as a haven for victims of domestic violence. There’s a heavy layer that rests on top of the otherwise leisurely sequence, and I clench my teeth for fear the two tones might clash. But instead the opposite happens. The Die Gute Fabrik team uses this fantastic world to introduce you to more sophisticated conversations.

This is the result of working with so many talented writers and the game’s inherent leisurely pace: subtlety is possible.

And so Saltsea ChroniclesFor a moment, it seems like the cuddliest game of the year. Until it becomes much more. I look forward to visiting the many other islands when the game releases later this year, not only to see their beauty but also to hear what their residents have to say.