Cats and the Other Lives: Game review (PS5)

I have developed a habit of playing cat games on the anniversaries of my cats' deaths, and also on their birthdays. Cats and the Other Lives was on sale in the Playstation store, and I ended up postponing playing it until the anniversary of my last and oldest cat Kali's death anniversary. And little did I know how suitable this game was for that purpose.

 

 

In Cats and the Other Lives, a family member dies and the family relations are observed by the family cat named Aspen. She is said to be an old and fat cat, who likes to roam around the mansion. She of course likes to do cat things, such as scratching furniture, being afraid of water, chasing mice and dropping things off from tables. 

 

 

This game addresses some dark and depressing themes. What secrets and tragedies are hidden in the Mason mansion's past and present? Something even more sinister than hemorrhoids? Possibly. 

 

 

There are some more difficult minigames in the game, which I had to try many times. I hate having to repeat sections in games. I also had some problems with the controls, and I wasn't the only one.

 

 

 

How long is Cats and the other lives?

This is exactly the question I wondered when I started playing this game. I didn't know if I could play the game through in one sitting. Somehow I assumed that the game would be too long for that, and I was right. My first playthrough lasted for about 6 hours, so it is a short game. And sadly there isn't much replay value. But I did play it again, because I had missed one trophy.

The game is divided into three chapters and three days, plus an epilogue.

 

 

 

Cats and the Other Lives: Ending 

In the end the cat and mouse kiss. What happens if you kill the mouse earlier? Surely the mouse can't be there in the end then?  

The game's ending left me worried. In fact towards the end I started getting scared. If you want spoilers you can check out the ending yourself.

 

 

Trigger warnings: this game has dark themes, and not everyone always treats the kitty nicely. At one point one character even kicks the cat.  

 

 

Cat games

There are more and more games coming out where you play as a cat. Some of them are garbage, but Cats and the Other lives is not. In fact it is a hidden little gem. This game and its ending stayed with me for a while.

 

Cats and the Other Lives gameplay