Cat Museum – A Brilliantly Bizarre and Surprisingly Moving Puzzler

“Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision.” – Salvador Dali

Overview

Cat Museum is a surreal, side-scrolling, point-and-click puzzle adventure about a young boy who unexpectedly finds himself managing a cat museum!

Gameplay

Cat Museum offer a diverse selection of puzzles, such as memory games, inventory or logic-based conundrums, some dexterity and skill-based tasks, jigsaws, and even higher tension moments that involve feeling from monsters and finding hiding spaces. The puzzles are mostly straight forward and mistakes and failures go almost entirely unpunished making it a very forgiving game. Simple, intuitive mouse-only controls are all that are needed, the game has no controller support.

Narrative

The game follows a young protagonist as he finds himself in a strange world, taking on the role of manager in the cat museum. He has lost his memories and rediscovers them gradually as the game progresses. This reveals harrowing childhood experiences and shifts the tone of the experience from light-hearted and bizarre to much more poignant and moving. Cats play an imperative part in the story and are present throughout. It is told largely through the boy’s narration, and dialogue, as well as comic-book-style cut scenes.

Styling

Cat Museum has a unique, stylised aesthetic with a moody (and somewhat creepy) undertone. The art style resembles engraving or lino printing and uses muted colour palettes with clever pops of vivid colour that, along with the lighting, create a distinct atmosphere. Cut scenes and memories are depicted in the same art style but in sepia-coloured blocks resembling pages of a graphic novel, distinguishing them from the rest of the game. There are some fun references to famous artists such as Van Gogh, Magritte, Klimpt and Da Vinci which is a fun addition and helps the game’s distinct visuals to shine.

The music is varied and includes, eerie piano music, and quirky circus-like tunes, progressing to more emotive and layered tracks as the game and narrative progress. There are a range of sound effects, all increasing the player’s immersion in the experience, but the many cat noises are especially cute!

Summary

Cat Museum is a wonderfully surreal experience that leans into its bizarre narrative and visuals with intent and success. The art style is by far a stand-out feature of the game and is accentuated by the eccentric subjects depicted within. This is further emphasised by the immersive and curious sound design, really helping to create a sense of this unique universe. The narrative is also wonderfully strange but progresses into an evocative and meaningful story that really holds the player’s attention. The game will take around 2 hours to complete and has a lot to offer in its short playtime. The price is incredibly reasonable and I would definitely recommend this to fans of point-and-click puzzlers, or just anyone that enjoys cat-themed games!

Looking for more cat-centric puzzle games? You may also enjoy these reviews:
Cats and the Other Lives – A Fly on the Wall look at Family Drama! –Cats in Time – Travel the World in Search of Lost Cats! – Zodiacats – A Magical Game of Cat Puzzles and Astrology!

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