Mimi the Cat: New Friends – Adorable Sokoban-Inspired Puzzles

“Despite appearances, puzzling is not a solitary game: every move the puzzler makes, the puzzle maker has made before (…), every combination he tries, and tries a second time, every blunder and every insight, each hope and each discouragement have all been designed, calculated, and decided by the other.” – Georges Perec

Overview

Mimi the Cat: New Friends is an adorable Sokoban-inspired puzzle game in which players must move boxes in order to get a cat to its bed. Mimi is a recurring character from Wise Box Studio’s earlier 2022 game Cats and Sokoban: Mimi’s Scratcher.

Gameplay

The basic premise of Mimi the Cat: New Friends is to get the cat to their bed by moving boxes, Sokoban-style. The game starts very simply but gradually introduces new mechanics such as extra boxes, obstacles, height on the cat bed, and gaps to jump. These extras along with increased complexity help to ramp up the difficulty as the player progresses through the 50 levels adding to the satisfaction felt on completion of each puzzle! There are no timers, and whilst some of the puzzles can get a little tricky, it is a very laid-back gaming experience overall.

There are also a number of golden cats that appear on certain levels, collecting these will show a photo of a cat with its name then add said cat to the room. These can be used as skins to change the appearance of the feline protagonist.

Narrative and Styling

Mini the Cat: New Friends has no real narrative to speak of beyond the adventure of getting the cat to its bed and finding some new friends along the way. The colourful 3D art style depicts a single setting the the puzzles which take place in a kind of lounge or sitting room. The scene contains a few nice details such as animal photos on the wall but is quite simplistic overall. The jaunty twinkling music features gentle woodwind melodies and energetic strings. It has a casual feel overall which fits the style of gameplay. The sound effects, predominantly miaowing and purring, are incredibly cute and a lovely addition to the game.

Summary

Mimi the Cat: New Friends will take between 60 and 90 minutes to complete, with achievements. It is a delightful little puzzle game that boasts satisfying Sokoban-esque conundrums, a cute and colourful aesthetic and relaxing music to match the casual but engaging gameplay. This game can be played in one sitting or in a number of shorter sessions for those who only want to do a handful of puzzles at a time. It is a good value and I happily recommend it to fans of traditional puzzles and cat-themed games.

If you’re looking for more cat-themed puzzle games, check out these reviews:
Cats in Time – Travel the World in Search of Lost Cats! – Zodiacats – A Magical Game of Cat Puzzles and Astrology! – Pets at Work – Cats and Dogs and Co-op Platforming Fun!

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