Zodiacats – A Magical Game of Cat Puzzles and Astrology!

“I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.” – Arthur C. Clarke

Overview

Zodiacats is an adorable puzzle game that mixes astrology and cats. Players solve an array of cute puzzles whilst getting information about zodiac signs and even feline predictions!

Gameplay

Zodiacats features a series of twelve puzzles, one for each sign of the zodiac, plus two bonus puzzles that unlock once the first twelve are complete. They each involve a grid of pieces that need to be swapped with each other to create a picture. All the puzzles are available in both normal and hard mode, with the latter having more pieces to make things more challenging.

Upon solving each of the initial twelve puzzles the player is presented with information about that particular star sign including duration, sign ruler, birthstone, colour, polarity, traits and motto. The game is very casual with no timers, uses mouse-only controls and the choice of dark or light mode increases accessibility.

It is also possible to view predictions, these will tell the player what kind of cat they should adopt based on their star sign and also shows a picture of a real cat with its name and adoption story!

Narrative and Styling

In Zodiacat’s introduction, the player meets their guide Catherine, a cat owned by a witch who once created magical Papyri to rid the world of hatred and injustice. Unfortunately, the Papyri got lost and only by finding it can peace and love be returned to earth. There does not seem to be an explicit link between the gameplay and the story laid out at the start of the game but completing the two bonus puzzles reveals further narrative about the pair.

The game has a very colourful, hand-drawn, galaxy-themed aesthetic in a charming cartoon style. The visuals are both unique and pleasing. The music is incredibly relaxing and features twinkling and bubbling noises over an ethereal drone, evoking images of space or the deeps of the ocean.

Summary

Zodiacats is a delightful and laid-back experience. The Puzzles pose a bit of a challenge, especially in hard mode, but there is never any sense of pressure when solving them. It will take players about an hour to complete on normal mode, with the increased difficulty and achievements adding some replayability. The audio and visual elements are an absolute highlight and the spattering of narrative elements adds an extra dimension to the experience. Overall this is another cat-based gem from Devcats and costing less than the cost of a cup of coffee it is easy to recommend to feline fans and puzzle lovers alike.

Playthrough

A playthrough of the Gemini content of Zodiacats is also available to watch on the Indie Hive YouTube channel.

For more cat-based antics you might want to check out:
A Building Full of Cats – A Colourful Hidden Object Game – Cattails – An Adorable Open-World Cat Survival RPG – Fisti-Fluffs: Feline Fighting Fun in Cat-tastic New Combat Game

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