Little Kitty, Big City (Review)

Developer: Double Dagger Studio
Publisher: Double Dagger Studio
Available On: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
Reviewed on Xbox Series S

While there’s no denying the cozy/wholesome game genre has seen more than its fair share of cat games, developer and publisher Double Dagger Studio has arguably crafted the best one yet with Little Kitty, Big City. Similar to something like Untitled Goose Game, this short adventure-platformer presents you with a city where you’re free to get up to all sorts of mischief as you tackle an array of goals and missions, and due to its sandbox (litterbox?) design, you’re likely to spend a lot of time ignoring the objectives and just having fun as a little kitty. Thankfully, it’s not just this open-ended nature that makes it such a joy to play, but rather the way everything comes together to create one of the most purely fun and charming games of 2024.

Botany Manor (Review)

Developer: Balloon Studios
Publisher: Whitethorn Games
Available On: PC, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X|S
Reviewed on Xbox Series S

It’s hard to ignore the “cozy gaming” subgenre that’s blown up over the past few years. While players are still showing up for all of the biggest AAA titles with their big-budget action and spectacle, we’re also starting to see more and more players dig into smaller games that are void of violence, centered around relaxation and wholesome vibes, and made by small or even single-dev studios. Although you’ll never catch me complaining about having options, I don’t think it’s unfair to say that there are so many “cozy games” coming out that several of them are starting to blur together, especially if you’re someone who watches all of the big showcases and have seen literally hundreds of trailers for these types of games. Thankfully, that’s not the case with Botany Manor, the debut game from UK-based Balloon Studios. Though it may have some of the visual trappings that these games are becoming synonymous with, the core gameplay idea and its execution are so wonderfully fun and imaginative that it’s easy to point at this one as a new “must-play” of the genre.