If you’re a fan of so-called cosy games,Calicoholds the potential to catch your eye. All of the key ingredients are here. Community sim? Check. Cafe management? Check. Baking minigames? Check. Oh, and you can collect a variety of cute critters to hang out in your humble abode all while traversing this candy-coloured town atop a giant calico cat? You might be thinking, what’s not to love? The problem is, whileCalicois deliciously adorable on the surface, it’s a sweet treat that’s painfully lacking in substance.
Calicowas released toPC,Xbox, andNintendoSwitch back in 2020 - with thePlayStationversion finally landing today, on 28 November. It’s clear that developers have ironed out the various bugs and glitches that tarred the game’s original release. That being said,Calicostill has one glaringly large issue: its lack of longevity. While I’ve enjoyed my time with the game, it won’t take you long to hit 100% completion, and there’s little incentive to continue playing once you’ve done so.
Take a look atCalicoin action below.
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I did say thatCalicohas all of the ingredients to create the perfect cosy game. It’s just that everything is done so halfheartedly. The incorporation of cats is extremely limited despite the game’s title. Yes, you have your main calico cat which you can use to traverse town. Outside of this though, besides inviting the town’s various creatures to sleep and hang out in your cafe, you’re simply able to pet them, pick them up, or ask them to follow you.
Whitethorn Games
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You soon become stuck in a slightly mundane loop. You can’t level up your cafe, nor expand it.Calicois severely lacking in any kind of gameplay that ensures longevity. Once you’ve pet every animal and prepared all the recipes, there’s very little left to do.Calicois a game that can be begun and finished in a matter of hours or days. When I hear cat cafe community sim, I perhaps wrongly assumed that I’d be playing a game I could keep coming back to - capturing that warm homely feeling the very best cosy games achieve.
I did enjoyCalico’s baking minigames. While, yes, they are a tad repetitive, they reminded me of my love of the Cooking Mama franchise back in the Nintendo DS era. The quicker and more accurate you are, the higher your score. The controls are rudimentary. You’ll shrink down to the size of a mouse for reasons unexplained as you throw ingredients into a cauldron, use a pogo stick to cut out cookie shapes, and run on a hamster wheel to bake your sweet treats evenly.
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These minigames added a much needed slice of variety toCalico, even if the tart recipe snooker inspired task did make me far too angry. This aspect of the game though also has its limitations. Your stock will become stale from time to time, prompting you to remake the item in question. You see where I’m heading: repetitiveness sets in.
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I have to praise the game’s character creator. There are a ton of options here, and you can tell that developers Peachy Keen Games wanted players to feel represented. You do begin with a basic outfit but that’s also something you can improve as you earn cash from your cafe, purchasing new styles and accessories.Calico’s world, although basic, is also very dreamy. Who doesn’t want to frolic through cotton candy trees and swathes of flower-filled meadows?
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For now though,Calicois all eye-catching icing and sprinkles lacking in the kind of substance that’ll keep players returning for more.
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Pros:enjoyable baking minigames, adorable animal interactions, low-stakes relaxing gameplay
Cons:fetch quests become tiresome, no long-term incentive to play
For fans of:Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Stardew Valley, Fae Farm
6/10: Good
Topics:PlayStation,Indie Games,PlayStation 5
