#EffTheWin - Cat Lovers gotta play this game Right Meow! (My Neko Atsume Review)

This Cat-collecting game is surprisingly addicting, that I think we need another one like it...for Dogs, That is!

First things first, I am a first and foremost Dog lover; however, cats comes as a close second in my list of favorite animals to have around as pets as I find them as the cute and cuddly ones when compared to their canine counterparts.

Given that reason, when I stumbled upon this mobile game (which is really gaining in popularity) centered around cats and cat-collecting, it is no surprise that I was hooked with it. The game I am talking about is "Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector."



I was introduced to this game when I saw my little sister playing it on her mobile phone and eventually, my daughter liked it too and had it installed on her own mobile device. When I looked at it that time, it is in Japanese and to play the game, you either need to know how to read Japanese or if you cannot, then Trial and Error is the way to go. Fortunately, it didn't take long for the game to have an English version (credit that to its growing popularity) and soon after, I downloaded Neko Atsume too.

For the unaware, Neko Atsume is a mobile game/application (available on both Android and iOS versions) in which the player assumes the role of a cat-loving person who has dedicated a small part of his abode to be a sanctuary of sorts for stray cats. The player then is tasked to fill the bowl with cat food and make sure the little nook is well arranged and decorated with "goodies" that makes the cats come, stay for some time, and then come back again another time.

In return, after a cat's visit, the felines tend to leave fishes (either normal or gold ones). These fishes are the currency used in the game and can be used to buy stuff like better cat food, toys, high-value accessories, an extension for bigger real estate for the cats, and even remodel your little sanctuary for the cats.

Normal Fish

Gold Fish

In addition, if a cat has visited your place a lot of times, they tend to give you gifts or "mementos" as a token of appreciation and in turn, you can add it to your collection. Also, a thing to note is that the graphics of this game is simple cartoonish, but undoubtedly cute.

One thing I really liked about this game is the fact that it is not time-demanding and you don’t have to check in every few minutes. That is a very huge plus for a game nowadays, as it virtually does not make you tethered to your mobile device (as a majority of games do), but still, you get rewarded the same as a player who checks in regularly.

The game is not that addicting at first as in my own experience, I started out with a pretty empty yard, but after some time of patiently filling in the bowl with food and making the most of my starting toys for the cats,  I attracted a few cats and was able to earn the fishes needed to upgrade stuff and attract more cats. Saving up on golden fishes to buy an extension for your place is a key factor to getting the most out of this fun game. Getting an extension means getting more space to put stuff and attracting more feline friends and then more fishes, so you do the math.

Special Cat: Guy Furry

Special Cat: Ramses The Great

In addition to the "regular" cats, there are also "Special" cats that will visit your place if you have the right stuff placed in it. These special cats are unique-looking and you will know one when you see one as they really look different from the regular ones. Getting these special cats to visit your place is a treat and what makes the game addicting (in my opinion).

Taking A Snap of a Cutie: No Portrait Mode, though

In addition to taking care and seeing the cats visit your nook, the game also gives you the ability to take pictures of them and store it in album and since the animation of cats (excluding the special ones) are different with each toy they interact with, there are a lot of possible shots to take if you experiment with the placement of toys and accessories - that is another addicting aspect to this game.

Photo Album for Cat Snaps

If there is one chink on the armor of this game, that will be the lack of portrait mode shooting. The game only allows you to take pictures of the cats in landscape and there is no option to rotate the camera to shoot in vertical/portrait. The lack of it can prove to be a challenge when taking photos of some of the cats and you will end up cutting some part of them or the scene you are trying to take a snap of. It does not affect gameplay though, so the fun does not suffer.

All in all, this game has become the most used application on my phone ever since I installed it and I do not feel guilty about it, really. It has art that is so cute to really turn down, it is not a time sink as it does not take much of my time and does not interfere with my life, and is still rewarding even if I forgot to check on it for a day or two. What is there to not like about that huh? There is nothing wrong with collecting cats and watch them do "cat" things. That is all this game offers, but honestly, that is what it only needs to offer to be addicting and fun.

To end this review, I have to say that this cat-collecting game is surprisingly addicting, that I think we need another one like it...For Dogs, that is!

Until next time,

Meow...eer, I mean,


Ciao!

*Post After Thoughts and Updates: 

Update 12/12/2015- After a while of playing Neko Atsume, here are some tips that I can share along

•  Like I said in the post, Get the yard expansion first, as it is a must. You should note though that there is only one expansion and nothing more after that.
• You should buy the cat metropolis. Why? This makes you fit more cats on a small spot. Bang for your buck, I should say.
• If you think that buying pricey cat food is the way to go, the you are wrong. Frisky Bitz is Ace. It costs only normal fishes to start with and every purchase nets you three refills. 
• Oh, I think this one is something most players do not know. There is a daily password submission that nets you a bit of currency every time you enter the password of the day. It may not be much, but hey! It is free. Here is how you access this submission option. (Menu > News > Daily Password)