The Cat Lady follows Susan Ashworth, a lonely 40-year old on the verge of suicide. She has no family, no friends and no hope for a better future. One day she discovers that five strangers will come along and change everything...
This review may contain spoilers
10/10 - Agree (15) Disagree (2)
An astonishing game - I've never played anything else quite like it. While this game is very much about the story rather than the puzzles - although I've got to say I loved the combination lock - the tone and sheer imagination put into that story is almost peerless. There's very little that's nice or comforting about much of The Cat Lady, in fact it can be downright nasty in parts. And yet by turns it's also moving, touching and even on occasion shows a remarkably human sense of humour. But above all, it's never less than utterly captivating.
If I had to split hairs and was forced to criticise, I suppose I could say that the voice playback quality is a little on the grainy side. I could say that the resolution is a little on the low side. But then again, the actual script and art design are truly excelent, so I frankly couldnt care less.
Ultimately this is a game that credits you with intelligence, maturity and empathy, that manages to tackle themes ranging from the fantastic to the repugnant, and yet somehow manages to do it with characters that are both down to earth and, ultimately, likable.
In short, games this good don't come along very often. If you're OK with the thematic content, it's practically essential.