The Lacking Gem: Catlateral Damage and its Feline Charm

In a world where games are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation and complexity, it's refreshing to come across a title that takes a different approach. For those who have been missing out on the gaming landscape, one thing is undoubtedly absent: a first-person destructive cat simulator. Thankfully, this void has been filled by Catlateral Damage, developed and published by Chris Chung and Firehose Games in 2015 for the PC.

Catlateral Damage's origins date back to 2013 as a prototype entry to the 7DFPS Game Jam. It wasn't until it expanded into a full game through a successful Kickstarter campaign that its true potential was realized. While it's worth noting that the author of this article has a personal affinity for cats, their feline fondness is not just a coincidence. As it turns out, my cat Daisy has been immortalized in this very game, serving as a testament to the developer's efforts to include real-life pets within their creation.

The gameplay of Catlateral Damage is deceptively simple: you play as a cat that knocks stuff over. This can be done in either a freeform sandbox mode or an objective-based career mode. The underlying goal is straightforward - to knock stuff on the floor. However, this simplicity belies a certain charm and novelty that makes for an enjoyable gaming experience. As someone who loves weird games and those with inherently shallow mechanics, I was immediately drawn to Catlateral Damage's unique premise.

The author of this article appreciates games that are on the simpler side, yet still manage to retain enough depth to keep players engaged. While it may not have a complex storyline or intricate gameplay mechanics, Catlateral Damage delivers in its own peculiar way. The game is reminiscent of classic arcade titles, where the simplicity of the gameplay can be both refreshing and addictive. What's more, the game's straightforward nature allows for instant playability, making it accessible to players who are new to gaming or simply looking for a quick fix.

One of the standout features of Catlateral Damage is its ability to balance novelty with ease of use. The author notes that the game is "seemingly simple" yet has surprising depth hidden beneath its surface. This clever construction of simplicity makes for an enjoyable experience, where players can pick up and play without needing to learn a plethora of complex mechanics. It's this paradox of complexity and simplicity that sets Catlateral Damage apart from other games in its genre.

In conclusion, Catlateral Damage is a game that embodies the concept of straightforward gameplay with surprising depth. Its simple premise belies a charming and enjoyable experience that is sure to delight players who are looking for something different. Whether you're a fan of quirky games or simply enjoy titles with no pretensions, Catlateral Damage is definitely worth checking out.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enIf there's one thing that's beenmissing from the gaming landscape,it's a first-person destructive cat simulator, right?Well thankfully, now we have Catlateral Damage,developed and published by Chris Chungand Firehose Games in 2015 for the PC.Although it started off in 2013 as aprototype entry to the 7DFPS Game Jamand then expanded into a full gamethrough a successful Kickstarter campaign.Now full disclosure: I have a cat.I like catsand therefore I already like this game.Her name is Daisy,and not only do I enjoy her company,but I also enjoy the fact thatshe is in this game as a collectible.A marketing dude got in touch with me about itand wanted to know if my catwanted to be immortalized in games.Yeah! There's no way I was gonna say no to that.Therefore, my review will be completelyand totally biased and taintedsimply due to my own feline affinity.That out of the way, Catlateral Damage is a gamewhere you play a cat that knocks stuff over.You can either do this in a freeform sandbox modeor in an objective-based career mode,but either way the entire goalis to knock stuff on the floor.Because you're a catand cats are jerks.Loveable, furry, cute,but also completely selfish jerks.And yeah, as soon as I saw the demo forthis game last year, I was sold on the ideabecause it's just novel enoughfor me to be instantly drawn to it.I love weird games and I lovegames with essentially no depth,as long as the underlying mechanicsof its shallowness are enjoyable enough.And don't take my saying that it has no depthto be a negative in this instance because it's not.I just mean that it's something so straightforwardthat you can pick it up and play in an instantwithout having to learn... really anything.Much like a classic arcade game.It's cool when you find a game that isseemingly simple and has surprising depth,or some extra substance hidden underneatha cleverly constructed facade of simplicity,but Catlateral Damage really is the embodimentof the \"what you see is what you get\" philosophy.Control a cat. Knock things over as the cat.Sleep in a cardboard box as a cat.Knock even more things over as a cat.Repeat ad infinitum.But there are two things that keep this formula fresh:power-ups and new levels.Power-ups can be gained either by random eventsor by swatting a sparkling object.You've got stuff like increased speed,jumping and swatting power,disco mode, moon gravity,and of course, catnip.Again, nothing too substantial, as they're onlytemporary and the drops are totally random,so there's nothing to pick out yourself or plan.And yeah, each level is different each time you playdue to a bit of randomized placement of assets.You'll hop around mansions, cabins,grocery stores, apartments and more,and each time the layout and the itemscontained within will be slightly different.There are also the various collectible photographsof Kickstarter backers' pets to pick up,as well as hundreds of uniqueobjects to \"collect,' quote-unquote,which is done by swatting themand making them touch the floor.The whole thing reminds me a bit ofKatamari Damacy in this respect,but instead of rolling up household objects,you're just swatting at them.And I also find myself reaching the samemental place of tranquility that I get from thathere in Catlateral Damage,where I just stop thinking about anything andcompletely zone out while playing level after level.And the art style, the bubbly music and the factthat you're a small creature also remind me Katamari,so, yeah, that's awesome in my book. I love that game.Unfortunately, you can't gradually growinto a larger and larger cat,and eventually start swatting over skyscrapersand airplanes or anything like that.Although, dude, that wouldmake an awesome bit of DLC,so if you're listening, Chris Chung,then please make it happen.Yeah, sadly, you just stay the same old size cat.There's no real progression in that respect,other than unlocking somenew cats to play, like Fart Cat,which farts instead of meows.After a couple of hours, I was pretty well done with it,but I do see myself coming back from time to timejust to chillax for a few.Well, anyway, that's Catlateral Damage, and I approve.Not only because my cat is included,and that is awesome,but because it's a game that lets me turn off my brainand enjoy without any hassle whatsoever.The asking price is currently about ten bucks on Steam,which puts it right in the territory ofother silly animal sims like Goat Simulator,but this one actually does its bestto NOT be a glitchy game,so I'm more inclined to recommend it.If anything, I'd say give it a go when it's on sale,because even if it's not fun for long periods of time,it's fun for long enoughand it's just light-hearted andsilly enough to get a kick out of.And if you enjoyed this video,or just like my cat,then why not check out some of my other videos.She shows up from time to time.And I also do a whole lot of other videos,with more arriving everyMonday and Friday here on LGR.And you can also subscribe, if you'd like to do that,or follow and interact with me on Twitter and Facebook,and support the show on Patreonto help encourage further growth of LGR as a concept,an idea,a political movement, even.Well, hopefully not. I don't wanna do anything like that.But anyway, yes.Thank you very much for watching.\n"