The Cat Lady

The story was awful. The voice acting was awful. The visuals are awful. The main character was at best detestable. The gameplay was awful. I have had more fun and found more compelling story in those crappy Hidden Object Games that get pumped out by the hundreds than this... thing. It's not a game and it certainly isn't a compelling story. I'm a huge fan of adventure games and games with good stories and characters, but this game is just boring beyond belief.

I knew nothing much about the game when I grabbed it as part of a promotion, hoping for a decent horror game. Shortly put, the horror tag sells the game short. While there are plenty of disturbing imagery and scenes to be found, the game primarily surprises with an amazing story, genuinely real subject matter and highly interesting characters. I don't want to spoil anything to potential new players, but this game had a deep impact on me - far beyond what you'd expect from a "cheap indie horror game". It took a few hours for the real potential of the game to emerge, but therein lies the beauty. It is full of subtle touches with interesting things tucked away into the corners. The controls are simple - at first I almost thought they were petty, but they do work fine once you get used to them. Primarily, be aware that the game uses no mouse. This was obviously very strange and weird at first, but eventually you realize you don't need it and the game does in face work fine with a keyboard-only Interface. And the review title? It will make sense if you should ever decide to give this game a chance.

I'm giving this a 5 because this game exceeded my expectations so much. As far as the general gameplay goes, the dialog is very long sometimes, the controls are painfully easy, and the objectives are sometimes too obvious. However despite all of that, this game is great. The story is mostly what has drawn me into the game so much. Even when conversations go on for a long amount of time, I'm interested in everything that is said. Even when the game is easy at times, I am eager to complete each task just because I am actually interested in what happens next. It's just that kind of game. The game is not for gamers that are heavy on action, this game focuses more on narrative than it does on action. When you have a conversation, it is more about getting to know the character and understanding how they feel than it is about listening for clues for a certain puzzle. When someone is killed, it is more about bringing out emotion than it is about entertainment. I am not saying all of this is as well as I would like. I guess you would just have to play the game for yourself to see what is so great about it. As far as advisory content goes, it's like your basic R-rated movie. F-word galore, bloody violence and gore, disturbing imagery, and sex/nudity. Definitely would not play in front of kids (for those who are concerned). Great game though, give it a try.

Pain, depression, fear, hope, love, are twisted in a dream-like fashion in the form of a game. Its charm lies In that essentially, it embodies everything that makes us human. If you are drawn to things that will stir you up inside, this game is for you. The story of the Cat Lady will haunt your mind long after you have finished playing it.

After reading the reviews here I expected to get a game that I will also like as much as the many other guys. Unfortunately it turned out that is was not. The game is different from other point and click adventures I played so far. The scenes, pictures and dialoges fit to the dark atmosphere, the black and white scenes, red blood, the music, the flickering, flashing, rough images. But for me it was a bit too much of the dark mood, the horror and gore stuff. I like the unconventional approach of the game play by only using cursor keys. When suitable options are displayed what you can do.. But sometimes it was hard for me to see what options were offered to me. I did not like that the game flow was sometimes forced to a slow speed (space helps go to the next senctence, but pauses cannot be skipped). So long dialogues seemed to be even longer. For me personally, I missed the fun, the smile on my face. I think the background story was too sad for me.