Developed by Monster Couch and published by Monster Couch and Flatout Games, Quilts & Cats of Calico is a cozy and wholesome title where you will make quilts while being surrounded by furry and snuggly cats. If you are unaware, this is a digital adaptation of the award-winning puzzle board game and is now under development for its virtual debut and we were able to grab a press exclusive demo for this preview. This is our preview of Quilts of Cats of Calico on PC via Steam in which we knit some quilts to attract some cats on it.
Quilts & Cats of Calico is all about quilts and cats. Right from the start menu of the game, you will see both quilts and cats and if you love keeping cats, you know that cats love quilts and snuggling up in them. Probably this is where the developer got the idea as well. Coming back to the game, in Quilts & Cats of Calico, you will begin your career as a quilt maker or fixer where different people will ask you to fix their quilts or make them more attractive according to different specifications. You can also take part in a competition to see who nabs the highest points while making the best quilt to be qualified as the Master Knitter of Quilts.
The demo I played came with three different modes. It included a tutorial mode which introduced me to the basics of the game, and I am sure that this mode will be included in the main game as well. Clicking on New Game would start a random challenge where you can earn points while making your quilt to be the winner and the third was a small slice of a narrative campaign which will be available in full when the game comes out later this year. The tutorial is fairly in-depth as it goes over all of the gameplay mechanics that you need to understand before jumping into the other two modes of the game. The campaign mode introduces you to some of the in-game NPCs including a soldier who needs you to fix his quilt so that he can take it to war with him.
The gameplay depends on what mode you are playing but mostly it remains pretty much the same in all of the scenarios. The quilt is distributed into various sections and each section represents a tile. A bag on the right side of the screen has all of the available tiles for that particular scenario and you can choose one displayed during each move. You can consider this as Tetris but the next piece that you play can be chosen by you depending on the scenario. In free modes, before starting, you will place some challenge tiles on the quilt and then work around them to earn bonus points. These challenges range from having two or three pairs of the same color or the same design around the challenge tile and so on. Apart from these challenge tiles, having three tiles of the same color will give you a bonus button and the final challenge in a level is attracting a cat to your quilt which is the biggest flex of any quilt maker.
On the left side of the screen, you will see the portraits of three different cats and their requirements which you must fulfill in order to attract them to your quilt. These range from stacking in a particular shape, color, or design. Each of these tasks grants you bonus points and at the end of the game, the player with the most points wins the game. The gameplay is turn-based, and each turn will allow you to place one tile on the quilt and take one from the bag’s display. You will then end your turn and the opponent will also take one tile from the bag’s display.
During the campaign mode, each mission will give you a particular task or a set of tasks and you will be required to complete them before moving on to the next level. The campaign levels will need you to complete their requirements before moving on while the normal challenge missions will require you to have the highest number of points before you completely knit your quilt in order to win the game. There is also a visual-novel-style narration of the campaign missions, and you will move around the map to choose your next mission.
Probably my favorite aspect of Quilts & Cats of Calico is its visual charm and aesthetics. The game’s color pallet is quite vibrant as the quilt tiles you will use to complete them are of different colors and designs. The map in the Campaign mode of the game is pretty cool to look at as well and it fits exceptionally well with the overall theme of the game. The cats are animated, and they will move around the area while you are working on it. The game offers a focus mode where all cats will go to sleep and will not run around the quilt while you are working on it and once you are done focusing, you can go back to the normal mode and the cats will instantly become active once again to keep you company. You can also pet these cats which is a great, little extra detail in the game.
If you love cozy and wholesome games, Quilts & Cats of Calico is shaping up to be a great title and will be right up your alley. While the demo I was provided for this preview was brief, it was enough to show the addictive gameplay and cute visual art of the game. The gameplay is the perfect balance of challenge and soothing and the soft background music really puts you in the mood. The game appears to be a little complex at the beginning but as you start playing it, you quickly understand all of the mechanics and are addicted to quilt-making. I am really looking forward to seeing the full game release and jumping back into the cozy and relaxing world of making quilts alongside quilts. From the small demo that I played, I can really tell that Quilts & Cats of Calico is going to be a solid title at its release.
