Little Kitty, Big City
A lost black cat navigates a Japanese city to return home.
Little Kitty, Big City is a 2024 adventure game and the first title from American indie studio Double Dagger Studio. Players control a black domestic cat lost in a large Japanese city, and the main goal is to find its way back to its owner’s apartment. The game launched on Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on May 9, 2024, with PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions following on May 9, 2025.
In this third-person game, the cat can perform typical feline behaviors like catching birds, jumping into boxes and trash cans, stealing items, and emoting. It can also talk to other animals and take on quests, earning new emotes and wearable hats as rewards. Hats are also found in hidden capsules around the city, or by trading shiny objects with a crow. A fast travel system lets the player warp between activated sewer manholes. Eating fish scattered throughout the city increases the cat’s stamina for climbing ivy, and finding every fish is required to reach the apartment and finish the game.
Double Dagger Studio founder Matt Wood told KING-TV that his cats Mario and Roxy, along with his children, inspired the game. It was first shown at the Wholesome Games event’s Wholesome Snack showcase on November 13, 2021. A Nintendo Switch release was announced during an Indie World presentation on April 19, 2023. A demo appeared at Summer Game Fest 2023, with a planned early 2024 launch for Switch, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Another demo was available during Steam’s Next Fest from June 19 to 26. The game hit 100,000 sales two days after its May 9, 2024 release, which also included a launch on Xbox Game Pass.
Review aggregator Metacritic rated the game “generally favorable,” and OpenCritic found it strongly approved, with 76% of critics recommending it. PC Gamer’s Lauren Aitken, reviewing the demo, compared it favorably to *Untitled Goose Game*, praising its art style, quests, and animations. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated *Little Kitty, Big City* for “Family Game of the Year” at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Little Kitty, Big City
- Developer
- Double Dagger Studio
- Director
- Matt T. Wood
- Programmer
- Mike Corsaro / Steve Sperrin
- Writer
- Philippa Warr
- Composer
- Riley Koenig
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch · Windows · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5
- Released
- Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S / May 9, 2024 / PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 / May 9, 2025
- Genre
- Adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Little Kitty, Big City is a third-person adventure game where the player controls a black cat lost in a large Japanese city. The player must navigate the cat back to its owner's apartment, but can also interact with the city through typical cat actions such as catching birds, jumping into boxes and trash cans, stealing items, and emoting. The cat can communicate with other animals and embark on quests, earning new emotes and wearable cosmetic hats as rewards. Hats can also be found by locating hidden capsules around the city, or by collecting shiny objects and exchanging them with a crow. A fast travel system allows the player to quickly move around the city by warping between sewer manholes that have been found and activated. By eating fish found throughout the city, the cat gains the ability to climb ivy, with each fish increasing the maximum amount of time the cat can continuously climb without running out of stamina; the player must find every fish to reach the cat's apartment and finish the game.
Reader's Guide
Little Kitty, Big City was first shown at the indie Wholesome Games event during its Wholesome Snack showcase on November 13, 2021. It was announced for Nintendo Switch during an Indie World presentation on April 19, 2023. A demo was showcased at Summer Game Fest 2023, where the game was slated for an early 2024 release on Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Another demo was made temporarily available during Steam's Next Fest from June 19 to 26. The game was released on May 9, 2024, and was added to Xbox Game Pass the same day. It reached 100,000 sales two days after release. The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions followed on May 9, 2025. The game received generally favorable reviews on Metacritic, and OpenCritic assessed that it received strong approval, recommended by 76% of critics. Lauren Aitken of PC Gamer favorably compared the game to Untitled Goose Game, praising its art style, quests, and animations. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Little Kitty, Big City for Family Game of the Year at the 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.
Did You Know?
- Double Dagger Studio founder Matt Wood cited his cats Mario and Roxy and his children as the main inspiration for the game.
- The game was added to Xbox Game Pass on the same day as its initial release.
- The player must find every fish in the city to reach the cat's apartment and finish the game.
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