Cats & Pandas

The cats are back, and now they have cute panda friends. ^^

Introduction

Hidden Cats & Pandas is a cozy, hidden object game developed and published by Sons of Welder and FM Simple Games Studio. The treehouse village is invaded by lots of cute pandas and friends, and the objective is to find all of them as well as a few stars, which serve as fun easter eggs. There are a total of three scenes although two of them are the same. The only difference between the two same scenes is that either cats or pandas are present. You click on the cats, pandas, and stars with the left mouse button, zoom in and out of scenes by scrolling the mouse wheel, and use the hint function if you're stuck on finding those last few items. Many of the cats, pandas, and stars are tied to Steam achievements, but achievements won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "Steam is learning about this game".

Review

With every hidden object game developed by Sons of Welder and FM Simple Games Studio that I've had a chance to play, I've enjoyed all of them, ranging from the cutesy to the darker ones. It's great to see this latest installment, and this time, it's not just centered around cats, which I find to be a refreshing change. Pandas have joined the cats in their mischief, which feels appropriate since the setting is a treehouse. XD

The gameplay feels very smooth, and I like that there are multiple scenes this time. It's good to have a bit of variety although I do enjoy the single scene HOGs, too. ^^ Also, I'm happy that there's finally the option to switch between windowed and full screen mode. It's an issue that I've had with a lot of the developers' previous games, so I'm glad that they've added this option. Granted, you might have to manually adjust the game screen in windowed mode to your desired settings since there aren't designated screen resolution options. I had no problems finding all of the cats, pandas, and stars, but there is a hint option in case you have problems finding those last few cute animals or stars. When you use the hint function, it will need a little time to recharge afterwards, but the wait isn't long. In addition, there's a counter of all the cats (or pandas, but the icon only shows up as cats) and stars, so you can keep track of how many there are left to find. All of the achievements unlocked for me without any problems. If there is any criticism I have, it's that the gameplay might be a little too easy if you're looking for more of a challenge. However, I don't personally mind gameplay that's on the easier side at times.

In regards to the art, it has a beautiful hand-drawn style that depicts the treehouse village very well. The cat, panda, and star sprites are cute and drawn well. When you find one of them, it's colored in an orange-yellow, which might make it difficult to stand out visually in the backgrounds. Still, the aesthetic visuals and cutesy style more than make up for it.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3496387580

As for the music, there is only one track present. However, it has a very laidback vibe and it's very relaxing to listen to. The music is perfect as you're taking your time to find all of those cute kitties, pandas, and stars. Also, the track is wonderful to listen to if you want to destress and feel like your burdens are being lifted off your shoulders (but that's my personal opinion). ^^

Conclusion

Would I recommend Hidden Cats & Pandas? If you're looking for a short, easy, cute hidden object game to play and/or you want obtainable Steam achievements, it's worth checking out. The game is wonderful for kids to play as well as for adults who want a relaxing gaming experience. Granted, there is only the default difficulty mode, but I tend to lean towards the relaxing part when it comes to HOGs.

finally, I'd like to take the time to thank Sons of Welder and FM Simple Games Studio for the review copy. It was a very wonderful treat to play this latest installment, and I'm hoping that there will be more such future games like this one with even more cute animals. ^^

For more detailed, fully complete, high quality reviews like this, please follow The Introverted Gamer, prioritizing heart and soul always. ^^

A cute seek-and-find set to relaxing music with some nice artwork and adorable kitties.

Settings include; audio controls, and display mode.

Highlights

🔹 Hints that recharge
🔹 3 maps to explore
🔹 Find pandas, cats and stars
🔹 Easy to earn achievements
🔹 Relaxing, lo-fi soundtrack
🔹 Good zoom controls
🔹 Can use WASD to plan the map

In this game the music is very relaxing and the artwork is hand-drawn with adorable kitties and panda’s to find. The settings are sparse but since the maps are coloured there is no eye strain and the zoom controls are really well done. I did find the kitties and panda’s to be overall easy to find even though some are hidden in or behind objects, making this a quicker game but a good one for the younger gamers to enjoy as well. 🐈

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Otome Lovers wishes to thank Sons of Welder & FM Simple Games Studio for providing a free review copy for this game.

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Hidden object pros, look elsewhere. This one's for the speedrunners and kids.

Hidden Cats & Pandas is as cute as you'd expect from Sons of Welder, but this one's more fluff than substance. With only three ultra-short levels including two with identical backgrounds, don’t expect to be challenged or surprised. It’s a quick snack for hidden object fans, not a full meal.

On the bright side, the art is adorable (seriously, who knew pandas could be this squishy-looking?), the music fits the cozy vibe, and the hidden cats and pandas are actually recognizable. No clickfests here either: hovering reveals hidden spots, which is a welcome design choice. The previews don’t spoil the whole thing, which is also nice.

But the downsides hit hard: the mouse drag is wildly sensitive and janky, the hint system gives straight-up answers instead of area clues, and the reused background for the first and last levels feels lazy. Zooming out doesn’t let you see the full picture either, and at its current price, it’s hard to justify for 7 minutes of gameplay.

Verdict: Too easy, too short, too expensive. It’s fine if you're after fast achievements or buying this for a child, but skip it if you're hunting an actual challenge.

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