Cats vs Zombies III

The series where the cats get cuter and the maps get shorter

Thank you Sons of Welder for the curator key!
But rest assured, this is still an impartial review written as if I had bought the game myself. 😋

If you’ve dipped your toes into the wonderfully weird Hidden Cats vs Zombies universe before, this third entry will feel instantly familiar: one big hand-drawn map, a pile of things to find, and the eternal battle of “aww cute kitty” vs “pew-pew zombie.” It’s quick (like, four-minutes-to-100% quick), but it keeps the charm and cozy-chaotic energy Sons of Welder does best. The new mechanic, where you free cats from crates using keys, is genuinely adorable… though the crates themselves might want to try hiding next time. They’re basically waving at you like, “Hi! Please click me!”

The pros are all here: lovely art, a great zoom, a save system (even though you won’t need it), unlimited hints that nudge your camera instead of spoiling the answer, and a good mix of items to spot. The series is still as lighthearted and handmade as ever. There are no penalties for misclicks, and the hint achievement gives a tiny layer of “if you want that badge, don’t press the shiny button.”

But like the earlier entries, the tiny runtime raises a big question: is four minutes worth the price tag? If you’re a fan of this quirky little hybrid, the answer is probably “yes, because my collection must be complete.” If you’re on the fence, their second game in the series is free and gives you a good taste of the formula before investing. The gun sounds are still not separately adjustable, though they do seem a bit softer? Either that or I’ve just become desensitized to pew-pews in cozy cat games. Hard to say.

Overall, it’s more bite-sized silly fun made with heart. No story, no surprises, just warm art, goofy vibes, and a map full of cats waiting to be liberated. Judge for yourself whether four minutes of cute chaos is worth the coin.

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The zombie series of Sons of Welder continues, this time with an additional task: you have to find some keys so that you can click on the cats locked in a cage. The rest is the usual: click on the cats and shoot the zombies. For the latter you first need to find ammo boxes. Oh, and there are some milk bottles. All this on a single level with nice, hand-drawn graphics. Recommended!

Do these zombies ever stop? lol

Introduction

Hidden Cats vs Zombies 3 is a hidden object game developed and published by Sons of Welder and FM Simple Games. As the name states, it is the third game in the Hidden Cats vs Zombies series, but you don't need to have played the previous games. As usual, you're in a zombie apocalypse, and the zombies have invaded a military base. (Not sure if it's the same base as from the second game. lol) Your mission is to eliminate the zombies and rescue the cats. XD

As for the gameplay, the mechanics work almost the same as in the second game. There's only one scene with the one default difficulty setting. You can zoom in and out of the scene by scrolling the mouse wheel. With zombies, you have to shoot at them with bullets that you find in ammunition boxes scattered across the base by clicking on the left mouse button. With cats, you can click on most of them with the left mouse button. However, a few are trapped in locked crates. You'll need to find keys and then click on the locked crates to free the cats, again by clicking the left mouse button. Also, there are the usual milk bottles, but no changes have been made as to how to get them. All achievements are obtainable, but they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "Steam is learning about this game".

Review

After feeling slightly let down by the previous game (even though I still enjoyed it), I went into this game, hoping that there would be some improvements, additions, etc. What did I find out?

With the gameplay, it's mostly the same as in the previous game. However, I was happily surprised to see that the devs added a new feature in which a few cats are locked in crates and that keys are needed to unlock them. I like that there's a bit of variety now. Although the gameplay time will probably still be short for those who have played lots of HOGs, it can be a bit challenging to find a couple of the keys since they can appear very small. Fortunately, zooming in is a function that's present, so it helps to find those elusive objects. It's very possible to get all the achievements in one playthrough, especially if you choose to not use the hint feature.

As for the art, the style is the same as in the previous games. I like that the same artist is being kept around to help create these fun backgrounds and sprites. The zombies look comedical and the cats are cute and funny at times. There's a good use of colors, with just the right combination.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3612580844

Regarding the music, there are a few tracks which cycle from one to the next. They all give off that slightly creepy but fun apocalyptic vibe, making you feel as though you're really in a zombie apocalypse.

Conclusion

Would I recommend Hidden Cats vs Zombies 3? If you're looking for a short but fun hidden object game set in a zombie apocalypse in which you have to rescue cats (ok, I know that's very specific lol), you especially like the HOGs by this developer, and/or you're wanting to get all those Steam achievements, then it's worth checking out. Depending on the price, you may either choose to get it straight away (especially if you're a fan) or wait for a sale.

Finally, I'd like to thank Sons of Welder and FM Simple Games Studio for the review copy. I do wonder if the cats will someday fight back against those zombies. It seems like they never stop. :o

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