The frontrunner for best video game cats of 2023

It’s a cat story.

First, it is important to understand what the fundamentals of Saltsea ChroniclesThe new title from Die Gute Fabrik is coming to Switch, PS5 and PC later this year. We’ve followed the studio for over 10 years, from the experimental PlayStation Move game Johann Sebastian JoustIn 2012, Mutazione, one of 2019’s best-written games. Studio, more like a collective of creatives, tends blends compassionate stories and bright colors with playfulness.

Saltsea Chronicles isn’t only about cats, but I promise we’re getting there. The studio’s work sort of defies elevator pitches, but let’s give it a go anyway: Star Trek by way of Kentucky Route ZeroWith the saturation set to maximum.

Like Star Trek you will have to lead a team of unlikely friends on their travels around the world. You must unravel a variety of moral, philosophical and dramatic issues in each location. Each island has its own population. You choose where the crew does and doesn’t travel, who steps ashore, what they say, and what findings they bring back to those waiting on the ship — then head off on the next adventure. However, the tone is more geared towardKentucky Route Zero, Die Gute Fabrik’s own MutazioneThey are a group of artists who blur the boundaries between literature, theatre, and games.

In theory, this is all the interesting stuff about the game and I need to dive into the mechanics. In practice, however, the game is not as interesting. Toxoplasmosis. Midway through my demonstration, like a cat on catnip in an entire room of scratching post, I was distracted by a particular island with its furry inhabitants.

Los Gatos island is filled with people You can also find out more about the following: cats. Cats. The game’s beautiful art direction borrows from papercutting and vector graphics, so the cats aren’t represented by specific breeds so much as prong-eared, squiggly-tailed blobs. They’re adorable.

On the beach they nap, on trains, on doors and on windowsills. In their image the world has taken shape, with mountains shaped like felines and housing districts stacked up like cat trees. Humans and cats are both kept warm in one of the structures by a giant stove designed to look like a headless cat. All of it is covered by soft fabric.

Initial appeal Saltsea ChroniclesLike many games with a cozy vibe, this one has it. Die Gute Fabrik spent a lot time and effort on the way the cats swat away butterflies or curl their tails. Objectives (little dots hovering over certain people and places) will guide you to the narratively critical bits, but they’re just one of many things to do. Some local issues are impossible to resolve, but you can still try. You can also collect stickers to put in your almanac. People are waiting for a chat in Los Gatos. It’s entirely up to the individual to initiate contact.

Image: Die Gute Fabrik

A visit to Los Gatos isn’t mission-critical. It’s possible that you never reach the coast of Los Gatos, depending on how your quest is played out. This is intentional — the creators have filled the game with so much story that, they hope, players will want to take the journey many times over.

As you view the islands through various lenses, you can also choose different characters to accompany you. Choose the viewpoint of an adventurous child, or that of a caretaker who is juggling adventure and raising a child. A team of creative and writing collaborators has played a crucial part in giving each of these characters’ lives and their journeys meaning.

It is this theme which we have repeated over and over again during our game hour: By incorporating different points of views, we gain a more complete picture of the world. Many islands have a card game with similar rules, but different ones that reflect the perspective of each community. In one variant, you lose if you get over 100 points — a nod to the locals’ post-hoarding mindset.

Yes, it’s clear in the opening moments how Saltsea Chronicles’ structure will replicate the typical Star Trek episode, and how the game will mirror a classic season. (It’s telling that the game itself will have an option that encourages breaks from the screen between islands, similar to the breaks between a show’s episodes.) But through Los Gatos, the creators’ comparison to Star Trek goes further.

Los Gatos is also a refuge for domestic violence victims. I discovered this as I walked from one room to another on the island stuffed with cats. It’s a heavy layer that rests upon the otherwise cozy sequence, and my teeth clench, worrying the two tones will clash. The opposite actually happens. Die Gute Fabrik team will use this wonderful world to get you comfortable with more difficult conversations.

This is the fruit of collaboration with so many talented writers, and the game’s own internal leisurely pace: Subtlety is possible.

So, it is. Saltsea ChroniclesFor a brief moment it appears that is the most cuddly game of the entire year. Then it will be much more. When the game comes out later in this year, I’m looking forward to seeing its other islands and hearing what they have to say.