Herding Cats

I have just started reading Rise of the Videogame Zinesters by Anna Anthropy and while I was looking at the games she made I found this little puzzle gem in her list: Herding Cats.

Herding Cats is a top down puzzler in the style of Sokoban/Paganitzu/Adventures of Lolo with a very neat twist. Instead of pushing boxes around and blocking baddies, you have to herd cats. The mechanic is as simple as it is tricky, because the cats stick to you once you get next to their block and they will remain by your side for the entire session. Thankfully you can undo moves, and - trust me - you will need this. You can easily end up with too many sticky cats, meaning you can’t get past a narrow part.

I love the way the cats’ furs change color each time you reload a level and I’m quite envious of the player’s pink hair. Tried to do that once, but my hair’s too dark to get properly blonde for coloring.

Herding Cats is pretty neat and difficult, but (thankfully) easy enough to finish in your average coffee break. The perfect kind of game for days like these when I’m surfing a deadline’s waves like I never managed to pull of in California Games.