A town is slowly getting engulfed in darkness, this darkness is blacker than black and almost seem alive. A mysterious green mist beckons you closer and closer… all is not as it appears. Fear not, Lumi the ever inquisitive white cat is here to investigate. White Cat Town Mystery just came out in Early Access on Steam. It is both developed and published by Cozy Creative Games. Did curiosity killed the cat? You’ll have to find out for yourself.

White Cat Town Mystery is a visual novel. Looking at the future road map and what’s to come, it seems that when completed the game will have many point & click aspects. The style is really interesting. Each screen has the text unfolding on the side with the art as the main feature. It’s a bit like reading a storybook. At the moment there is a limited amount of content, but there are still some choices to make that will affect future outcomes. There are several story arcs planned with a branching narrative, and a cast of about ten anthropomorphic characters. There is a main quest and some side quests that will be added as the development continue. There are even puzzles in the making. It is still very early on in the development process so I couldn’t review the whole story, but I really enjoyed the content that is already accessible. It’s an interesting story, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds so I can see the mystery through. Nevertheless, all of the locations on the map are presently available to visit. I don’t know if there are extra locations planned to be added to the map, but it has already a fair amount of areas to explore. The town that you’ll be playing in is actually inspired by a real town situated in Portugal.

The main character is an adorable white cat named Lumi. He is a detective. After leaving school, he moved into the big city where he learned that things are not always as they appear, and that sometimes the laws of logic mean nothing. There are also five other principal characters. Adrian the sly black fox is extremely smart, and has a very cartesien mind. He loves chess and all things scientific. Clara is a vivacious squirrel who is vibrant and loves to be surrounded by friends. She likes to laugh and is very caring. Felix is an affable hamster. He is great to be around and wants everyone to be happy. Ethan is a reserved brown dog. He doesn’t speak much, but there is an understated depth to him, and is very sensitive. And then there is Isabella the beautiful rabbit, who could be a model. Everyone who meets her instantly loves her. She is the life of the party and very kind.

You play as Lumi, and the game starts as you sit on a train looking at an old school album. You are going back to your hometown after living in the big city for a while. You are going to be reunited with your school’s friends. You always admired Isabella, and are excited to see her again. You are looking forward to being reunited with the old gang. You arrive at the old pub to meet with your friend, and although it’s a bit awkward at first, you quickly start to feel more comfortable. Still, there is one notable absence. Isabella never showed up. It’s not like her to miss a special event. After all she was always the first to RSVP for any and all events. What happened to her? Where is she? Your intuition tells you that something is wrong here, but what? Your friends appear uneasy about something. There is an odd darkness in this town that was never present before. You have an inquiring mind, so you decide to check it out before turning in for the night. You come across a gloomy alley. You can’t remember ever seeing it before. Will you go in and investigate or simply leave it alone? Your choice could change everything.

The artstyle is beautiful, and I love the story behind it. The developers started with AI generated artwork, and proceeded to modify it with their own style. Some of the artwork is also made completely by the developers. The drawings are very detailed, and look right out of a storybook. The artwork is one of White Cat Town Mystery’s best feature. The art is is vibrant and colourful. I also enjoyed the soundtrack. Not all visual novels have this immersive of a soundtrack, and it adds another layer of quality to the game. The story was engaging, but at the moment it’s really just an outline of what’s to come. There is an intriguing mystery to solve, and I can’t wait to see what the creators come up with. I played through all the content that is available at the moment, and visited every location. It took me a little over an hour, and I was taking my time. It’s extremely short, but the creators promise much more, and what is there is great.

White Cat Town Mystery was delightful to play. It has an interesting narrative and fun style. I haven’t played yet through the investigation part since it is not available. I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. I am intrigued by the mysterious darkness. The game is still very early in its development phase so there is a limited amount of content available at the moment, but I thoroughly enjoyed what content is there. White Cat Town Mystery shows great promise, and for the small asking price it’s an entertaining game. As a bonus you can support an up and coming developer.

Positives

• Beautiful Artwork
• Interesting mix between a visual novel & point & click
• Cute and endearing characters

Negatives

• Very short
• Only buy if you want to take part in the development process
• The quest part is unavailable at the moment