A charming little game about helping others. There are numerous quirky characters that you help out as you explore this charming village, and I appreciate how every character has a unique mission for you to do. For one person you'll deliver mail, and another sees you assist with an exercise routine. Even if some missions feel similar, there is usually a twist to the formula. The whole adventure is low stakes, so you can just enjoy the act of exploring. The PS5 controller even lights up when you use the squeak button, which is always a plus.

I do have a few nitpicks, mostly down to the games use of vertical movement. The mouse has an animation that plays when landing from tall heights, and this gets tedious since you're constantly climbing up and down buildings. There's also no kind of jump button, so you will run into moments where the place you want to go is just on the other side of a slightly tall ledge. As such, you have to take the long way around.

This title was a lot of fun. Each area was brimming with atmosphere, and I anticipated what challenges waited around every corner. I especially enjoyed the gunplay, as each weapon was fun to experiment with.

The game can be extremely vague about certain things. This is mostly due to a lack of dialogue, as all mechanics are explained using images or context clues. This is usually great, but that does mean it's easy to accidentally ignore certain features. For instance, despite knowing they existed, I never got used to chain dashing or stamina management. The game also likes to hide secrets just out of view. It can be incredibly fun to notice a strange wall that leads to a secret tunnel with upgrade material, but it can also be frustrating when the collectible required for progression is hidden behind a wall inside a jail cell that you walked past on five separate occasions.

The morph mechanic is done very well in this game. After killing an enemy, Harlo can morph into them, giving them new attacks and traversal options. Kill enough of the same type of enemy, and now Harlo can transform into them anywhere on the map, which is quite a clever mechanic for a Metroidvania. On top of Morphing, players can completely change their playstyle by equipping different chips and momentos.

The game is very pretty. Each area is well detailed and oozing with atmosphere. I appreciate that the mini-map shows unique details in certain rooms, making it easier to remember the layout.

My biggest issue is that the menus in the game can be unwieldy. When teleporting or reviewing side-quests, it's difficult to tell which option is selected because the highlight is understated. When using the SAVE stations, the player must enter one menu to modify their loadout, and then a separate menu for the Fast Travel, which is clunky. My last issue is with the dialogue. The story is good, but the conversations between certain characters can last way longer than I feel is needed.

The animations are a highlight. Each animal strikes a perfect balance between realistic movements and cartoony expressiveness. It's incredibly fun to run into humans, grab their phones, and scurry off to the back alleys.

The game is very concise. If you only go for the main objective, there's not much stopping you from beating the game quickly. That said, the appeal is exploring the city streets and participating in side quests. I was constantly surprised by the number of characters to meet, each with their own stories going on. It's also just plain fun to explore buildings, collect shiny objects, and pose for Photo Mode.

I will say, the platforming takes some getting used to. A lot of the platforming is automatic, but there are times where the cat grabs the wrong ledge, or refuses to climb a surface because you aren't at the proper angle. That said, the ability to pounce (controlling where you jump) helps make the platforming a lot more deliberate, which is incredibly useful.