Calico Review

"Absolutely Adorable"

Campaign

January 7, 2021 at 7:35pm
By Jason Stettner

This is one absolutely charming and delightfully adorable experience. This is definitely focused on the younger female demographic, but in general it can be a lovely time for anyone. It’s a fairly simple in concept, yet decently complex sort of setup.

You’re attempting to run this cat café. You do so by completing quests for the townsfolk, collecting various local critters and also doing some baking. It’s actually less about the shop itself, and more about the various things you do around the café. Now while I say it’s not necessarily entirely focused on the location, if you want to go wild in decorations you can.

You’re able to head in there and swap around furniture, or even set what sorts of creatures you have sitting around. You can grab cats, but other animals are present such as capybaras or bunnies. You can even use a certain spell and turn them into a mount if you’d like. Nothing more hilarious then balancing a cat on your head, holding another and then finally doing all that while riding a third cat.

It’s just wild, of course you can switch up animals but you get the just of what I mean. You can interact with the animals by petting them, playing games or doing other tasks. As mentioned there are missions to do, these aren’t too complex, and mostly act as ways to open up the island further which is a neat touch for sure. It does provide a good amount of content to it, and I suppose you could burn through hours building up your establishment.

Gameplay

I wouldn’t call this the most detailed of worlds, but it’s got a lovely art aesthetic to it that’s matched by charming music. It’s just the most relaxing of atmospheres to gallop through via cat and that’s just awesome. It really is a different sort of experience, ever so calming and unique. It has a cool style to it in terms of the animal models and it features some nice customization for your character. At the same time, some male type options would have been cool as well.

I suppose that doesn’t matter too much, but I thought it was worth mentioning. The environments were fairly barren, but you do get some very distinct locations to travel to. Within these spots are some truly charming spots to visit. This includes the capybara hot springs or the high hill to find your friend and the café itself is nice.

As mentioned you’re completing quests, and you have an element of café management when it comes to the furniture layout. That’s also true in regards to the types of critters you have there, it’s a shame there’s a limit. Past that, you also do physically cook as this smaller version of yourself in a mini game format. That also means you’ll need to buy additional recipes, alongside other items to make your place look even cooler. There are additional quests that are part of that, and there’s generally a good amount of things to take part in.

The Conclusion

Calico is a lovely game that provides a very calming atmosphere and some delightful moments. It really is just easy going to play, and perfect for its target audience. It brings vibrant visuals in a neat art aesthetic that works perfectly for the style of game this is. I loved the mount mechanics, and the hilarious physics involved in holding onto animals.

They have a wide range of critters to use across your adventure, and a neat set of townsfolk to engage with. It’s a very well done title that can be a lot of fun to play, and definitely acts as a neat experience to dive into. It’s certainly something unique, and there are not too many games out there like it.

I definitely think they hit the mark here. Just keep in mind it’s not necessarily the most complex of games, but it has a lot of diversity in mechanics and things you experience. From the cooking features to getting around and also the way you’re able to customize your areas.

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Calico Review on Xbox Series X
Review Code Provided by Indie Bros

Rating Overall: 7.6