A Planet Full of Cats

A Planet Full of Cats sends space bounty hunter Judy to investigate a mysterious signal from the Federated Feline System, exploring illustrated temples, frozen labs, and fungal forests to rescue hundreds of scattered cats along the way. Developed and self-published by Devcats, the studio behind a run of well-loved "hidden kitty" games, it released on 9 April 2026 for $7.99 on Windows and Linux. This review's research found a "Very Positive" review sample (542 of 606 total, 89.4%) shaped by an unusually loyal fanbase whose reaction split not over whether they liked the game, but over how comfortable they were with how far it pushed beyond the studio's established formula.

Devcats' biggest game yet, reviewers say, with real story ambition

The clearest throughline in this review's research was recognition that this is a meaningfully bigger, more narrative-driven game than Devcats' earlier work. One self-described devoted fan wrote, "I will automatically buy any Devcats game the second it releases... This one feels more involved when it comes to story than past installments, which is incredibly exciting." Another longtime player, describing themselves as having "played most of their 'hidden kitty' games," called it "another worthy title," specifically praising a new mechanic requiring players to find invisible hidden clouds using a scanning ability. Reviewers repeatedly named individual environments — fungal forests, frozen labs — rather than offering generic "pretty graphics" praise, a sign the world design itself was landing.

A loyal fanbase genuinely torn by a launch-week navigation crisis

Set against that enthusiasm, this review's research found one of the more emotionally specific complaint threads in this lane's coverage. Longtime fans didn't just dislike the launch state — several described real heartbreak over it. One wrote, "I need to start by saying this breaks my 'find cats' heart to give anything Devcats a bad review... It lost the original Devcats feel," citing that "you can't teleport until the end" and describing a game where "if you miss one door, you can't" easily find your way back. Another detailed getting completely stuck after the first boss fight: "I am at a loss and cannot proceed... Also, a hint button (similar to previous entries in the series) would be much appreciated." A third called it bluntly "the worst game in this series," citing crashes alongside "all the backtracking and quests" as sources of stress rather than the cozy feeling the series was known for.

A rapid, unusually specific sequence of fixes

This review's research found that complaint cluster met with one of the more thorough, transparent developer responses seen in this lane's coverage. In a post titled "Thank you!" shortly after launch, Devcats wrote plainly that watching players "helped us notice some obvious things we unfortunately overlooked," listing a new hint type "now available from the very beginning of the game" among the first fixes. A "Boss Fight Patch" followed, adding hint availability during boss encounters and promising a proper navigation system. A "Quality of Life Update" then added a "quick-travel capsule" at key locations to cut down on backtracking, plus new map icons. The sequence culminated in a "2.0" update whose own patch notes are candid about the scope of the original problem: "we realized just how cryptic some of the game's navigation had become... the game lacked clear progression guidance," before listing the fix — map markers, visual hints, fast travel, and a full quest-tracking system, "so players are no longer frustrated in terms of figuring out what to do next."

A formula shift some fans still mourn, even as the game improved

Not every complaint was about missing tools — some reviewers specifically mourned the shift in identity itself. One wrote that the game "was trying to be a traditional puzzle game, very much not 'find cats.' The cats were the easiest part," missing the series' traditional emphasis on the hidden-object search itself over combat and puzzle-solving. That's a complaint no patch can fully resolve, since it's about design direction rather than a bug, and this review's research treats it as a genuine, still-live tension for longtime fans rather than one the "2.0" update fully closes.

A fanbase that stuck around despite the rocky start

Achievement data backs up the picture of a loyal, committed playerbase pushing through frustration rather than abandoning the game outright: of 65 total achievements, the easiest sits at 95.2% completion while even the hardest sits at 49.1% — an unusually high floor compared to other games this lane has covered, suggesting that most buyers who started the game also finished the bulk of its content, navigation troubles and all.

A hint mechanic that confused before it clarified

One narrower thread in this review's research is worth separating out from the broader navigation crisis: an early hint mechanic did technically exist at launch, but had to be earned as an in-game upgrade rather than being available from the start, which confused players used to the series' more immediately accessible design. One reviewer initially assumed the feature was simply missing, writing "a Hint button would be nice," before editing their own review days later: "The Hint button is in the game, but it has to be earned as an upgrade, because it's a metroidvania game, with upgrades, deep story and a lot of puzzles." Another reviewer defended the system on similar terms, noting that breakable panels hiding upgrades "could" have been signposted more clearly but were findable "within 10-20 minutes of playing the game" once a player knew to look. That the developer's "Thank you!" post specifically named making a hint type available "from the very beginning of the game" as one of its first fixes suggests Devcats read this particular confusion as a real design misstep worth correcting quickly, rather than dismissing it as players simply not understanding a metroidvania structure.

A Planet Full of Cats reads as a genuinely ambitious swing from a small, well-loved studio that briefly lost sight of what made its earlier games comfortable to play, then responded to that specific feedback about as directly and quickly as a developer can. The story and world-building clearly landed even with fans frustrated by the launch state, and the rapid string of navigation fixes means most of what soured the early experience is no longer there for new players — even if the underlying shift away from the series' cozier roots remains a genuine, ongoing point of disagreement among its most devoted fans.