Who would not love finding 100 cute cats? Well, maybe in real life that would be too many to take care of, but in terms of a free game on Steam, they are a pretty good find. And because the 100 Asian Cats game is completely free on Steam, anyone who finds the concept of this hidden object game appealing can head over to Steam and start playing right away.
As one might expect from a free title, the gameplay in 100 Asian Cats is pretty simple, although it works well and does what it is supposed to do. Players are presented with a black and white line drawing of an Asian landscape, in this case a large building or temple that looks like something out of the Ghost of Tsushima game. It’s a nice pencil-type drawing which was obviously done by hand. However, it holds a secret, or more precisely, 100 secrets.
Hidden to varying degrees throughout the picture are 100 cats, which are also drawn in the same style as the rest of the art, meaning that they are black and white and blend in with the landscape. Players are tasked with finding and clicking on the 100 hidden cats. Every time a cat is revealed, a little meow sound bellows as a reward. A newly discovered cat also becomes colored in once clicked so that it then stands out against the landscape. And finally, a burst of colorful confetti pops up as a final token of celebration. This miniature fanfare is on the small side, but it’s also pretty fun and rewarding.
And, as a really nice bonus, players are given a Steam trophy for every single cat that is discovered which features the cat’s name and their image as it appears in the game. So, if only their tail is exposed, that is what their trophy looks like. Besides being a nice touch to learn that every single animal in 100 Asian Cats has a name, reward hunters and completionists should also be thrilled to earn 100 trophies from a free game.
The map itself that serves as the backdrop for 100 Asian Cats is drawn with a lot of straight lines, especially in the middle part, which makes spotting the various cats with their rounded features kind of easy in a lot of cases. Not every cat will be easy to spot, and some only have small parts like their tails or paws exposed, although most players will likely find the first 50 or so right away with little problem since they are literally sitting out in the open. The title helpfully counts down the number of cats that remain hidden, so players know exactly how many are left to find.
To assist players in discovering all of the hidden felines, especially the few which are really well blended in with the landscape, there are several tools. The most useful one is the ability to zoom into the drawing using the mouse wheel, which is great for checking out small spaces to try and find a cat’s ear or tail hidden in a plant or behind the intricate design of a balcony railing. The map is also scrollable since you can’t see the entire picture on a single screen.
Most players that GiN had challenge the game found the first 80 cats pretty quickly, and then slowed down for the final few which are really well hidden. If you get down to where there are just a few left and are truly stumped, there is a hint button that causes a large cat’s head outline to appear on the screen where one of the final hidden cats is located. And if all else fails, there does not seem to be any penalty for clicking on the screen in an area where you think any cats might be hiding to see if that reveals anything.
While the first map for 100 Asian Cats is free, there is also a DLC which can be purchased which adds a new map and 100 more cats to find. The DLC is priced at just 99 cents, so if you enjoyed the free map, then paying a dollar to extend the experience seems like a good deal, and a nice way to support the developer. The title is actually part of the 100 Cats series by the developer 100 Hidden Animals, all of which are free to play, at least in terms of the first level, on Steam. The 100 Christmas Cats game is out now, and both 100 Capitalist Cats and 100 London Cats are due to release sometime soon.
Free titles can sometimes be hit or miss, but 100 Asian Cats makes the grade by providing a really neat bit of entertainment that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of their age or skill as a gamer. And 100 Asian Cats has over 2,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam which seem well-earned. If a quick hidden object game seems like something that you might enjoy, then head over to Steam as there are 100 cute cats just waiting to be discovered and clicked on.
I wish this was on iOS. This looks lovely and soothing.