Homer’s The Odyssey has gained extreme popularity following the release of the film this year, and it is responsible for the word “odyssey.” However, the term has become synonymous with any epic trek. Neko is the Japanese word for cat. Thus, Neko Odyssey is a journey of cats—in this case, photographing them. The cats push the story forward, and the goal is always to discover more cats. The game is decidedly cute, combining pixel art with drawn components. And not once did I consider it anything but cozy. Unfortunately, it’s just not accessible for those with physical limitations.
Neko Odyssey features pixel art sprites in a 3D setting. Play as Miki, whose goal is to photograph and share as many photos of cats as she/you can. Each photo is “uploaded” to social media instantly and garners likes from your followers. As you become better known, your followers will offer tips on how to find new cats and poses. The storyline involves unravelling the town’s mysteries based on what is captured in the photos.
Photographing some cats is easy. Approach them until there’s an exclamation mark above their head, then select photograph. And yes, you can pet the cats. Some cats require a connection with you before allowing themselves to be photographed, and they’ll need things like cat food or fish to placate them. Cats show up in different places at different times of day, so you need to fully explore the town at all times to discover all the cats.
There are a wide variety of cats in the game: skinny cats, fat cats, grey cats, orange cats, cats who play with balls, cats who rub against surfaces, cats who smile at the camera, cats who will only show their behind to the camera. When you photograph the pixel art cats, the photos aren’t pixel art: they’re in cartoon form. I like this juxtaposition; it allows you to see details in photos you’d miss if they were pixel art too.
Minigames pop up now and then. In one, a cat has stolen a child’s food. To get it back, you need to move so slowly to grab at it. Go too fast, and it will strike with its claws. Go too slow, and the bag of food keeps getting closer to the cat. At first, I assumed button-mashing was the way to go, but thankfully the minigame was more subtle than that.
The Japanese setting is cute, though I find the colouring quite bland. Each shop or home has its own personality (and of course, its own cats) inside and out. The town is a series of 2D streets, attached at their corners. It’s a little weird at first, but I got used to it very quickly. For example, when you leave your home, the rest of the town is to the left. So take that street and go left. But an intersection will occur where you can turn and take a shortcut “forward” or keep going left. Cats can be found on any street, so be sure to visit each often; don’t get complacent and, say, always take the shortcut (where cats are rarely found).
Sometimes, the townsfolk will need help. A little pop-up will appear, detailing the time of day and location where someone needs help. There’s a very helpful, easy-to-read map available at the press of a button, so despite a laundry list of locations, they are all easy to find. These tasks usually involve cats. For example, the banner maker hates cats and has you luring them away.
I always find it upsetting to write that a developer needed to lean into accessibility, but that’s the case with Neko Odyssey. A game about photographing cats shouldn’t be stressful, and it certainly shouldn’t be physically painful. However, the game features minigames that cannot be removed, and at least one is literally impossible for me to get past. And it’s a big one: fishing. The problem with the fishing minigame is simple: you need to button-mash A to the high heavens. My hands don’t have the ability to do that. Not my thumb, not my index finger, not any of my other fingers. Fishing is the only way to get fish. Some cats demand fish before you photograph them. Thus, my collection will forever remain incomplete. There are no accessibility settings or difficulty settings, and no option to remove minigames. This is a huge oversight.
To say I’m disappointed in Neko Odyssey due to the accessibility issue is an understatement. A cute, cozy game about cats shouldn’t leave me in near-tears because I absolutely cannot complete something. I wasted so much money on bait, and for nothing. It certainly overshadows a lot of the positive elements, like the chill pace and cute animations, because when I think back, all I remember is frustration.
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