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Operation: Catday's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Community's Voice | #57 | 3.462 | 3.462 |
Ranked from 39 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Creative Vision / Rationale / How Did You Incorporate the Theme
The theme of generosity shaped everything we made. We were inspired by how small, thoughtful acts can ripple outward, creating unexpected moments of joy, connection, and healing. In our game, a simple gift from a cat becomes something more — a reminder that you're seen, even on the hardest days.
We wanted our game to capture a youthful sense of wonder, that feeling you get when experiencing something for the very first time. It’s bright, overwhelming, and a little magical. Over time, that feeling can fade… but through this game, we hoped to rekindle a bit of it.
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Comments
//Slight? Spoilers?
Incredibly sweet!
I did get stuck a little because I just don't do well with those street jumping games and it took me a moment to realise where the borders were (aka cat taking up both lanes instead of one). My uh, "neck" also got stiff after crossing the street - I'm not sure if it was me tabbing out in between but I couldn't fully turn around anymore and my turning was limited to my mouse cursor travel for just 1 length of my screen, if that makes sense? For the shelves, it would be nice if the viewfinder would also move with WASD or have a note of dragging LMB because we didn't hold it down anywhere else in the game so it wasn't immediately intuitive. I also wish I could've actively given half of a quest item to box cat before moving on to the art store but I'm assuming that didn't make it in due to time constraint. Other than that the game works really well on default settings/without full screen as well!
The story is cute, concise and presents small joys really effectively! The visual is charming and the sound was implemented really well as well. I love the funny bits thrown into the dialog and I'd love to adopt box cat... just look at the little creature...
//Slight? Spoilers?
Incredibly sweet!
I did get stuck a little because I just don't do well with those street jumping games and it took me a moment to realise where the borders were (aka cat taking up both lanes instead of one). My uh, "neck" also got stiff after crossing the street - I'm not sure if it was me tabbing out in between but I couldn't fully turn around anymore and my turning was limited to my mouse cursor travel for just 1 length of my screen, if that makes sense? For the shelves, it would be nice if the viewfinder would also move with WASD or have a note of dragging LMB because we didn't hold it down anywhere else in the game so it wasn't immediately intuitive. I also wish I could've actively given half of a quest item to box cat before moving on to the art store but I'm assuming that didn't make it in due to time constraint. Other than that the game works really well on default settings/without full screen as well!
The story is cute, concise and presents small joys really effectively! The visual is charming and the sound was implemented really well as well. I love the funny bits thrown into the dialog and I'd love to adopt box cat... just look at the little creature...
So many cute cats!
I really like the 2D art with the 3D camera, though maybe it would be nice if the camera wasn't so close up.
The sounds and the music are also very nice and cosy. Maybe it would be even better if there were more minigames, like the one for crossing the road.
Great work to both of you for your first game.
Cat!!!!!!! Super cute art and animations!! Couldnt stop clicking just to see the tiny paws.
Everyone else has already pointed out how cute the game is and they're absolutely right! I love cozy artstyle and atmosphere, and the music fits perfectly with this little whimsical cat adventure. For the gameplay, it was mostly fine, but admittedly I did have trouble with the minigames. The crossing one for instance treats two roads as one for the cat. The camera also got stuck at the park area and wouldn't turn all the way which made it troublesome to look around. I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to dig in the park as a result and had to restart. But aside from those hiccups, this is a very charming concept and I had fun, great work!
So cute!! I love the light-hearted and playful feel of the game. The drawn aesthetic and music really works to make that whimsical cat life charm.
This program really does make one feel like a feline creature.
thanks! I'm glad you felt like a feline creature
Aww! :3 It's immensely cute! I really loved the story and the style of the game!
The gameplay is fun, exploring, talking to characters, I didn't want it to end!
The mini-games are interesting - cars are easy and fun, but searching on the shelf was a little bit awkward to control. Very hard to move!
Overall nice game! Lucy is one very generous cat!
glad you enjoyed it :) yeah the minigames were a bit rushed, but hopefully it didn't get in the way of the story. thanks for playing!
Very lovely style! Interactions are simple but fun. The park is a bit confusing and took me some time to get through. I would suggest making the interact marker show at a further distance.
Thanks for playing Amelia! :D Feedback duly noted, definitely will be changing the interact marker post-jam.
Very cute game! The art style is very cozy and welcoming. It did remind me of some old games I used to play when I was a kid. Congrats on your first game!
I wish there was some music in the street crossing mini game. I admit, I did very poorly in that department, so I had to replay it a few times, and the lack of sound was noticeable.
Dialogue was fun and the game was overall responsive, and I enjoyed the way everything was implemented.
Thank you so much! We’re super happy with the outcome, and appreciative of the community! ;_; <3 We did run out of time, but adding music during the minigame is definitely a plan. Thank you for playing!
Aaaa :3 this game is so cute!! I was totally immersed in the world, it really captures that cozy, magical first-time wonder you were going for. The art and music felt like a warm hug, and actually made me smile.
I did get stuck at the “explore the park” part, my camera bugged out and stopped following, but a quick refresh fixed it. Just thought I’d flag it in case it helps!
Overall, such a sweet and heartfelt experience. You made something really lovely 💛
AAAAA Thank you so much for playing! :’) <3 This was so sweet, and your message also made me smile!
This game captures that youthful sense of wonder for sure, I call that feeling kinderment. I loved the bright art style and of course the adorable Mochi! Unfortunately the park disappeared and because I had the known bug of the 180 in Fullscreen camera view, I was unable to reposition the perspective and had to refresh multiple times to progress. But as a result I got SUPER good at the cross the road game haha. I would love to play this game again after an update!
Kinderment haha, love that! That’s exactly the feeling I got from your lovely game too ^^ THE ADORABLE MOCHI! I’m curious to know if you noticed the real-life picture of Mochi we snuck in at the final cutscene, he’s just the most adorable pom ever.
Thanks so much for playing Miadora, especially giving us a few tries. This community has been incredible and I wish you all the best!
Haha, this game was totally made for me wasn't it?
I love making games that feature doodles (and cats), and to make one in 3D is creative! I like the inclusion of the minigames, and the ending was satisfying (though I feel bad that I couldn't give boxcat the fish). I felt a little lost exploring the park but the world was small enough to fully navigate so it wasn't a big issue. I also crossed the roads first try :P
Congrats on completing your first gamejam game! It felt complete to me, you should be proud of what you accomplished. Operation Catday was a success :D
THIS WAS SO NICE! We’re very proud of all those aspects mentioned, so I’m so happy you enjoyed! We’re excited to add more dialogue and improve the overall experience (gotta show Boxcat some more love!).
Hey, first comment saying they nailed the roads! That’s awesome LOL. I feel once you get used to the clunkiness of it visually, it gets easier.
KITTY KING, THANKS AGAIN! Congrats to you, too for rocking out a successful jam!
What can I say, I'm a natural feline gameplay expert ;)
I'm looking forward to seeing this game develop further! More dialogue, more doodles, more design input, and more delightful cat derivatives will definitely deliver :D
If you'd like to collab, add me on discord! @kittyking101
I loved the aesthetics of the game, I felt like I was playing something from PS1 related to Parappa the Rapper.
I admit that I may have been a bit bad, but I spent a good few minutes trying to cross the scary street, and when I managed to, I couldn't find any indication of what to do when I should explore the park...
Good luck, we'll probably be neck and neck in the art category.
OMG, I hadn’t heard of Parappa, but I absolutely adore the artstyle! Thanks for playing haha, good luck to ya ^^
operation cat day was mostly successful! although the game seemed out have bugged out right at the very last mission, i enjoyed myself thoroughly till that point. 'that youthful sense of wonder' both of you wanted to capture? for the most part, that's exactly what i felt! charming art that had a hand-drawn touch; to be able to flap your paws on right-click, colorful characters. the only thing i feel broke immersion was the 'crossing the streets' mini-game, it felt a little out of place.
it was a bright and beautiful world, well done!
Hi SoulSpiller, thank you for your thoughtful message ;_; <3 I’m sad to hear it bugged for you, [mini-spoiler] since the final cutscene reveals the whole premise and motives of the cat. Seems that’s the first instance we’ve heard of that happening. Appreciate you very much!
Loved the art, very cute.
Like everyone mentioned the crossing game is hard. Possibly because it's a known type of game (Crossy Road) but behaves in another way, because the vertical spacing is different. Maybe if you space it in a more forgiving manner (make a safe space between each road at least, or less cars) it would help players.
Good job!
Cheshire Cat! Thank you so much for playing & for your thoughts! The minigame was inspired by Crossy Roads, but the perspective differences presented a challenge for us (3D vs 2D). We do wish we had more time to optimize the minigame visually and playtest it more. It has been really cool to see everyone’s suggestions on how to improve it :D Thanks again!
Hihi everyone! Thank you to the community so far for your lovely reception and feedback! This has all been beyond anything we could’ve ever imagined and we hoped the story was able to touch a bit of your hearts :)
We have been reading every comment, and have implemented a hints section on the itch.io page to improve the experience in case you get lost. We recognize that the car-crossing game can be a bit difficult, but I promise that the story and main gameplay lies beyond that point (it’s worth it, trust!)
Additionally, note that you can run and jump in the world (Lshift & Space). Thanks all once again! <3
hi sarina it's Chris-
Totally in love with the visual and auditory presentation of Operation: Catday. One of the games I remember being glued to was Dog's Life on PS2, and your short game really captured that feeling for me--I'm just a cat, I do cat things. I loved the ramen shop and how it was putting me into some really nostalgic mood relating to watching Spirited Away. Just childhood memories, wuzzy and fuzzy.
Given more time, I'd love for you guys to address the bugs others mentioned. In addition, I was a bit surprised at the difficulty of the crossing traffic minigame. From my part, it felt like wow I'm really opening up to this world, and then suddenly snapped into a both luck and skill based game. I felt a rush of frustration having to learn how to complete a challenge that felt a bit out of place with this whimsical world. Perhaps you guys would consider lowering the difficulty a bit? Or maybe pushing it later into the experience.
Lovely, charming jam work!
Hey Chris, super stoked to know we’ve been able to capture that feeling for you! I also grew up playing many pet games on the DS (although these were more so taking care of them): Dogz, Nintendogs, Petz Bunnyz.
In hindsight, would definitely have spent more time optimizing the car game (struggled with time, ambitious plans LOL). The idea was to introduce minigames early on, but agree that does take away from the exploration and story-building. LESSONS LEARNED!
Thank you for your time & feedback! :D
This is my first time seeing a first person 2.5D Game and Woah it looks so good!!!
Most of the time I'm just admiring the art by exploring the map!!
Some feedback
- Would be great if there's a Interact indicator, I got lost why i cant cross the street until i press e
- for the crossing game, It's probably my skill issue but took me a while to beat that part cause even standing between the cars it will still count as lose
- is the camera supposed to be locked 180 degrees? would be great if i could turn around without any restraint hehe
Other than that, The visuals and playing as a cat in first person and the 2.5D Artstyle was purrfect!!
Well Done! :D
Hi Vorgiven, I’m so happy to hear you had fun exploring the art! ^^ We tried to make the world feel as full as possible given the limited time.
In response to your feedback
Thank you so much for playing & for the thoughtful feedback! CHEERS!
I can’t say anything it hasn’t been said yet. The hand drawn art looks great and I really like how it looks in the 3D world so bright and colorful. You got so much content into the game. As some commenters said some “misisons” are a little confusing. Maybe adding some details on the game page could help if players get lost.
Here is how you can add “hidden spoilers”: /t/2151831/adding-spoiler-text-to-your-game-description
Good work!
;__; Thank you so much Josep, this was very kind of you! We were quite ambitious for our very first game and jam, and had to cut a bunch of little things out. Extremely proud of our solo-programmer Mr. Patrocc!
That link is perfect to add clues, we'll look to update our itch.io page. I believe this will greatly improve the experience. THANK YOU!