complimentary - to - play games often face appealing , but it ’s difficult to know at a glance whether the business model is insidious and playfulness ruining , or reasonable and worth pump a few buck into . With Freemium Field Test , we ’ll take a late free - to - caper iOS game , put it through its footstep , and let you know if it ’s really deserving your time ( and money ) .
Would you believe that a free - to - play plot about attracting cartoon cats into your home and backyard has die - hard fans ? True story ! See , Neko Atsume : Kitty Collectorwas first released in Japan last year with no aim of a worldwide discharge . But once English - address thespian got wind of it , they banded together on content board and social media , trading tips to help each other navigate the fully Nipponese menus .
It ’s thanks to those feline aficionados that we can all enjoy Neko Atsume in English today , as developer Hit - Point recently released a translated version . Was it worth the hold and all the net hype ? Sure , assuming you ’re not have a bun in the oven anything more than figuring out how to tempt lovely cats — and then admiring them .
The pitch
You ’ll start out simple : A couple toy and some food and you ’ll get some curious guests . Tubbs ate everything !
Given the title , Neko Atsume might fathom like a Pokémon - esque affair in which you assemble a company of cunning creature — but that would be dramatically hyperbolise it . In fact , there ’s really no active gameplay to be receive : You ’ll pick out item and pull off the musical arrangement of what ’s in your yard , leave the app for a little while , and then check up on back to see which CAT came by to call .
It ’s really that simple . Armed with eloquent Pisces bucks , you ’ll hit the in - plot store and purchase an regalia of toys to drop into your backyard . The shop class has more than 100 detail usable , including balls , composition board boxes , pillows , cat trees , basket , tunnels , scratching posts , and quad heaters . In other words , thing that purge get laid . But also things you might not associate with a cat — like a cowboy chapeau .
Once you ’ve grace the yard with plaything , you ’ll need to place some food to actually absorb the kitty near . Dry solid food , canned intellectual nourishment , and sashimi are all available , reckon on how much you want to spend ; each can on the face of it attract different eccentric of cats , so it ’s deserving trying them all . And then you wait . But not very longsighted : A few minute pass away and you ’ll likely have some endearing visitors the next prison term you fire up the app . Take some snap . Put them in your Catbook .
Senor Don Gato appears ! Cats in costume make all the wrangling seem well worth it .
And that ’s about it . There ’s no gameplay depth beyond attracting the computerized axial tomography and then photographing them for your collection : Mini - games might have been skillful , but it ’s really just about hanging out with cute cats . That said , there are deeper aim : Attractingallthe different cats , for object lesson , and peculiarly the special ace that only add up if you have certain token . The mustachioed Senor Don Gato , for example , or slugger Joe DeMeowgio .
Different toy dog and solid food can bring unlike furred admirer , plus you ’ll desire to expand your blank space from just the yard to part of the business firm , as well , and consider vary the radical of your place to attract other cat . And if you ’re captivated by this cute quat affair , like a surprising act of people are , then that ’s where you ’ll for certain be influence to spend a little John Cash .
The catch
Fish are the catch in Neko Atsume — get it?—as they ply the two class of currency useable in the game : Silver and Au . Each is used to purchase items and food for thought , although only the gold Pisces can purchase things like the flesh out yard and room themes , along with many of the more interesting toys . you’re able to exchange them back and onward in the store , but unsurprisingly , the gold fish are a mickle more valuable than the silvery ace .
Thanks for the fish , kind cats . Luckily , Tubbs repaid me handsomely for all the sashimi he devoured .
Fish are accrued slowly through turn : Each time a khat visits and plays with one of your miniature , it ’ll allow for you some Pisces bucks as a gift . fluent Pisces come more rapidly , of course ; you might receive a few dozen silver fish from an good afternoon of cat visit , but only a pair gold Pisces the Fishes . Also , wiretap the “ everyday password ” in the News bill of fare realize you spare silver fish for nothing — plus a fillip can of food for thought after five consecutive days . Still , unless you ’re keen on playing steadily for several days just to unlock a single high - end detail , you may want to spend a few bucks on some gold fish .
Luckily , Neko Atsume keep it to just that : A few bucks at a time . Quite literally , too , as the golden Pisces big bucks range in price between $ 1 and $ 4 apiece . I ca n’t think of another destitute - to - play plot covered in this column that ’s had a top purchase at just $ 4 , rent alone in single finger . Of of course , you could buy those bundlesover and over again , but the 300 gold fish you get for $ 4 are enough to purchase the inflate M and a handful of items , for example .
You ’ll never spend more than $ 4 at a meter — it ’s brisk to see a freemium game without brain - melt $ 50 or $ 100 leverage .
That ’s what I did at first , with the magnanimous area providing more spots to locate food for thought and items . Doing so earns you more gift each time , so you ’re essentially investing in a effective overall experience going onward . It ’s like buying a railcar coterie in a plot likeReal Racing 3 : Do it once and the rest of your turn experience will be improved without need for another purchase .
But I did purchase more : Another $ 4 was spend to fund a new theme for my space , along with a wide array of items . Eight bucks to placate some digital guy ? I ’ve pass more to judge and rule playfulness in less pleasing games , but my real cats — Taz and Einstein — would probably be disappoint . EspeciallyEinstein .
The verdict
Neko Atsume is a brilliant spot in a freemium food market increasingly dominated by joyless grinds — there are no requirements or restrictions on your time , and no expectations . It ’s all about watching silly , sweet cats hang out in your yard , and finding ways to discover even cooler one in the practical vicinity .
And you really can play it for free if you do n’t bear in mind seeing the same face lurk around , although spend just a few dollars can lay you up for more fun down the stock . Call it pointless , but this lovably lightweight Nipponese wonder is bring minuscule moments of joy to people amidst their everyday routine . Why not link them ?
