Skip to main content

Purrfect Date review

Curiosity killed the cat.

Eurogamer.net - Recommended badge
Incredibly sweet and beautifully written, this is a meow-nificent choice for cat lovers, as long as you don't mind a bit of repetition.

In the Ehime Prefecture of Southern Japan, around 40 minutes from Nagahama Port, sits the remote, mile-long island of Aoshima. You may not have heard of Aoshima Island, but every year masses of tourists dock at its tiny harbour to sample the isle's hospitality. Yet, there are no shops, restaurants or cars, there's barely even people. You see, what Aoshima has to offer is cats. A lot of cats. In fact cats outnumber the approximately 20 elderly residents of the island by six to one, hence how the island earned the name Nekojima, or Cat Island.

However, Aoshima is not completely unique. It is one of eleven cat islands in Japan, each a curiosity for tourists and a haven for cat lovers. "If we make enough money from this game, it's our dream to visit a cat island", Bae Team's Ruby May Roberts told me at EGX in September, when I first dipped my paw into cat-dating simulator Purrfect Date. At the time, I thought little of her admission, perhaps blinded by the peculiarity of dating cats and churning out feline-related puns - or it may have been because Ruby, herself, was dressed as an adorable pink cat herself. Regardless, this statement did not strike me again until I sat down to play Purrfect Date in its entirety and I realised this dream had seeped its way into every fibre of the game. This is the work of people who really love cats

Watch on YouTube

Primarily a visual novel, crossed with a dating-simulator, Purrfect Date takes place over six main chapters. In each chapter, players take on the role of a different, newly appointed, human research assistant, employed to research and look after cats on the mysterious Cat Island, alongside the eccentric Professor Pawpur.

After selecting your first character, you quickly find yourself on a boat heading for Cat Island only to be greeted on shore by some abrasive security - a grumpy gentleman called Zane. Once your credentials have been checked, Zane shows you to the research area and introduces you to your new boss - the enthusiastic Professor Pawpur. There you're met with your first choice - what to drink with the professor? I chose whiskey, obviously. He seemed pleased. A good start.

Once Professor Pawpur has explained why you are there, to help research and care for the island's cats, he hands you a phone and something called a cat-a-log - a bit like a Pokédex for cats. You then set off to meet the island's feline residents and, of course, give them a good old scan with your new cat-a-log. Nothing out of the ordinary. The professor proceeds in explaining some of the island's history, revealing that part of the peanut-shaped island is home to Elder Cats, who are less than friendly and could potentially carry disease. That area is the Danger Zone. Not even Kenny Loggins himself would venture there.

Scanning Floofybutt with the cat-a-log.

After a long day, it's time for a well-needed cat nap. The fun starts tomorrow, or so you're led to believe. During the night something sneaks into your tent, stealing the cat-a-log and running off into the aforementioned Danger Zone. Rats. In the morning, you wake covered in scratches and surrounded by the feline residents you met earlier in the day - but now they can speak, more like you can understand. They inform you that you were scratched by an Elder cat and therefore have been catified, in other words you will turn into a cat. There is no antidote, but perhaps you may be able to create one, otherwise you will turn into a fully-fledged, hair-balling cat too. This is where the story truly begins.

In each chapter you are given a choice of what activities you want to partake in: research, romance or recon. You can only perform three recon and three research tasks per chapter, though you can perform up to five romance tasks with the cat you have chosen to date, but only one cat can be chosen per chapter so don't be greedy. However these can take place over several days, each task takes up one unit of energy and you only have four units of energy in a day. The only mandatory tasks are research, you must complete all three research tasks to end the chapter, but the choices you choose to make throughout the chapter will affect its outcome. There are also resting/dream events, and multiple hidden and random story events.

Your activity management window. The antidote completion percentage can also be tracked.

Research involves you carrying out your day-to-day tasks with Professor Pawpur, while partaking in tests to learn how to create the antidote. However some of the tasks the professor asks of you are questionable at best and will lead to difficult choices, making certain choices will upset your feline friends.

Recon involves investigating what is really going on at Cat Island and whether the Professor's intentions are really what he claims they are. This often involves working alongside the main cats and learning their back stories, as well as finding out what happened to previous assistants and uncovering who is the secret texter that's been sending you warnings.

Then of course there is romance. There are five main cats to date, and one secret unlockable cat. Your choices are: Floofybutt, the intellectual, Snooty Booty, very posh and resembling a shaved testicle; Trixie, your classic free-spirit; Kibbles, the manga nerd and McMurphy, the stereotypical drunken Irish charmer. You do not have sexual intercourse with any cat, at best there is some heavy petting. The dates involve getting to know your chosen mate on in a sweet and personal way, resulting in special revelations about their past and about the island itself.

The real difficulty with Purrfect Date is balancing your activities and trying not to make bad choices, much like in real life. If you choose not to romance any cats, or choose not to help the cats, you find your time on Cat Island unfulfilled and short-lived. However, if you spend too much time romancing cats, like a local stray, you may be sacrificing precious time finding a cure for your illness. Depending on which choices you make, both in your activities and within the story, more activities and potentially extra options are unlocked, providing an ever-branching story with many twists and turns.

My idea of a perfect date, getting drunk and talking about Bowie.

Purrfect Date is wonderfully written if a little cheesy, providing a riveting and unique story with all the dark humour you would expect in a classic British comedy. The game does not take itself too seriously, it knows dating cats is a bit weird and often makes tongue-in-cheek references to the fact and, let's be honest it is a bit weird and different, but that's good. I found myself sucked in, with each replay I became more invested in the mysteries of Cat Island. After several new games, I still don't know all the island's secrets and I'm not sure if I ever will. The problem I found was that once I had 'failed' the entire game, all six chapters, I was right back at the start, reading the same stories again and again until I found new ones. It can quickly become infuriating.

There are a lot of odd dating simulators on the market, often created with the purpose to shock or amuse, but Purrfect Date is the first I've played which is made with pure love and care. In every interaction, date, bizarrely painted dream sequence and cat, you get a sense of the developers' personalities and their dream to go to a real cat island. Purrfect Date is not just for cat lovers, it's for those who love a game with mystery, personality and the heart of British comedy - something a bit bizarre.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com