Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first few minutes of Cat Pöke are disarmingly direct. You are indoors on a rainy day, controlling a little girl whose chosen cure for boredom is to find nine cats and poke them. It is juvenile, deliberately strange, and funny enough that the basic objective has real pull: you want to see where the next cat is hiding and whether the game has another absurd solution waiting.

This is not just a matter of walking into every room and collecting a set of cats. A few can be found straight away, while others need to be lured out with items. The inventory is the center of the puzzle side: you pick up objects, combine their uses, and place them precisely to coax particular cats into reach. That gives the short game a welcome second step beyond simple exploration.

Frustration is likely to arrive when a cat’s solution depends on precise placement. The game asks you to infer the right combination from the rooms and the items you have collected, so progress can stall if you are trying possibilities without a strong lead. Still, the inventory screen tracks how many cats you have poked, which makes the remaining task clear and gives the hunt a satisfying, manageable endpoint.

Graphics

The side-view rooms give you a simple house to search, with the little girl, scattered items, and hidden cats carrying the scene. The game’s imagery springs from the fake Neco Toüch cartridge concept—a finger and a cat—and its odd premise is appropriately reflected in the straightforward act of stalking cats through a home.

Story

There is barely any need for elaborate plot here, and Cat Pöke understands that. Rain keeps the girl inside, boredom takes over, and the cats become targets for her mischievous pastime. It is a clean excuse to start moving through the house.

The charm comes from how committed the game is to that small, ridiculous setup. Poking cats is not framed as a grand quest; it is the sort of aimless, slightly obnoxious thing a bored child might decide is important for an afternoon. That modest scale suits a short competition game.

Do not come in expecting character drama or a big narrative payoff. The story’s contribution is tone: a strange little rainy-day joke that makes each newly discovered cat feel like another punchline.

Overall Experience

Cat Pöke is a compact novelty with a better hook than its deliberately goofy title suggests. The search for all nine cats gives it shape, and the item-based solutions mean you have something to do besides admire the premise. Its short length works in its favor; the joke does not have time to wear out completely.

The trade-off is that the puzzle logic can be more demanding than the breezy setup implies. If you dislike trial-and-error item puzzles or precise object placement, the humor may not be enough to carry you through a sticking point. If you enjoy eccentric, concise games built around one strong comic idea, it is an easy recommendation for a brief session.

The payoff is modest but real: finishing the cat count turns a throwaway gag into a complete little scavenger puzzle. It is best treated as a playful curio, not a deep platformer, and it earns its time by being specific, weird, and pleasantly finite.

Retro Replay Score

6.5/10