Hello everyone! We are Team Woll, the developers of CATO. From submitting our "completion equals victory" initial demo at BOOOM Expo in 2022 to now, we have been sprinting toward the final stages of development. Over the past two years, we have revamped the art style, developed our own level editor, and designed nearly 600 levels (including drafts). The official release will feature around 100 levels. We are currently refining and polishing these levels and expect to launch the game this fall!
Yesterday, we released a promotional trailer for the Steam Next Fest in June, showcasing previously unseen gameplay footage. Now, it's time to introduce the exciting content we've prepared!
Here's a brief introduction for those unfamiliar with CATO: it's a pixel-art platform puzzle game where you control both a cat and a piece of buttered toast, using various mechanisms to solve puzzles within the levels.
Currently Revealed Level Mechanics:
[Cat Scratching Board]
In the latest demo, we’ve added the cat’s favorite toy – the scratching board, to address the issue of the cat being too heavy to jump.
The scratching board provides strong grip, allowing the cat to climb over obstacles and even rotate 180° to climb the ceiling. Controller players will feel a vibration feedback from the cat’s paws while climbing.
[Butter Trampoline]
If the scratching board isn't enough to help the cat jump high, use the Butter Trampoline! With the same bouncy texture (and sound) as buttered toast, jumping from it can bounce the cat back to its original height. If the bounce isn't high enough, climb higher and jump down!
[Speedy Cat Tube]
When the cat enters the tube, it transforms into a liquid cat. The Speedy Cat Tube, equipped with a special pressure device, allows the liquid cat to shoot out like a bullet. It won't stop until it hits a wall!
[Phase Swap Robot - Swappy]
This UFO-like robot has a special space-swapping function. It can instantly exchange the positions of the cat and toast, allowing them to reach places they coun't on thier own. It can also save the cat in critical moments.
[Gravity Field]
A special field that reverses gravity. Inside, gravity is inverted: walking down becomes walking up, and throwing toast up makes it fall down butter-side first.
Main Gameplay: Puzzle-Solving with Minor Action Elements
The main gameplay of CATO focuses on puzzles rather than precise platforming. Unlike typical platformers that test your jumping skills, most of our levels emphasize puzzle-solving. However, some friends may have noticed a giant robot in the PV – the "Bouncy Jellyfish Beast"!
This is the first boss encountered in the adventure, a bad robot trying to block your path with its weight. Certain levels will indeed test your action skills.
There's also a sketch of a boss scenario that's been dropped for the time being
In addition, there are more challenging hidden side levels and mini-games unlocked as you progress. We’re preparing more mini-games for you to replay anytime once unlocked.
Some attempts of visualize the scene in development
Current Development Progress
We are in the final stages of production, reselcting, arranging, and optimizing all previously produced levels. We are also testing and fixing bugs, polishing visuals, and finalizing the music and sound effects.
Some snippets from the level design progress
Some modeling stages
CATO Robots abandoned due to development challenges; we prefer traditional paper and pen for design sketches.
During the daily development, CATO is typically represented as a simple sketch in our level design drafts.
Lastly, a fun tidbit: last month at GFUSION Guangzhou, Sifu speedrunner EileenCream played our game. He spent a long time in a corner, seriously playing, recording, and comparing with his phone, He approached the game like he was researching a speedrun. We thought he wouldn't be much faster than us, but he showed us a recording of an exploit he discovered, showcasing a faster-than-ever method. In some ways, he might understand our game better than we do. He even helped us uncover many unseen bugs. Incredible!
We've been pushing ourselves to the limit, but the speedrunning experts never cease to amaze us!
This is our first time developing a project of this scale, and seeing players explore our game in unexpected ways has been a thrilling and refreshing experience for us. We truly appreciate all the support and enthusiasm from our community. As we approach the official release, we hope to see even more astonishing feats from everyone!
CATO is slated for an official release this fall. Don't forget to add it to your wishlist!