Quantum Meowchanics
HIGH A cute hedgehog ranting about the worthlessness of AI.
LOW Too many cosmetics, somehow.
WTF Why is there so much lore in the codex entries?
A secretive corporation doing some kind of nefarious research while a mysterious quantum ghost cat urges the protagonist forward, and there’s plenty of pseudo-science technobabble to explain how one cat can become two.
The world of Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar is as eccentric as its punny name would imply. It’s got talking animals, cutesy design aesthetics and goofy jokes, all exemplified in the constant exchanges between protagonist Mittens, a literal cat burglar, and her “guy in the chair,” the adorable hedgehog Lazy Susan.
Mittens finds herself trapped in a giant underground research laboratory filled with robots, a malicious AI and many, many security systems to contend with. Luckily she’s just gained the power to split into two selves after an accident with the “Dual Event Synthesizer.” Therefore we have Schrodinger’s Cat — inspiration for the game’s titular joke and central mechanic.
It’s a third-person puzzle experience first and foremost. Although Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar clearly aligns itself in the tradition of Portal, tight controls and movement are not on offer. Controlling the Mittens (plural) is a methodical affair but for a few extra challenge sections that require timing — players will be wracking their brains here, rather than giving their thumbs a workout. However, the puzzles are engaging and challenging without ever crossing into frustration, many often capable of being completed within 5-10 minutes.
An early puzzle, for instance, requires the player to have one cat hop atop a cart stacked with boxes while the other one pushes it across the room, enabling the cat riding the cart to jump to a higher platform. From there the cat has to move onto another, even more stacked cart to once again be pushed across the room to the prize. Simple enough, right?
But like the best entries in its genre, the puzzles add increasing complexity as the player progresses. First it’s just splitting the cat(s) to press down buttons and open doors, but the devs gradually add more systems like weights, levers, and batteries to keep things interesting. These additions are well-paced, and I never hit a moment where the complexity felt overwhelming.
Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar can also be played solo or co-op. With two players, each player takes control of one cat when Mittens splits up. I played solo and found it easy enough to maneuver the two cats on each of the thumbsticks of my controller and I never encountered any significant platforming difficulty doing so.
As Mittens makes her way through the facility, she’ll pick up money, data chips and quantum fragments. Earning some less-common currency requires taking on more challenging puzzles, but all of it can be used to buy cosmetic upgrades with more sought-after currencies unlocking the bigger and better items. Ultimately, the player can have two very different-looking cats when mittens splits. Developer Abandoned Sheep clearly loves felines and has put a lot of time into crafting customization that’s on par with some RPG character creators. Hats, collars, fur length, fur color, and eyes each have a bevy of options to unlock. If anything, there may be too many cosmetics — it may have been nice if those different currencies opened up some other form of reward.
Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar doesn’t revolutionize the puzzle genre or offer a story of such depth to touch some deep philosophical truth, but its playful personality and well-implemented central mechanic makes it a worthwhile pickup for folks who like a good brain teaser.
Score: 8 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is developed and published by Abandoned Sheep. It is currently available on PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 7 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the main storyline was not completed. There is a co-op mode that was not played for this review.
Parents: This game has not been rated by the ESRB. However, it does not contain any adult material and could be played by children without supervision.
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes available.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: Game information is communicated purely through text. (See examples above.) There are no audio cues or effects necessary to play. The game is fully accessible.
Controls: The game’s controls are remappable while using either controllers or keyboard and mouse.
Stephen Cook is a Canadian journalist moonlighting as a video games critic. He grew up as the pixel gave way to the polygon and has a long, jaded view of industry fads and failures since. But more than just a grumpy old man, Stephen has a special love for indies, underdogs, and passion projects — games that remind us of the aspirations and possibilities within the medium. He started writing for GameCritics.com in 2021.
Latest posts by Stephen Cook (see all)