Kitty collector app collects fans
The game that’s swept the world seemingly overnight is free and can be held in the palm of your hand. Neko Atsume, translated as Kitty Collector, is an app that cropped up around October 2014. Since then, it has swept Japan, and then the world, with its adorable cats and the chance to collect them.
The idea of Neko Atsume is simple—you have a backyard, a lot of free space and time. The neighborhood cats will come into your yard if you have toys and food, and leave you gifts in the form of silver and gold fish. These fish can be used as currency to buy more toys, food and assorted kitty accessories from the shop. Currently there are 49 cats to collect—17 of which only come out of hiding for certain toys and treats.
Neko Atsume is played in real time, which means once you put out food and toys, you have to wait 10 to 15 minute for any cats to appear. And they will stay varied amounts of time, from 1 or 2 minutes to a good hour. When they leave, they will leave you gifts, and that number varies as well. Some rare cats leave a lot of fish.
The cats in this game all have unique names, personalities and power levels. The power levels indicate how strong the cat is, and if a weaker cat is playing with a toy a stronger cat wants, the stronger cat will take it. This is true with the rare cats as well—which is why it can sometimes be hard to find them.
The cats also have a visit counter, which allows you to see just how many times a cat has visited your yard. After visiting a yard so many times, they will bring a special gift with them—a memento. These can range from an old earring, to a magic wand. The mementos don’t really have a purpose, but they are certainly cute to look at.
Other fun features in the game include a camera, where you can take photos of the cats in your yard and put them in a scrapbook, yard expansions, which cost 180 gold fish, and yard renovations, which are equally, if not more expensive. The renovations are themed, so you can have a Zen cat garden, a cat ranch, or a modern cat patio.
Neko Atsume doesn’t have a storyline, and therefore can be played as long as you want. A popular goal is to buy all of the items, find all of the cats and their mementos, and purchase all of the renovations. However, the game is always updating, and occasionally, new items and cats are added.
This game is insanely popular, for good reason. It’s a fun little game that’s not addictive because it forces you to wait. It’s almost like having a bonsai tree, or a little garden. A garden that grows cats. I play it very often, I’ve almost bought every toy and I’ve found all the cats without purchasing anything with real money. It’s a great little app, and I would recommend it to anyone.
— Hayden Laver is not an old cat lady, but she can find joy in the hottest app on the market.