Cato: Buttered Cat Review - A Paradox Meme Becomes A Must-Play Puzzle Platforming Adventure
Cato: Buttered Cat is a fun puzzle platformer inspired by the Buttered Cat Paradox. With 200+ challenging levels, quirky mechanics, and a chill soundtrack, it’s one of 2024’s must-play games!
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Good Game Lobby review of Cato: Buttered Cat—a meme brought to life in a delightful puzzle platforming adventure.
The game’s premise is based on the "Buttered Cat Paradox," a joke suggesting that if a cat, which always lands on its feet, has buttered toast strapped to its back (which always lands butter-side down), the result would be a perpetual spin. This hilarious paradox is the core of today’s review.
Game Jam Inspirations
The concept began as a game jam entry, which you can still play for free on the developers' itch.io page here. The creators saw the potential and expanded it into a full-fledged game with 200 levels spread across 5 worlds, intricate puzzles, and a variety of unlockable cosmetics. Cato: Buttered Cat is easily one of the best puzzle games of 2024.
😺 + 🍞 + 🧩 = 🎮
You begin in a cozy home as a cat when the milk machine breaks. Venturing out, you meet Toast, who discovers that without milk, there’s no butter. Together, you team up to retrieve the necessary components for milk production. You float up to a portal, and the puzzles commence.
Puzzled
The game’s mechanics evolve across its 5 worlds, introducing clever and engaging challenges. You control both Cat and Toast, either together or separately.
Cat moves left and right but cannot jump. It can crawl up padded walls using its claws.
Toast can jump by flipping left or right and occasionally stick to walls. However, it slides down smooth glass surfaces.
Gameplay involves activating platforms, solving water-based puzzles, and using contraptions that propel Toast across levels. Once per world, the game shifts to 3D, where you glide through industrial settings on Toast’s buttered side.
The puzzles vary in difficulty. Some are solvable in 30 seconds, while others may take longer to crack. Thankfully, the game includes a helpful hint system, and you can occasionally skip levels if needed. I recommend taking a break and returning later when stuck—it’s surprising how often the solution becomes clear with fresh eyes.
Each world introduces new mechanics, like trampoline platforms that let Cat jump higher or sticky platforms for precise timing. With 140 main levels and 60 hidden ones, you’ll encounter new ways to use Cat and Toast. The hidden levels even add a robot companion that allows you to swap their positions, further enriching the puzzle variety.
Chunky Pixels
I’m a sucker for pixel art, and this game nails the style. The layered parallax backgrounds and industrial silhouettes add depth and character to each world. Platforms are clearly marked in bright pink for Cat and yellow for Toast, making navigation easy.
Animations are comically exaggerated—Cat even stretches into a snake-like shape when traveling through pipes. The design of the characters and their unlockable skins evokes the chunky, whimsical charm of Grapple Dog.
Cato also features mini game based on Flappy Bird, Snake, and more. These are fun to play in-between difficult levels in the main game.
The collectibles include fun variations, like a witch hat for Toast or a Halloween-themed Cat as a ghost and Toast as a pumpkin. You can unlock these by completing levels or entering special codes found on the Steam page. Here is one of them if you own the game and were looking to unlock some new cosmetics!
Puzzle Vibes
The soundtrack is a standout feature. Its chill beats keep you calm during challenging puzzles, while darker themes enhance the atmosphere of certain worlds, like the industrial lava zones in World 3. Boss battles, though rare, add a touch of intensity without overwhelming the player.
The publishing team, GCORES, mentioned the soundtrack will release on Steam by the end of November—a must-have for fans of relaxing game music. Here are one of the songs I loved—enjoy!
Must-Play Puzzle Platformer
Cato: Buttered Cat is a fantastic puzzle platformer that combines humor, charm, and challenging gameplay. Its quirky mechanics, vibrant pixel art, and relaxing soundtrack make it one of my favorite games of the year. Despite its difficulty at times, the joy of solving each puzzle is immensely rewarding.
It’s incredible how many full-fledged games emerge from game jams, and I’m thrilled the developers turned this hilarious concept into a complete experience. Cato: Buttered Cat is a must-play puzzle game that will stay with me for years.
🎮CATO: Buttered Cat | Steam
🗓️Release Date | Out Now!
This game looks really fun, thanks for highlighting it! I hope it comes to Switch soon.