Skin Deep Is 2025’s Best Cat Game

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The best part of playing Skin Deep, a stealth game where you rescue cats and battle an evil copy of yourself in space, wasn’t when things went right. It was when my carefully laid plans fell apart. I loved the frantic scramble to hide – diving under tables or squeezing into vents. Instead of sticking to a strategy, I’d end up improvising, like knocking items off shelves to distract or disable guards. Sometimes I’d even jump onto a guard’s back and try to take them down by crashing into things. It was so chaotic, you could almost hear a cat’s cry amidst the action.

Even though you don’t actually play as a cat in Skin Deep, it perfectly captures what it feels like to be one. Because of this amazing achievement, I’m naming it the best cat game of 2025. Here’s to Skin Deep!

In most Skin Deep levels, I preferred to stay hidden, which is common for this type of game. I’d usually stick to vents, pipes, and under furniture, trying to move around the edges of areas like Batman, looking for a chance to break through defenses without being seen. But unlike Batman, it rarely worked – I’m just a cat girl, after all.

I always managed to get caught in the most ridiculous ways. I’d spend too much time hiding in air vents, then blast a huge sneeze that immediately gave me away. I’d drop a bar of soap, get caught pickpocketing a guard, or even trip over my own traps while trying to escape. More often than not, I’d sneak through a doorway or vent without checking first, scare a guard, and instinctively throw whatever I was holding – usually an apple core – at them. When I was crawling around, the low camera angle made me feel like a clumsy kitten lost in a strange house. And just like a startled cat, my first reaction to being discovered was to bolt for safety, even if it meant causing chaos and endangering everyone around me.

I could sooner count the number of times a plan has gone right than wrong in Skin Deep, primarily because the former is a far lower number. Most of my successes stem from slapdash plans developed on the fly and from the wreckage of another plan. And yet, despite the failures, it has been more fun to improvise in Blendo Games’ deliberately slapstick sandbox and cosplay some kind of fumbling cat lady than come across as some calm and collected black-ops agent. To that end, I found I enjoyed leaning into the bit.

I enjoyed carefully exploring narrow paths, collecting silly little things like bolts, pepper, and even a banana, much more than simply grabbing a weapon. And when I did take something, I loved the thrill of snatching an item I wasn’t supposed to – usually a walkie-talkie or key card – and quickly hiding with it, pretending I’d stolen it right under the guards’ noses. It felt like a mischievous game, much like what a cat would do!

When the guards caught me snooping where I shouldn’t, I fought like a whirlwind. Even when cornered against Skin Deep’s security forces – a group of tough guys straight out of a sci-fi novel called the Numb Bunch – I felt more like a quick, agile fighter than a typical combatant. I didn’t win fights with brute strength, but with speed and precision. I’d throw anything I could get my hands on to distract a guard, then quickly climb on their back and slam them into anything nearby – sinks, toilets, screens, pipes – basically anything that could cause a serious head injury. Once they were knocked out, I’d quickly remove their heads to prevent them from being revived, and then hide or dispose of them – like a cat hiding its treasure – ensuring they couldn’t come back.

Battles in Skin Deep weren’t usually won with just strength and determination. Success depended on being clever and outsmarting your opponents. It was about being a cat – quick-witted and resourceful – in a world dominated by clumsy people and their powerful dogs.

I immediately liked Skin Deep’s take on cat-themed design. While there are plenty of cat games out there, and many are cute, I often felt they focused more on looking like cats than actually feeling like one through gameplay.

Playing as a cat in Stray felt like a costume, but Skin Deep truly captures the experience. Without the pressure of making a ‘cute’ cat character, the developers focused on building a world designed for feline fun and creating gameplay that feels authentically cat-like. In my opinion, they succeeded brilliantly. From its fast-paced action and comical sneaking to its nimble movement, Skin Deep delivers on the fantasy of being a cat better than any other game I’ve played. It’s a perfect game, deserving a full 10/10 – or however many points a cat would give!

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2025-12-31 20:19