Hustle Cat

I absolutely loved every second of this! 4/12 achievements so I've still got some replay to do. It's so, so good. Totally good for that though. The story was super compelling and immersive!

This game is really entertaining! Good writing, good art, good music, unique and cutesy. Glad I found this and bought it during the visual novel sale a few weeks ago!

This game has been on my backlog since Dexbonus started playing it about 8 years ago (yes I'm that behind), and having finally completed it over the course of 3 days, all I can say is WOW. For a generally pretty quick game, I was absolutely hooked. The plot was easy to follow but still held enough of my interest to keep me going, but what truly shines is the characters. For short snippets, you get a really clear picture of who each individual love interest is, who Avery is, and why and how they end up working out together. Each character feels believable and real, and there's a lot of genuine chemistry between everyone.

Even routes that weren't my favorite just for taste reasons (sorry, Landry) were enjoyable and fun to play through, and I felt invested in each individual storyline as I played. The creators knew who their audiences were for each route, but did a good job making each story compelling and touching. Plus, we love to see non-binary rep, access to all romance routes regardless of gender, AND some skintone variation. A really good game to grab if you need something uplifting, heartwarming, and a little whimsical at this point in time. And cats!!!

Wholesome meowmeow game.

I honestly bought the game just to try it out since it was on sale. if you're into story-driven games and enjoy following the narrative then you might like it. but for me it was super boring. all you do is follow the story, read dialogues, and move on. it just didnt hook me. Still, props to the devs for their effort ig <3

The Cat’s Paw is the most happening cat cafe in town and you are its newest employee. However something strange is brewing at the cafe…a mystery with a side of romance ☕

The Story

You play as Avery Grey and are the newest employee at the popular cat cafe called The Cat’s Paw (very clever name by the way)! You find a strange book in the basement of the cafe one day with strange letters and symbols you can’t understand.

There are 5 potential romances; Reese, Finley, Hays, Landry and Mason. Also a secret ending but only unlockable once you’ve completed all the other routes. No worries, there are guides available to help you out.

Life is pretty sweet being surrounded by all these handsome & beautiful potentials and adorable cats!

🌶️ Spice Level - Very mild. This game is more about romance and caring. No graphic pics or nudity.

Settings, Features & Gameplay

Settings & features include; audio controls and the ability to turn on/off the scroll wheel to use it for progress. The settings truthfully are pretty limited. However there is a huge gallery that unlocks as you play. In-game you can skip text, save and view the history log.

Sadly this game does not support Steam overlay or screen capture. There is a gallery to enjoy but you will have to use alternate methods if you wish to take screen captures.

The Visuals & Audio

I really like the art style in this game, both the character art and the backgrounds are hand-drawn which I truly enjoy and appreciate. The sprites do have facial animations and sometimes do change poses.

A wallpaper artwork I made to showcase artwork from the game as the game does not support Steam Overlay. All artwork is credited to the Hustle Cat game. ✨

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3446195112

The soundtrack is mainly instrumental with laid back lo-fi tracks mixed with more upbeat tunes for parts. There are some ambient sounds added which always is a nice touch to give a bit more immersion to the story. This novel also has no voice acting.

* I do have to say I LOVE the opening trailer after the prologue, a very catchy tune with some great editing. I very much enjoyed it. If you wish to see it check out the trailer on the store page (it is the same one).

Overall Experience

I think the writing in this novel is really well done, there is some character development and the tone and use of language is fluid. The cast of characters all care about one another and you can feel that. There is also some humour thrown in which I found amusing.

The game with all endings netted me around 8 hours. I enjoyed all the routes but my favorite was the secret romance (you need to finish all the others before you can unlock it). The gallery is chocked full of great artwork too. There are no choices in settings for what text you can skip or text speed but just a note that skipping text will stop at all choices.

I got this novel during the Spring sale for an insanely good price and really enjoyed my time with it. A great add-on to throw in your basket! 🐱

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This game was purchased by me for my personal library. On occasion I share my experiences with the groups I write for to help bring attention to games I’ve personally purchased and wish to give more exposure too.

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Its really cute. I like how each story unfolds. If you're looking for a nice otome game, this is worth the price.

finally gotten around to playing this, and wow... great writing, great story (stories?). pulled me in without me even noticing it, and i almost forgot to eat (thank you to my flatmate, without you i would actually have -.-;)
the artstyle is great, cute, yet slightly rough, but in an adoring way, and the characters have all great personalities, are written realistically. they really shine in each of their own routes, and have good development. overall a great game

haven't even finished my first play-through and i already have tears in my eyes??? 20/10 very cute and well written.

amazing

I played it on my Steam Deck. It shows as Unsupported for the Deck and if you try to start the game you will get a black screen with only the audio, so go to Properties - Compatibility - Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool and choose Proton 3.16-9. Make sure to save a lot, as sometimes the game will crash.

It´s a very cute game, although on the shorter side. The price is very fair, so I def recommend it if you´re looking for a sweet, fun, relaxing VN.

looked good but not so much

I got a friend of mine to play this game... and he's a straight man. That's how you know it's a good otome, it's adorable and very inclusive!

Fun and cute visual novel

I’m obsessed with this game. I lie awake at night thinking about it.

Not good at all.. Its super boring!

A thousand years ago I played this game after watching Dodger's (Dexbonus) let's plays on the Youtubes. Till this day, this is the only game I have 100%'d on Steam. What does this say? I'm not exactly sure...

Bought this for the cats, stayed for the story. Awesome thank you

this isn't my typical art style for a game, but it came recommended highly enough and i'm so glad i took the chance! really unique story line with super fun characters and highly entertaining plot points. more reading than some other ones, but still with enough choice/input! it's shorter too so great for a one sit binge

Graves. That is all.

Reese, my beloved. My babygirl. My cringe fail boy. I would do anything for you.

I totally am fine with this game being 20 dollars. Each route will probably take you a few hours. There's 6 paths in total; each reveals another piece of the overall story and lore. The writing is excellent; very funny and engaging. There's a few tiny writing mistakes here and there (missing quotation mark or smth) but it doesn't at all detract from the enjoyment. Amazing soundtrack!

I would gladly throw money at the creators for a Hustle Cat 2 where we get to see what everybody's been up to since the end of this story. Is Finley an influencer now? Is Hayes doing slam poetry? Will we ever see Reese's fashion show?? Are we married yet???

Mason is the best

TLDR : adorable, wonderfully written game with well fleshed out characters and a fun, immersive story! I was left wanting more (because DUH who doesn't in dating sims and/or good, fun stories!) but satisfied with each route. (You're able to choose pronouns for the MC, yay!)

I truly adored this little game ! The writing was well done, the characters felt thought-out and alive, though with minor mistakes here and there (not bothersome to me at all!). I loooved the routes / story lines and craved more but still felt very satisfied! Many times I was caught kicking my feet like a middle-schooler with a new crush, literally laughing out loud at these cutie pies or even holding back tears at heart felt moments (but I am a huge sap..)

Some minor details weren't fully explained, but they were not really needed for story purposes and I felt as though maybe that was personal information said characters wouldn't share to the MC at that time, or maybe with time! But I know that can be an annoyance for some players, so I wanted to mention it here.

You don't have too much customization for the MC, other than 6 preset photos and pronouns (she, him, they) but that didn't bother me as I knew I was playing a character and not myself BUT was able to find myself in the MC and relate heavily to the writing, reactions, etc. The MC was goofy, irresponsible 19 year old kid finding themselves in the big city and a new job at a cat cafe with some interesting and cute coworkers and boss! Sign me up !!

Truly, this game had my heart!! The writing was immensely good, as with some visual novels I've played just.. didn't portray how people actually spoke, but the writing matched each character wonderfully and had me loving each and every second. Truly 10/10, just wish I could get my hands on more >:)

It's lighthearted, no-brainer fun, but the endings leave a lot of loose ends that don't get fully developed. There's a lot implied but I'll admit the endings left me wanting a bit. I wish the character was more customize-able since I don't really like the hair or name, but I enjoy the story. I wish there had been more in-depth discussions about how magic came to be, what the history was between 2 certain characters, and more satisfying endings on the secret route.

Fun game, it took me a little while to get one of the achievements because of a slight glitch, but I recommend the game overall.

Graves ending was my fave (you'll have to look at the guide to get his) but Hayes' was super cute too.

I feel the need to say up front that I left this game running for 2 days so that;s where most of my 59 hours comes from lol
When I got this game, I wasn't sure if I would like it but it intrigued me enough to give it a try. And I'm so glad I did. I can't write most of what I want because I would hate to accidentally "spoil" the game for anyone but if you're looking for a cute game about magic and cats and coffee that's simple and easy to play, this would be it.

Cute!

I have a couple of complaints, but overall, I liked the game. I should note I got the game on sale for like two bucks, but had I paid full price, I would've said the game wasn't worth the price. The concept is amazing! But I feel like it was such a wasted opportunity! Both the characters and the story aren't fleshed out really well. It feels rushed? Like you start the game, and it's like "a week or so go by" and then suddenly you're getting together with someone and then big plot stuff. There isn't a ton of character or relationship development, and the story itself is missing some background. Which is a shame, because it's so good!!!! It's such a unique story and an awesome concept and the characters are amazing, and I just want more DX

If you have a hyperactive imagination like me that lets you freely fill in the blanks, it's not too bad. I seriously enjoyed playing, I just kinda hated how it ended? But for two bucks, I got like 12 hours of play and alot of gooey feelings and alot of good laughs. The art is amazing and OMFG the soundtrack!!! GET THE SOUNDTRACK. It's so good!!!! It was hella worth. I've played a tad too many otome and romance visual novel games, so I'm a bit of a critic, but overall it was just a fun game. I just wanted more!

So i found this game on discount and decided to play it, the game is a bit short for my liking but it has a unique setting for my opinion with each route having a bonding phase and then concluding.

it feels like an indie game, something else i like a lot is the music (Graves' theme to be exact and a few other soundtracks)... besides that, i am glad i found a character to like, as i am a bit picky with my characters (or so i think) anyway, i believe it is enjoyable enough, i'll surely play it again sometime although i cleared all rouets

one of my first dating sims and honestly one of the best i've played

It's actually has a pretty cute story line and really worth it. The graphic is amazing, the music and the dialogue is great as well~ and most importantly, all of the cats are the cutest <3

i WISH THERE WERE MORE VN'S LIKE THIS ONE . ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!! MASON AND GRAVES ARE MY FAVORITES.