Quilts and Cats of Calico Reviews

I like the combination of different patterns and strategies required simultaneously. It challenges thought processing and analytical thinking. And the cats are adorable!

It's tricky at first but once get going and learn, it's fun, lovely to look at, and for cat lovers that enjoy puzzle and stratagy games.

This game is very relaxing and requires the perfect amount of puzzling/mind power I enjoy. Great, chill game to play with friends or on your own. Highly recommend if you like relaxing board games. I love it just as much as Wingspan!

Perfect conversion from the board game. Plus story mode and challenges. You can see other players' move by clicking each character frame on the bottom left. ( Mention cos other review told that they cannot be seen ) But to me, it's too much headache to consider other players' moves whether they're AI or Human :)

relaxing and puzzling it out is enjoyable and engaging

I'm a pretty casual gamer and take my time with games. I beat the main story in 7 hours of game play. I'm not sure if that's considered fast or slow but I enjoyed it. It has great replay value with a more randomized mode and online play (which I haven’t tried yet). It’s my favourite cozy game at the moment! The cat editor isn’t super accurate, but it’s cute and I could get the cats close enough to tell who’s who.

I love this game. It really makes you think. But it's Pleasant to look at the cats are adorable you can customize your own cats if you want to and you can pet all of them so much fun

3/5 While this game is oftentimes frustrating in its difficulty, there is something very satisfying about getting through a level on your own without needing to ask for hints. The story felt reminiscent to the current artistic struggle that is felt by creatives recently in regards to the rise of GenAI -- I really enjoyed it because of that. It's also easy to see that the creators valued inclusion and representation of many minorities within the world of the game; another aspect worth lauding, in my opinion. However, other than the sweetness of the story, it does feel a bit threadbare in terms of plot and narrative. This is fine because the game is primarily intended to be played casually, but it's still worth noting.

This is a very cool puzzle/strategy game. Starts out simple, but once the objectives are added it can get pretty tough. Added bonus, you can pet the cats while playing. Just be careful, they get really annoyed when you place tiles down next to them :)

[b]Quilts and Cats of Calico[/b] is a cozy adaptation of my favorite cat-themed tile placement board game,* but suffers from such strange story and art direction that I can't recommend it at full price. * Full disclosure: In my house, [i]Calico[/i] is a salt-the-earth war game full of deception, negotiation, and sleight of hand. My secondary takeaway from [b]Quilts[/b] is that we might be playing it wrong, but I prefer our version. [h3]Gameplay[/h3] At its core, [i]Calico[/i] is extremely simple: You have a board representing a quilt, a bag of 108 hexagonal "patch" tiles in six patterns and six colors, and three randomly selected "design goal" tiles that yield points if you surround them with the appropriate number of color and/or pattern tiles. Score additional points by grouping colors in sets of three to earn buttons (3 points), plus a bonus for scoring one button in each color, and by placing specified patterns in certain configurations to attract cats (3-11 points). You start each round with two patch tiles, place one, then pick one of three tiles from the market and click the bag to end your turn. The game ends when every player's quilt is full, and the player with the highest score wins. [h3]What Works For Me[/h3] ✅ [b]Shifting Strategy.[/b] You can't discard tiles or skip your turn, so - especially as the game progresses - you often need to adapt your strategy to what you have on hand, even if it means cutting your losses. Some cats are worth more than some design goals, and sometimes scoring that last button and getting the rainbow bonus is a better choice than finishing a goal you've been working toward the entire game. ✅ [b]Puzzles.[/b] Story mode includes some interesting puzzles that task you with scoring certain objectives on a limited board with limited tiles. ✅ [b]Cozy Vibes.[/b] There's chill music, a soothing color palette, [i]and[/i] you can pet the cats. I had a good laugh the first time a cat paw swiped a tile from the table. [h3]What Doesn't Work For Me[/h3] ❎ [b]Story.[/b] The story is paper thin and over-serious rather than whimsical or cozy: The Kingdom of Scratchington is at war, your dad is missing, and you sew quilts to attract magical cats and receive their blessings. I see what they're trying to do, but there's no charm and only the barest slivers of world building, depth, or reason to care. ❎ [b]Art.[/b] There are thick black borders on random elements of the game table, which looks sloppy and out of place in the otherwise pastel-colored setting. Outside the game table, cut scenes and story elements have truly lovely backgrounds, but... unsettling... character art. The nicest thing I can say is that Aunt Agatha looks like [i]Spirited Away[/i]'s Yubaba on Ozempic. ❎ [b]Cat Editor.[/b] The cat editor includes those same sloppy outlines, and produces the [i]derpiest[/i] cats. I spent far too long trying to create something even half as cute as the Steam page screenshots and came out with some kind of goblin creature instead. ❎ [strike][b]"Competition."[/b] Even though you're competing against an AI, you never see the AI's board. You have no way to estimate how many points it's earning, or ability to sabotage it, which makes the competition aspect seem hollow and pointless.[/strike] EDIT: I stand corrected. You can see the AI's board by clicking on the profile picture. [h3]Recommendation[/h3] I recommend this if you want to cozy up with some hot cocoa, arrange some quilts, and eye-roll your way through a campaign, [b]or[/b] if you love [i]Calico[/i] but have no one to play with. There's an AI you never see, and a multiplayer mode that I probably should have tested but didn't care enough to try. If you just want to place tiles and score points, then I'd recommend [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1455840/Dorfromantik/?curator_clanid=45365863]Dorfromantik[/url] or [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3211750/Neongarten/?curator_clanid=45365863]Neongarten[/url]. If you're looking for cozy cat-themed puzzles, then I personally like [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3417690/Mewseum_Masterpieces/?curator_clanid=45365863]Mewseum: Masterpieces[/url] and [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2857980/Einsteins_Cats/?curator_clanid=45365863]Einstein's Cats[/url]. All feel more polished and are available for a fraction of [b]Calico[/b]'s price. [quote][b]Follow [u][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45365863/]Eekz Today[/url][/u] for more crafting, life sim, management, strategy, and story-rich recommendations.[/b][/quote]