Calico (video game)

Calico is a life simulation game developed by Peachy Keen Games and published by Whitethorn Games and Maple Whispering. Players manage a cat café on a magical island. It is non-violent and features simple tasks. It was crowdfunded in 2019 and released for personal computers and various consoles in 2020. It received mixed reviews on Metacritic.

Gameplay
Players control a character who has inherited a cat café in a magical land full of pastel colors and various animals, including cats. Players can explore the world, adopt animals, and expand their café. Calico includes magical girl elements, such as spells that can make animals smaller or larger. Small animals, such as cats, can be ridden like a horse if they are enlarged. Players earn money and other rewards by solving quests for non-player characters. The game is non-violent, and quests generally involve simple tasks, such as finding a lost animal. There are no failure conditions, and the game has been described as an "interactive dollhouse".

Townsfolk
There are a total of 20 non-player characters, called townsfolk, on the island in Calico. Players can interact with them for quests.

Heart Village
Blossom, often found tending to her garden, lives on the village hill next to her girlfriend Sunny.

Sunny, often found playing games in the Arcade, lives on the village hill next to Blossom.

Autumn is the potion shopkeeper, part-cat and living in a potion-shaped bottle in the woods.

Ash is studying magic with Estelle, working at her shop to pay her back, and is much more passionate about their studies than about working. They are also a member of the Owl Club.

Estelle runs the general store and teaches magic to Ash.

Maribel runs the clothing shop, and often visits the island's onsen when she is not working.

Kiva is the major of Heart Village.

Lily works with her father, Poppy, at his flower store. She likes to use magic in her gardening.

Poppy runs the flower store with his daughter, Lily. He is described as hard-working and empathetic.

Oliver is the island's traveling salescat, always found with a different assortment of items.

Maia is an owl-themed magical girl, Vice President of the Owl Club.

Snowbell Mountains
Freya is an owl-themed magical girl, President of the Owl Club.

Lumi owns the onsen in the mountains. She is described as sweet, relaxed, and a great hostess.

Cutie City
Safeena is CFO of Cat Corp, very type-A and always in a meeting.

Xin is a mushroom girl who loves dancing and the woods. She owns a ferret named Mr. Snuggles.

Lee is a magical boy who can often be found playing games in the Arcade.

Steve is a wizard who is always researching new magical devices to help his friends. He lives in a magic tower near the city.

Malcom is a young boy who lives in Cutie City. He enjoys dancing, playing video games, and gardening.

Clever Coast Beach
Kai is the island's lighthouse keeper, outgoing but still introverted.

Golden Grove
Daisy is a mouse-themed magical girl who enjoys collecting item and often squeaks.

Gabby is an anthropomorphic deer-fox witch who enjoys exploring the woods, drawing, and creating things.

The Witching Woods
Rosa is a traditional witch, the only one who still lives in the Magical Forest. She is described to be mature and intelligent, valuing tradition.

Development
Calico was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in April 2019 and raised double its goal. Whitethorn Games and Maple Whispering released it for macOS, Windows, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on December 15, 2020, and is scheduled to release for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on November 28, 2023.

Reception
Calico received mixed reviews on Metacritic. GameSpot's reviewer said the game would have thrilled her back when she was eight years old, but, as an adult, she found the simplistic gameplay and bugs to be too problematic to recommend it. Playing the game in January 2021 after two large updates to fix the errors, Nintendo Life said it is "still a little too buggy for us to recommend" but found the game to be adorable when it worked properly. Reviewing it around the same time, RPGFan called it "as comfortable as a purring cat" but said not all of the game's flaws could be fixed easily. Hardcore Gaming 101 reviewed the game in 2022 and wrote, "Despite the lack of polish and feeling unfinished even with the updates, the game just oozes a distinct charm."