Mineko’s Night Market builds on 2023’s cozy game obsession

polygon.com:

Years ago, I visited Houtong Cat Village, a former coal mining town in Taiwan that has since been taken over by cats. The place is a cornucopia of feline residents: black cats loafing on parapets, white ones lazing on motorbike seats, and even an exhausted calico lounging on top of the town’s weathered mascot statue. Cat-themed cafes and kitty kitsch are plentiful, and you cannot walk a few meters without crouching to greet a sleepy tabby. Time seems to slow down significantly there. Yet before you know it, the sun has set, the cats have retreated to the snuggest of nooks, and it’s time to leave.

Mineko’s Night Market is very much reminiscent of that coziness. For one thing, the game is set in a similar village, one centered around a cat creature of some sort: a towering, rotund feline called Nikko sporting a wooden mask. Scenes from Mineko’s Night Market harken back to old Sunday cartoons, the hand-painted textures of the wooden houses and shops seemingly produced by layering paper cutouts atop one another. The residents are polite but reserved, with the exception of one blustering kid who introduces himself as Bobo. As Mineko, a girl enamored with the folklore of the village, you become fast friends with Bobo, mesh into the tightest of duos, and he pulls you into his numerous exploits.

There’s also a myriad of small, relaxing tasks you can complete at your leisure, such as creating handicrafts, gathering resources, and petting as many cats as humanly possible. Mineko’s Night Market is a slow, leisurely experience that lets you roll along at your own pace — one in which you can while away many hours without realizing how long you’ve lingered.

A mythical tale nudges this pastoral affair along. Bobo quickly embroils you