Cattum (video game)

<infobox>

 <title source="title">
   <default>Cattum (video game)</default>
 </title>
 <image source="image">

</image> <label>Developer</label> <label>Publisher</label> <label>Engine</label> <label>Version</label> <label>Platform</label> <label>Release date</label> <label>Genre</label> <label>Mode</label> <label>Rating</label> <label>Media</label> <group collapse="open"> <header>System requirements</header> </group> </infobox> Cattum, often referred to as Cattum Game is a Muslim science-fiction role-playing cattumlike video game developed by Halls, released on the Windows, Linux and macOS operating systems in 2023. It is also playable in the browser. The game was met with massive popularity (seven downloads on itch.io) as well as critical acclaim. An unnamed sequel and a bullet hell spin-off are currently in development.

Gameplay

Cattum is a linear, narrative-driven game with occasional turn-based combat, however major encounters are typically resolved through dialogue, and the combat is implied. The player starts out controlling a single character, referred to in-game as liberal, but as the game progresses multiple characters join the party, namely Creepercattum, The Henchwoman, and in the final fight, Allah. During combat, the player can use both physical and magical abilities (however, it is worth nothing that those abilities come from Allah, which distinguishes them from black magic used by the opponents). Various party members have different abilities which can be used in combat. Some encounters are designed to be lost by default (i.e. the first fight with Heisenberg).

Story

The game starts out by establishing the setting in its introductory sequence - the Creepercattum Party has won the Garfcord elections, and in turn created a world of welfare and prosperity for mankind. The sequence also establishes the main character - liberal - as an esteemed CCP member who has been tasked with visiting the Cattum Space Station. Liberal takes a rocket from the Cattum Space Agency Headquarters to the Space Station. Everything seems normal at first, but then they discover a dead body. It turns out that the person was murdered by a member of the Anti-Cattum Alliance (ACA) a scary and powerful anti-Cattum cult. Liberal defeats the assassin and after finding methamphetamine on the assassin's body, decides to look for the meth cook in the station's laboratories.

It turns out that the cook is Heisenberg who tasks liberal with selling his meth in exchange for information - which liberal only pretends to do, seemingly fooling Heisenberg, who reveals information about the ACA to liberal. In the next room, liberal finds a yet another body, which seems to have been dragged from the living quarters. Despite suspecting that it is a trap, liberal decides to enter the quarters, where they meet with Heisenberg, who reveals that he is a margrave of the Anti-Cattum Alliance and fights liberal. Liberal loses but is saved by Azrael, the angel of death and Allah, who appears before them in the form of Cattum, telling them about their destiny of defeating the evil servants of Iblis. With Allah's help, liberal defeats Heisenberg easily.

Suspecting that the entire ACA will now try to kill them, liberal makes their way through unattended parts of the space station (i.e. the outside of the station or rooms filled with radioactive barrels ). However this proves to be a futile attempt as liberal is attacked by a group of ACA assassins. Upon defeating them, liberal interrogates one of the assassins who tells them about the ACA headquarters on the planet Floppa Prime.

After flying to Floppa Prime, liberal notices a giant, ominous-looking tower in the middle of Floppa City, the planet's largest settlement. After entering the tower, they face three unknown people who attempt to summon Cattum using a strange ritual. Liberal manages to take out one of them, however is shot and almost dies but through sheer willpower manages to survive (the two other people leave, presuming liberal to be dead). Liberal leaves the tower and falls to the ground but a young man calls an ambulance and liberal is transported to a hospital. In the hospital, they have a vision of Cattum, who reveals their location - a base on the moon of the planet Sogga II..

Liberal decides to fly to the Sogga star system to meet Cattum but their ship gets attacked by an ACA vessel, which they manage to destroy. Liberal deduces that the ACA vessel must have been heading to the moon to attack Cattum.

After landing on the moon, liberal meets Cattum who tells them about the leader of the ACA - Jeremy "Jerma985" Elbertson. They decide to join forces to merely stand a chance in a fight against Jerma.

They decide to fly back to the tower on Floppa Prime to face Jerma's remaining henchmen. In the fight, Cattum uses the Cattum Shield - a device which can stop any modern weapon. Cattum also uses the power of the Cattum Beam to instantly evaporate one of the henchmen. The remaining henchwoman decides to stop serving Jerma and join liberal and Cattum on their quest.

As the three heroes fly out, they get immediately attacked by the Jermamobile, ACA Navy's flagship. After seemingly destroying the ship's main power source they decide to board the ship, where they see that everything is still functioning. Then they notice Jerma, who reveals his superweapon - 5G radiation, which he plans to use to control the minds of the heroes and convert them into ACA members. He fails, because he doesn't account for the fact that his mind control only works on human brains but Cattum is a cat. Cattum destroys the 5G device with a Cattum Beam, and reveals that Jerma is a hologram - which Cattum figured out by smelling Jerma and realizing he doesn't smell.

After destroying the Jerma hologram, Cattum takes control of the ship using the Cattum Hacking Device. The Henchwoman reveals that Jerma is hiding in Warsaw, Poland, in a giant evil orb hovering over the city.

After flying to Warsaw, and taking a flying cab to the orb, the three heroes go inside. Everything inside the orb is made of rotting, putrid flesh. They make their way through the orb and face Jerma in a final fight.

Jerma reveals that he has built millions of 5G towers on Earth, which when activated will kill over 80 percent of human population in the universe. However, after activating it, it turns out that Cattum has hacked the 5G network with the Cattum Hacking Device, rendering his plan useless. Jerma tries to defend himself with a replica of the Cattum Shield but liberal takes advantage of the fact that it was built to protect only against modern weaponry and kills Jerma by throwing a sword.

In the end it is revealed that Jerma was merely a vessel for Iblis, the king of demons and that the heroes have freed him. Iblis starts to torture the party, urging them to denounce their faith in Allah, but in the last moment Allah shows up and casts Iblis away from this universe using His Holy Light.

Graphics

The game has a retro graphical style, reminescent of the 16-bit gaming era.

Critical reception

The game was loved by players and critics alike, who praised the game primarily for its story and the deep exploration of religious themes. It was named the 2023 Game of the Year, as well as receiving the prestigious title of the Greatest Game of All Time.