Project Cats & Gigs Puts Two Feline Contractors on Hazard Pay
Project Cats & Gigs is a cozy-looking but chaotic asymmetrical co-op action-adventure that hands you and a friend the keys to freelance pest control. You play as Ava and Nyx, two cats who take risky gigs for breakfast and sarcasm for dinner. The current public playtest covers the first three levels, giving a taste of the Haunted Mansion gig, core combat loops, and the cooperative puzzles that define the experience.
This is team work in the literal sense. The game is built around two distinct playstyles: one cat is a slow, heavy hitting tank, the other is quick, evasive, and built for precision. The developers are explicitly asking players to test how those roles feel together, and to flag anything that breaks the rhythm.
A Two-Person Cat Crew
Ava and Nyx are set up as a classic brains and brawn duo with feline attitude. Ava clears paths and soaks hits, while Nyx darts through enemies and spaces that Ava cannot. The trick is that most encounters and environmental puzzles are designed for both players to participate. Communication is not optional. You will need to coordinate throws, hops, and combined attacks to get through the mansion intact.
The game supports couch co-op or Remote Play, keeping the shared-screen feel intact with a 3D isometric camera. That design choice keeps both players visible and forces proximity, which feeds into the game’s emphasis on synchronized actions and split-second teamwork.
Combat, Puzzles and Cooperative Tricks
Combat headlines an interconnected system that rewards pairing moves. Ava can toss Nyx into hard to reach enemies, and Nyx can hop on Ava’s back to avoid danger or deliver a follow-up strike. While solo play is possible, the mechanics scale up when partners chain attacks. Bosses and minions respond better to coordinated strategies, and successful teams will find creative ways to exploit role synergies.
Beyond combat, each stage introduces new gimmicks that require clever cat logic. You will smash high-end furniture that has been possessed, manipulate the environment, and uncover hidden secrets and optional "Hazardous Work Pay" for completionists. The playtest focuses on the Haunted Mansion and its early mechanical puzzles, so expect fresh interactions as you progress through the first three levels.
Playtest Details and What to Expect
This is an early, honest playtest from a small team after a few months of development. That means there will be rough edges. The developers warn of bugs, placeholder art, missing sounds, and odd behavior. The goal is to validate the concept, fine tune the Ava-Nyx synergy, and collect player impressions about what feels satisfying and what needs rework.
If you jump in, test combat timing, puzzle clarity, camera comfort, and how well the two roles balance. The team wants feedback on how combat combos feel, whether puzzles require better hints, and where design can support stronger cooperation without feeling restrictive.
Tone and Story
The narrative is character driven and sarcastic. Ava and Nyx trade barbed banter about their freelance careers and the absurd contracts they take to survive. It sounds like a game that leans on personality to make repeated runs feel entertaining, and the tongue-in-cheek premise of smashing haunted luxury decor gives the project a distinctive identity.
Project Cats & Gigs is not a finished product, but the playtest looks like a solid window into a co-op-focused idea with personality and plenty of mechanical promise. If you enjoy asymmetrical teamwork, tightly connected combat, and a dry sense of humor, this one is worth a look.
