Cat + Meme = Profit
While it is could be easy to complain about the developer's probably motivations for Nom Cat's name, I am more interested in talking about cute kittens.
Having you control two cute cats as they catch fish being hurled at them, Nom Cats leaves a similar taste in my mouth to honey covered marshmallows. It is incredibly twee, but its sweetness hides a frustrating reaction-based game that can keep you worryingly involved for an afternoon.
Oishi Neko
Mechanically there is very little complexity to Nom Cat. Holding either side of the screen has the corresponding cat open its mouth, while releasing the screen sees them close it. For the most part all you have to do is keep their maws open as the tasty treats fall in. Occasionally, however, their sadistic owner chucks in a cherry bomb demanding that they close their months.
If either cat misses a fish or swallows a bomb (yes, that is the dark side of Nom Cat), it is game over as both of the cute cartoon cats start to weep. You can then choose between restarting or using currency earned in-game (or purchased with real money) to continue.
I think they like fish sticks
All you have to do is take your finger off the corresponding side of the screen as bombs come in. It should be simple, but it isn’t. The mix of left and right releases with the ever increasing speed quickly ties your brain up in knots of frustration, and you will spend a good chunk of time watching your cats cry.
However, after my afternoon's brief addictive flirtation, I lost interest. While the game controls well, with everything onscreen responding instantly to my actions (vital for this kind of game), the cat aesthetic quickly grew old. Even purchasing new cats did nothing to renew my enthusiasm.
Not a total cat-astrophic
There are plenty of similar games to Nom Cat out there, and providing they control well – as Nom Cat does – they all prove fun for a while. From there it falls to your own aesthetic preferences to decide which is for you. Personally, I am going to wait for Munch Dog.
