Quilts and Cats of Calico review - "A cosy feline-fueled board game"

• Create and dress up custom cats
• Easy-to-learn, but hard-to-master gameplay
• Attract cats to your quilt by creating their preferred shapes

If you enjoy spending your cosy afternoons quilting with your furry feline friends lounging by your side, you’ll want to check out Quilts and Cats of Calico. Based on the board game Calico, Quilts and Cats of Calico is a warm and fuzzy mobile experience in which you must create a quilt using vibrantly patterned scraps of fabric. Earn adorable buttons and unlock new cats as you sew beautiful quilts for the citizens of Tomkitty Town.

How To Play Quilts and Cats of Calico

You can have two fabric scraps in your hand at a time. Place one on the quilt board to sew it on. Placing three scraps of the same colour next to each other earns you a button worth three points. Earn a button of each colour to nab a rainbow button.

There are also special tiles called Design Goal tiles, which grant you extra points if you surround them with fabric scrap tokens that meet the colour or pattern requirements. For instance, you may be required to surround a design goal tile with all different coloured or patterned tiles or two three-of-a-colour.

You can also earn points by attracting cats to rest on your quilt. Each kitty has two preferred patterns, which you can view beneath their portrait. Creating an area of the quilt matching the shape or size a cat prefers will draw them to the quilt and earn you a Cat Token.

While cats may share a preferred shape or size, only one cat can be drawn to a patch of quilt. Some matches will require you to earn a specific number of cat tokens and buttons to win. You can review the rules at any time by clicking Game Rules under settings.

Help Townsfolk in Quilts and Cats of Calico Story Mode

In story mode, you are a talented quilter visiting your Aunt Agatha in Tomkitty Town, a village known for revering cats. You’ll traverse the town, brilliantly represented by a quilt, meeting villagers, sewing quilts, and aiding the townspeople. Also, you’ll compete against the local factories’ new iron loom, which can rapidly weave new quilts. 

Story mode's cosy quilt-designing quests and the charming hand-drawn characters you'll meet fit perfectly with the calming gameplay. However, I did have an issue in which trying to load my save resulted in an eternal load screen. I was forced to start over. Luckily, the issue didn’t arise again.

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Beyond Story mode, Quilts of Cats and Calico features both solo and multiplayer modes in which you can enjoy a round at your leisure. Solo mode offers a more laid-back experience in which you play against AI, while the cross-platform multiplayer mode lets you compete against friends or random players in ranked matches.

Quilts of Cats and Calico Lets You Create New Cats

Admittedly, my favourite feature is the cat editor. After choosing a name for your new feline friend, you’ll have the option to customize aspects of your new kitty’s appearance such as snout length, tail fluffiness, general fluffiness and ear rolling. Next, you’ll customize its fur colours and patterns. You can use up to two fur patterns per cat to give them a more distinct look. Finally, you can dress up your creation in charming hats, sweaters, and accessories. Further, you can go back and edit any of your cats at any time.

Quilts and Cats of Calico is a cosy, serene mobile board game that is perfect for cat lovers and quilters alike. While I did experience an annoying load glitch overall, my experience was a pleasant one. You’ll enjoy creating new cats in the cat editor and helping TomKitty Towns' many citizens. The soothing soundtrack, vibrant graphics, and simplistic gameplay combine to create a zen-like board game experience.