We’re back hunting cats again, this time we’re in the land of football, samba and loud carnivals. I ‘m Hidden Cats veteran and we have travelled to find them in Tokyo, Spooky Town and Santa’s Realm to name but a few places in the series cat-alogue.
All entirely standalone, you can jump into the franchise at any point. With cities like Berlin, London and Paris also visited, perhaps the best way for you to enter the franchise is somewhere you call home, or have been on vacation. With most taking around 1-2 hours long and a great ‘cosy’ to complete in a sitting or two – including all achievements or trophies.
After the lengthier Hidden Cats in Tokyo which was a return to form for the series, how does the first adventure in Latin America stack up? Here’s our review for Hidden Cats in Rio de Janerio.
Gameplay – Carnaval of Kitty
It’s hard to find more ways to explain the Hidden Cats and subfranchises that I haven’t already used in other reviews, see – Tokyo, Cats and Seek: Kyoto and Hidden Cat Outlaws – but at their core, they’re hidden object games. Maps with faded colour that fabulously pop to life as you begin to find the felines and other drawn objects.
With over 900 objects to find – including of course, many hundreds of cats – recognisable Brazilian footballers and other city folk, the journey across the seaside city will keep your eyes peeled throughout. With some larger levels including the gorgeous main Rio stage, and some smaller stages including the Cable Car (to the Sugarloaf) and Grocery Store, there’s plenty of gameplay within the title for the small price of admission.
There are no new gameplay innovations for the Rio de Janeiro entry, though after a few rather worthless additions in recent titles like puzzles and an intrusive story, I’m quite happy that Nukearts’ stuck to the basics – finding cats.
Visuals – Parading Colours
The game takes us to 8 different locations, all of which are stunning with a lot to see in Rio. My favourite of the locations in the game was the Estádio do Maracanã (Maracana Stadium), the Brazilian football home which hosts teams like Fluminese, Flamengo and more. Football and Brazil are synonymous and the game captures the Brazilian love for the sport.
Also on offer are the Bar stage, a Botanical Garden full of wonderful Amazon Rainforest wildlife, all lovingly drawn in the delightful art style I hope the developers never ditch.
Audio – Samba Grooves
The ‘Cats’ games all have their own relaxed soundtrack that aims to capture the mood and feel of the city they’re based in, and I think that Rio has the best soundtrack in the series. Samba beats, relaxed cantina-style rhythm and more give the ambient feel of being on the streets of Brazil’s most visited city.
Conclusion – Another Feather in the Cat
Stunning colours, lovingly recreated Brazilian settings and the right amount of content make Hidden Cats in Rio de Janeiro one of my favourite entries in Nukearts’ franchise. I would have loved for there to have been a favela stage but there’s still plenty of game in here for the price of a warm drink.
It’s a great addition for Hidden Cats fans, or a starting point in the entirely standalone series. I can comfortably recommend Hidden Cats in Rio de Janeiro to series returners, new cat hunters and achievement / trophy hunters.
Hidden Cats in Rio de Janeiro releases on Xbox Series X|S & Xbox One on November 12 2025. The game launches on PlayStation 4 & 5 and Nintendo Switch (including Switch 2 via backwards compatibility) on November 13 2025. The game is also already available via Steam.
GSC would like to thank publisher Silesia Games for a code provided for review. The review was played across Xbox Series X and Xbox One X and performed equally well across both platforms.
