The game of the Royal Mice and the Cat’s Gambit will begin with a short narrative told by the mice Cadbury and Guinevere describing their relatively peaceful life in the castle until the queen of All You Can See became frustrated with the mice and she got a cat, Max the Magnificent. The scene ends with Max entering the castle and greeting the queen. Then, the players choose to play as little Francis or little Francine before they begin the game in their small mouse home inside of the castle. The player will complete a quick tutorial before meeting Cadbury and Guinevere. Cadbury and Guinevere will explain how Max has been hunting the mice and that they have been hiding, but it hasn’t been enough. They need to find a way to get rid of the cat.
The player will then be given various quests to find objects around the castle. The quests will be given by Cadbury, Guinevere, and Gilbert the Elder after the player meets him shortly into the game. Gilbert will tell the player about the secret chamber with a horn and a sword, but his memory is somewhat hazy so he will give quests to find items that tell the ancient story of the warrior mice and the importance of the horn and the sword. Guinevere will ask for items to help the mice and some chores before focusing on finding items that are keys in the quest as well as items that come together to form maps. Cadbury, on the other hand, helps train the player in different skills such as climbing and different tricks to avoid the cat in addition to giving quests to find objects necessary for completing the search for the horn and the sword such as rope and other tools. The player can also complete side quests given by the main three mice along with other mice and even a few friendly humans like the princess.
The game is built on the player finding various objects around the castle while avoiding the cat and humans. If the cat sees the player, they will need to run, hide, or trick the cat to escape. If the player gets caught, it’s game over and they will have to start at their last save. Throughout the game, the player will explore the welcoming and light castle through the library, kitchen, bedrooms, and towers finding important objects. When the player has completed all of the main quests, they will have found the horn and the sword and they will call the spirt warrior mice to help them defeat the cat. The game will end with Max’s defeat and the mice will live peacefully in the castle again.
The bright and friendly aspects of the game are meant to appeal to children as well as the teenagers and adults that enjoy fun quest filled games like the Legend of Zelda. The castle is well lit with many interesting places to explore like secret passageways through the walls. The color scheme is pleasant with pinks, whites, yellows, and blues and the animals are anthropomorphized and wearing cute clothes. There is also an interaction with human children such as the princess who becomes their friend, which becomes relatable for young gamers. The Royal Mice and the Cat’s Gambit is a lighthearted game based on a children’s book with simple objectives and enjoyable gameplay.
Player Objectives: Find various objects and complete quests while avoiding the cat and humans.
Main Characters: Cadbury and Guinevere are the leaders of the mice. Gilbert the Elder is a wise old mouse that helps the player. Max the Magnificent is the cat that hunts and kills the mice. The queen and the princess are unfriendly and friendly humans respectively.
Key Objects: The ancient horn and sword that calls the spirit warrior mice for help.
Game World: The light, welcoming castle with many rooms including a kitchen, throne room, bedrooms, a library, towers and paths through the walls that the mice use. The castle is noble and sometimes messy with whites, pinks, blues, and yellows.
Genre: Role Playing Game (RPG)
Audience: Ages 10 and up due to the lighthearted nature of the game with many enjoyable quests and interesting characters.
Concept Art:
