Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector is a widely popular Japanese app that has been recently introduced in America. This casual game has amassed more than a million downloads. It’s fairly easy to play, but very rewarding. The app combines simple gameplay, relaxing music, colorful decorations and cute cartoon cats, which makes it incredibly addictive.

Every user has their own house that they fill with cat toys and food. Different toys and furniture will attract different kinds of cats. If food and toys are left out, cats will come and visit while you’re not using the app. They stay for a certain period of time and when they leave, they leave either silver or goldfish. These fish are used to purchase more food and toys to attract even more cats. Silverfish are common and goldfish are rare. In the shop, goldfish is used to purchase special items to attract rare cats, to purchase a yard expansion, a house remodeling and better kinds of food.

The game requires little time because most of the action takes place while you’re not using the app. The only responsibility of the user is to check in to refill food, rearrange and add toys to the yard, accept rewards and see the cats that visited. Neko Atsume does not allow users to interact with the cats beyond taking pictures. There are 49 cats in total, including 17 rare cats that are usually attracted to specific toys and food. If you see a cat while it’s visiting, that cat gets added to your album. Cats can be individually photographed from within the app, or the user can take a picture of their entire yard to share with friends. Users that photograph cats can set their favorite one as the profile picture of the cat in the album. Each cat has its own specific personality, type and power level. Cats with a high power level are more likely to take over if a cat with a lower power level is using a toy that they want.

The cats that visit are not pets. They visit, eat food, use toys and then leave a gift behind. A cat’s personality and the available toys will determine how much silver or goldfish that cats leave. Rare cats tend to leave more fish, but are more difficult to attract, especially if they have low power levels. Even after a user has seen all the cats, the game continues. When cats visit frequently because their favorite items are out in the yard, they may leave a memento. Mementos are treasures that a user collects. They are unique to every cat, and some can be especially difficult to obtain, which is one of the most challenging aspects of the app.

Angry Birds and Flappy Bird were viral mostly because they were simple and addicting. They presented a challenge that was within reach and an end goal just like Neko Atsume (collect all the cats and all the mementos). The Japanese version of Neko Atsume has even more cats and toys so more updates are sure to come to America. It would be no surprise if Neko Atsume went viral based on the lovable cartoon cats, its addictive gameplay and simplicity.