Shady Cats

Shady Cats: Run from Your Own Shadow!

Shady Cats is a cute yet challenging 2D arcade platformer where your biggest enemy is your own past. Control a playful cat, jump across platforms, and collect fish while avoiding dark shadow-cats that retrace your previous movements. Every seven fish you collect creates another shadow, making the arena increasingly dangerous as your run continues.

The challenge is to keep moving without crossing paths with your shadows. You can even run off one side of the screen and reappear on the other to escape tricky situations. Play solo, challenge up to three friends in local multiplayer, or take on progressively harder levels in Crazy Mode.

Collect Acorns, Outsmart Shadows, and Survive

The objective is to gather as many acorns as possible without touching a shadow. As you move around the platforms, your shadow follows your previous route, forcing you to think ahead rather than simply run faster.

Along the way, special items add extra decisions:

• Fish: Collect fish to earn points. Every seven fish summons a new shadow-cat, up to a maximum of 12.
• Golden Fish: Appears every 15 fish. Catch it within eight seconds to increase your score multiplier, but watch out for the danger it triggers.
• Fireflies: Catch these glowing insects to remove a shadow-cat from the arena.
• Bee Swarm and Bully Cat: These hazards appear after collecting a golden fish and disappear after five more fish

Local Multiplayer: Up to Four Cats

Playing with friends makes the challenge even trickier. Up to four players can control separate cats on the same device, each leaving a dangerous shadow behind. You'll need to dodge other players' shadows as well as your own. Spread out, time your jumps, and avoid blocking each other's escape routes. Move across platforms, collect acorns, and stay clear of shadows for as long as possible.

Game Controls

PC (Keyboard)

• Player 1: Left / Right Arrow Keys to move; Up Arrow to jump.

• Player 2: A / D to move; W to jump.

• Player 3: J / L to move; I to jump.

• Player 4: F / H to move; T to jump.

• Esc / P / Tab: Pause the game.

Mobile (Touchscreen)

• Left / Right Buttons: Move your cat.

• Jump Button: Jump between platforms.

• Supports one or two players with on-screen controls.

Tips to Stay Ahead of Your Shadow

• Avoid backtracking: Your shadow may already be following that route.
• Plan your jumps: Leave enough space to escape after landing.
• Grab fireflies strategically: Use them when shadows threaten to trap you.
• Be careful with honey: Extra acorns aren't worth getting caught by bees.
• Coordinate with friends: Keep separate routes to reduce dangerous shadow crossings.

Ready to face your own shadow? Play Shady Cats online for free now!