Larry the Cat will soon welcome his fifth Prime Minister into 10 Downing Street and, as predicted, he was a regular star of the United Kingdom’s general election coverage. It’s become known that when a politician leaves the iconic residence, he stays, having little bias or allegiance to either side because, as you might have noticed, he’s a cat.
But he’s allowed to stick around, and was seen these past few days chilling in the rain before catching a pigeon outside his front door, oblivious to the fact his nation’s political foundations were moments away from being altered. Or was he? That’s where my idea for a video game comes in. I know that everyone loves cats, because whenever a game has one, we get super excited about petting them or keep them as companions, while games like Stray give moody kittens the starring role. They are fun to play as and play with, so why not give Larry his own game?
Larry The Cat Could Be Hitman Meets Stray
I love the idea of someone controlling world leaders from the shadows, especially if it tends to be a regular animal who looks, behaves, and feels like a normal pet. Larry could play that role, living in 10 Downing Street for two decades, watching as new leaders come and go, precariously influencing their daily actions or lurking around the corners as they implement new policies and meet fellow politicians.
I want to implement some sort of twisted feline mind control into the mind of Keir Starmer and have him pass laws that demand cats are given extra treats and belly rubs, while also allowing them to drive cars or vote for the first time, as if Larry operates from some sort of sinister syndicate where he’s a sleeper agent lying low in Britain’s most famous address and not just a normal moggy.
It’d be somewhat like Annapurna’s Stray with how you’re free to explore 10 Downing Street and the surrounding grounds as a normal resident, interacting with police officers, members of the public, and politicians as they come and go. To them, you are basically a novel tourist attraction, a cat who provides an element of levity to a country destroyed by austerity. Maybe you’d talk to other animals around the premises or simply just hang out in a random basket.
If you didn’t want the entire game to be housed inside 10 Downing Street, perhaps Larry could hitch a ride to the White House, Kremlin, or G20 Summit to cause chaos.
Untitled Goose Game With A Helping Of Political Espionage
Alternatively, Larry the Cat could combine this freeform exploration with Hitman’s formula of large, experimental levels where your goal is to kill a certain target. Obviously, several major politicians being assassinated inside 10 Downing Street would be kinda suspicious, so what if instead we had to change the way specific scenarios play out, such as a State Visit, King Charles popping round for a cup of tea, or leaking photos and text messages from parties in the middle of lockdown. Politicians love to do illegal things in secret and act like they can get away with it, but not when a hyper-intelligent cat is around ready and willing to sabotage.
I’ve become heavily disillusioned with British politics in recent years, and maybe Larry is the answer. In my dream scenario, Larry is a keeper of the peace with no political allegiance who wishes to make the country a better place even if those in power don’t truly care. He’s smart and loved enough to get away with it, or just straight up murder them in sadistic ways by dropping a big chandelier on them in the middle of the next partygate. Either works, and if you happen to be an indie studio who loves this idea, please get in touch and let’s make magic happen.
