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Finding Ivy capsule

Finding Ivy

Finding Ivy is a cute casual 2D platformer where 1-4 players make their way through a kid-drawn world to win back their runaway cat. Run, jump, climb, and discover items and friends that help you along the way!

$4.993 user reviews
AdventureCasualPlatformer
Macaron GamesAug 28, 2025

Finding Ivy scores 68/100 — better than 22% of Adventure capsules (n=7,922).

3 user reviews · $4.99 · Released Aug 28, 2025 · By Macaron Games

Explore:Adventure capsulesCasual capsulesPlatformer capsulesSteam page optimisationCapsule design best practices

Quick text summary

Finding Ivy scored 68/100 on Steam Analyzer — Solid for a Adventure capsule. Top priority fix: [uniqueness_polish] Feature Ivy (the cat) more prominently in the capsule—show the cat character itself rather than generic platformer elements to communicate the core emotional hook and make the title immediately memorable.

Capsule scores by dimension

  • Genre Clarity: 7/10 — Casual platformer charm clear. The hand-drawn art style, visible character in mid-jump pose on the left, and cute animal subject matter (cat reference via Ivy) clearly signal a casual, family-friendly adventure platformer. At tiny size, the jumping pose and whimsical aesthetic still read as lighthearted action, though the specific genre mechanics are not immediately obvious from visuals alone.
  • Title Readability: 8/10 — Bold title strong legibility. The "Finding Ivy" logo uses a thick outlined bubble font with strong contrast against the light blue background, maintaining excellent readability across all sizes including tiny. The text placement in the upper center is protected from busy scene elements and remains crisp even when mentally compressed to thumbnail size.
  • Contrast & Color: 7/10 — Light palette reads cleanly. The soft pastel blue sky background and cream/tan character tones create clear value separation against the Steam dark background #1b2838, with the white title outline further reinforcing contrast. The right-side UI elements (building blocks, items) are slightly muted and create minor visual competition, but overall silhouette clarity holds up at small sizes.
  • Uniqueness & Polish: 6/10 — Competent child-art aesthetic. The deliberately crude, hand-drawn crayon style is thematically appropriate and reinforces the 'kid-drawn world' setting, but the execution feels like a straightforward asset collection rather than a distinctive art direction breakthrough. At tiny size the visual identity reads more as 'cute indie platformer' than a memorable, standout capsule that would immediately distinguish this title from similar games.
  • Brand Consistency: 6/10 — Consistent style lacks signature. The hand-drawn aesthetic and pastel palette are cohesive and match the game's visual direction shown in store screenshots, with the character pose and simple animal subject reinforcing the family-friendly brand. However, there are no iconic character features, signature visual motifs, or distinctive symbols that would make this capsule instantly recognizable as Finding Ivy specifically rather than any casual platformer.
  • Composition: 7/10 — Clear focal point good balance. The jumping character on the left creates a strong primary focal point with the title anchored above center, while supporting elements (right-side buildings and items) balance the frame without overwhelming. At small and tiny sizes the composition collapses cleanly to character + title + ambient clues, though the right-side decorative elements are slightly redundant and could occupy prime real estate that gets cropped.

What works

  • Title legibility at all sizes. The outlined bubble font and centered upper placement ensure "Finding Ivy" remains readable even at tiny thumbnail size with no letterform degradation.
  • Thematic cohesion with premise. The hand-drawn crayon aesthetic directly reinforces the 'kid-drawn world' setting and casual family-friendly tone described in the game synopsis.
  • Clean value contrast. Light pastel tones separate clearly from the dark Steam background, with the character silhouette and title outline maintaining distinct edges at reduced sizes.

What hurts the capsule

  • Generic casual platformer feel. The visual execution, while competent and on-brand, does not distinguish this title from dozens of similar indie platformers—the hand-drawn style is a common aesthetic choice in the genre.
  • Right-side elements lack purpose. The building blocks and item icons on the right are decorative rather than narrative or mechanical cues, adding visual noise without reinforcing the core 'find the cat' hook.
  • No iconic character identity. The player character and Ivy the cat are not visually distinctive enough to function as brand symbols; they could belong to any cute platformer without the context of the title.

Priority fixes

  1. [uniqueness_polish] Feature Ivy (the cat) more prominently in the capsule—show the cat character itself rather than generic platformer elements to communicate the core emotional hook and make the title immediately memorable.
  2. [composition] Replace or refocus right-side decorative elements with visual storytelling that hints at the multiplayer co-op or specific platformer mechanics (ropes, bridges, collectibles) to add gameplay context.
  3. [brand_consistency] Introduce a distinctive color accent or visual motif unique to Finding Ivy that could serve as a recognizable identity signal across future promotional materials.

Store copy priority fixes

  1. [feature_communication] Explain the roguelite structure explicitly—mention whether runs are randomized, how progression persists, or what changes on replays, since this is a core tag and differentiator.
  2. [hook_strength] Add a sentence in the detailed description that raises emotional stakes or hints at what makes finding Ivy challenging, moving beyond simple "cat is lost" to create stronger narrative pull.
  3. [audience_targeting] Clarify solo vs. multiplayer experience balance—state explicitly whether the game is equally fun solo or optimized for co-op, to set correct player expectations.
  4. [uniqueness] Expand on what makes the hand-drawn aesthetic functionally or narratively special—does it affect puzzle design, storytelling, or charm in a way other platformers do not?

Related guides

Steam app ID: 3578530 · Tags: Adventure, Casual, Platformer, 2D Platformer, Exploration