Help a catnip-smuggling, car-driving cat escape the cops in this Need for Speed parody browser game 

Ever wanted to be the shift stick-operating assistant to a tough-talking, vintage car-driving ginger moggie? Well now you can! Swedish indie developer Knackelibang Productions has released the short browser-based adventure game Nip for Speed for free on itch.io. In this bizarre game, you find yourself in the passenger seat with a cat at the wheel, who will meow deep-voiced instructions to you, while the puzzled pup in the back looks on.  

The cat will ask you to do all kinds of normal things, like changing gear, lighting its cigar and handing it a gun. The dialogue is humorous and absurd, made extra funny by the fact that the meows are clearly voiced by a guy pretending to be a cat, and a hard-boiled one at that. Smuggling catnip is a tough business apparently.  

It is unclear if the animals are actually there or if it’s just your character having a Hunter S. Thompson-style hallucinogenic trip (as the highway signs suggest).  Either way, this quirky game clearly riffs off Need For Speed, in particular the bizarreness of Need for Speed: The Run. Don’t expect a full-blown game from Nip for Speed though, it’s a short, free and funny little experience. 

The developer Knackelibang Productions is currently working on an online FPS called Just Read the Instructions, which is due out on PC sometime in 2024, with the demo available now on Steam and itch.io. 

Nip for Speed is available on itch.io for free. 

Based on the original Japanese article by Yuta Tanaka (original article’s publication date: 2024-02-05 21:04 JST)