Cat Quest III
Developer: The Gentlebros
Publisher: Kepler Interactive
Platforms: Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: 8 Aug 2024
Price: $19.99 USD – Available Here $59.95 AUD – Available Here
Overview
Let me ask you: what is your “cheat” game? You know, a game you must immediately check out because it has that specific something? For some, their hook it’s something so simple as scantily dressed women in fighting games, others follow the path of “the gorier, the better” and some can easily get lost in a 100,000-word visual novel like nothing. I am a simple man. I see cats, I click. Or download. If it has a cat, I’ll check it out. That’s my rule. I played some good games, some bad ones and some just used cats as a selling point and didn’t put any effort into the game. Shame on them.
So now that we’re on the subject of cat games, I have to mention the Cat Quest series as being surprisingly good so far. They’re somewhat short and cute games filled with some dungeon looting and a lot of cat-related puns. I already reviewed both games and they easily won me over so I’m obviously excited about having the third entry to check out. So let’s give it a go.
Story
This time, Cat Quest brings a lot to the table. For the first time in the series, you can sail the high seas and battle in your very own ship. You are on a quest to find the fabled North Star treasure, battle hundreds of mouse-like pirates or Pi-rats as they’re called here (on land and in the sea), and get sidetracked by dozens of sidequests, hidden treasures, and secrets. Cat Quest III does feel like a magnum opus of the series with how everything is improved with even more cat-related puns than before. But as far as the story goes, you’ll be bombarded with exposition at the start, drip-fed with lore throughout the game, and then bombarded with the rest of “who, where, and what” once you face the final boss. But you know what, I decided for the story to take the back seat (and so will you) once I got my hands on that speedy pirate ship and got exploring the rest of the high seas. The game also sets up a sequel in a pretty expected way but then again, it’s not like we expected this series to stop at number 3, right?
Gameplay
We can divide all the fun parts of the game into two sections; land and sea. If you played the previous games in the series, then you’ll know what to expect. Plethora of dungeons, new (and secret) weapons, new skills, new magic, and so on. But your sea vehicle takes it to the next level. It’s a great feeling when you see the whole map and know that you can instantly sail from point A to point B in a second. Nothing is walled and locked out at the start but there are different enemy levels/ship levels so for some areas of the map it would be perhaps smart to level up first.
As you expected, you can upgrade your ship with buffs such as a faster reload, better damage, and special attacks. The ship levels up with you and it is a great tool in finding hidden treasure. And let me tell you about treasure and hidden stuff in this game. Some of the best equipment in the game is hidden behind sidequests and puzzles. Checking out every nook and cranny definitely pays off. Weapons and armor sets here are not just for show. Some will give you super useful buffs such as extra attacks, or faster attacks the more you hit the enemy and some have a chance to shock & freeze enemies with every attack.
Visuals
I can’t say that the visuals are much improved compared to the previous game, but then again nothing looked bad in Cat Quest II either. We have a bigger world map this time and a lot more enemy variety. The dungeons don’t feel like they’re copy & paste either, sometimes you’ll find the nearby waterfall seeping through the dungeon and flooding it and the next one might have none of that and be full of puzzles and dozens of traps. You can always mix and match the equipment for your kitty, and play with different armor sets. The combinations you get are often hilarious. The equipment is usually bound to the level you had when you picked it up but have no worries, there is a nearby blacksmith that can always upgrade your favorite pirate hat from level 5 to level 65 (assuming you have the cash).
Audio
Nothing out of the ordinary there. There is a soundtrack throughout the game, I can tell you that much. The music is varied and tied to what’s going on in the game (if you’re just exploring the high seas or you’re in a boss fight) but I can’t say that anything really stands out. Although, it has its moments. You won’t know what fun is until you get into a naval fight with 2-3 more pirate ships and the orchestra of dozens of cannonballs flying from one ship to another takes center stage. It’s fun and tense as it is hilarious. And yeah, the game could definitely use more quality voice acting just like in the opening cinematic but we are stuck with what we have.
Overall
Let’s be honest, Cat Quest III is a near-perfect product. The carefully crafted balance of story and exploration, dozens and dozens of secrets and puzzles, and a whole lot of cutesy-created characters (yes, even the nasty bosses). The game also at any point doesn’t overstay its welcome. The developers claim that you can get around 10 to 15 hours from the game but I managed to explore and find pretty much everything in 8 hours. And that’s also the perfectly fine length of the game, especially if we compare it to the price. It is a perfect summer game with an impressive amount of details, work, and love that’s been poured into it. It has my definite recommendation and now I can’t wait for the inevitable sequel.
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