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Prior to testing out Cat Quest 3 or Cat Quest III, I was a dog person. But through game developer The Gentlebros’ craft and hypnosis, they managed to sway me to the dark side. I’ve now fully submitted my free will to our cat overlords, and Cat Quest 3 makes it all worth it, being the biggest Cat Quest game ever.
If you’re not convinced, that’s because you haven’t tried it yet like I have. The Gentlebros were kind and clever enough to send us a preview for Cat Quest 3. I’ll be detailing how this game made me betray dog-kind and switch over to the other team.
Find the One Paws
The previews two Cat Quests are more like medieval romps and the first one was even a self-proclaimed Diablo with cats. Cat Quest 3 takes things in a different direction. This time around, you’re a pirate. You also need to find the most treasured artifact in the game world: a fallen piece of the North Star!
It’s not clear what it does this early in the story, but you’re not the only one who wants it. The Pi-Rate King (seriously) is also out to grab the North Star for himself. So you, the Pi-Rat King, and many other anthropomorphic animal pirates are on a mad dash and race for the North Star.
If it sounds familiar, it’s practically just One Piece with cats. There’s no story here as it’s more of a goal or a premise. Your orphan cat character gets Moses’d as a baby and is promptly adopted by Captain Cappey, your trusty spirit companion.
I’d be surprised if Captain Cappey betrays you for the North Star late on in the story but even that’s a low-hanging fruit. And like all action-adventure games with RPG elements, you don’t play this one for the story.
Paw-sitively Varied
Cat Quest 3 doesn’t do much differently compared to most other action RPGs that came before it. However, what it has is a seamless combination of what has worked so far in the genre.
Action combat with manual dodging, spells, an inventory and gear system, dungeons, and you also get a ship for exploration (with ship combat) right away. If you get tired of backtracking dungeons (yes, unfortunately, but only a bit) then you can just explore the large archipelago game world.
I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the map and found a decently-sized game world. This is the biggest Cat Quest game after all.
While Cat Quest 3 might have played it safe, you could at least have fun with couch co-op with a loved one or even a friend whom you want to convert from a dog-person to a cat-person. It’s one of the few games on the market with a couch or local co-op. Cat Quest 3 offers this experience without much friction.
You’ll also find the standard gear treadmill here reminiscent of action RPGs with armor, weapons, and even spells but more simplified. The game gives you plenty of reasons and rewards for your cat-like curiosity. Just don’t expect all of them to be deep or complex.
Same Old Orange Cat
The game’s graphics have mostly stayed the same, something you’ll notice right away compared to the first and second Cat Quest games. The 2.5D art style is a staple for indie titles these days, popularized by games like Don’t Starve.
For the most part, you likely won’t be asking for more here as Cat Quest 3‘s visuals get the job done. No additional fidelity will make it more immersive– in fact, more of that might achieve the opposite effect. The game relies on its charms and dressing up your orange cat in the inventory with different kinds of pirate bandanas never gets old.
The cutscenes are quite a treat though and they convey quite a serious and memorable tone that can almost feel disconnected from the main gameplay.
As for character design, you’d be surprised how creative they’ve gotten. Buff and meow-scular characters like Mama Milka are just about poised for meme culture recognition.
There’s not much to say about the audio and sound design for Cat Quest 3. It doesn’t even have voice acting and at most, there are little to no emotional audio cues from the characters. It’s not that kind of game.
The audio for the combat and the music do their job well enough though don’t expect any memorably sound cues or tunes.
Quite a shame though, this game would have been a perfect opportunity for some cute cat vocalization songs. Seeing as the game is just a preview at this point, there’s still a chance for that to happen.
Is it Purrfection?
One of the most criticized aspects of both Cat Quest and Cat Quest 2 is the rather short playtime– especially for something that compares itself to Diablo. Either of those prequels only lasts around 6-7 hours each.
Cat Quest 3, on the other hand, seems intent to flesh out the game more. The 3-hour preview that I played ended in a boss fight and gave more of bigger promises to come. How well that will pan out with Cat Quest 3‘s current offerings remains to be seen.
While it’s not quite as innovative compared to other indie titles, Cat Quest 3‘s accessibility and lack of pretension make it one of my most charming and relaxed gaming experiences to date.
Don’t be afraid to pounce on this one; you might find it quite a treat.
Cat Quest 3 is set to be released on August 8, 2024 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S.
