Cat Quest III Review – Purrfectly Fine

Cat Quest III Review

Now in their third iteration, the Cat Quest games have always been a combination of action RPG and a cat pun delivery system. There are more cat-related puns, jokes, and other references per square inch than you can imagine. Cat Quest 3 is pirate themed, adding a whole new opportunity for puns and wordplay. It’s a purrfect arrrangement. I’ll stop now. No more littering the review with bad jokes.

In all — or at least part — seriousness, the Cat Quest games are action RPGs that can be enjoyed by a single player or in local co-op. They’re entirely family-friendly, though not necessarily for young kids. This is because they can be quite challenging at times, and have fairly robust RPG mechanics.

Set Sail

Cat Quest 3’s narrative is pretty straightforward. You are a young cat, orphaned as a kitten after a furious sea battle with pirates. Now 15 (which, in human years is around 76 years old, but no matter), you’re tasked with finding a legendary treasure called the North Star, and fighting pi-rats (get it?). Like in most RPGs, the story is the engine driving exploration, quests and combat, but not worth taking too seriously.

Cat Quest 3 is an open world game set in and around a vast collection of islands. You can freely explore both by sail and on foot. Higher level enemies are not gated or scaled to player level, so you need to pick enemies appropriate to your skill and gear. There are tons of side quests and dungeons to distract you from the main quest. Many of the NPCs are surprising and a little deceptive, too. Some of the quests take unexpected turns.

At first blush, Cat Quest 3’s overworld map looks like that of a turn-based RPG. In fact, there is no other map layer, and the game’s real-time action takes place on the overworld view — when not underground. The lack of realistic scale isn’t a problem in the game’s overall style, however. In the dungeons, the game looks like a traditional ARPG. Notably, the map is not cluttered with objective markers. You get information and directions from talking to NPCs and exploring.

Many Lives

Although Cat Quest 3’s combat is perhaps not as complex as, say, Elden Ring or even Skyrim, it’s far more sophisticated than the overall presentation suggests. In fact, it draws inspiration from those RPGs and others. This means that, in addition to dodge rolls, light and heavy attacks, your hero has melee and ranged weapons and magic. There is a very large number of weapons to find, magic to equip and skills to unlock. The character progression system is relentless, and you’re always finding something new to try.

As in most popular RPGs, enemies come in many sizes, shapes and difficulties, with bosses having the usual strengths, weaknesses and patterns to memorize. At normal difficulty (there’s also an easy mode) it’s pretty easy to die, sending you back to the last bonfire…er, save point. Most of the ranged weapons and magic spells are on a cooldown timer or have limited ammo. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t automatically switch to the useable weapon, leaving you to click helplessly and open to attack. Another small frustration is the slight input lag for dodge rolls, Many enemies hang in the air before crashing down. Getting the dodge timing takes practice. A lot of enemies are fond of butt slams.

On the water, your ship is equipped with a cannon and naval battles — either against other ships or land targets — is fun. Overall, weapons are pretty punchy and effective. I’ve played many a recent Soulslike with less impactful-feeling combat.

Stylish Arrrt

One look at a Cat Quest 3 screenshot and you get what the developer is going for. The art is cute, colorful, never truly scary and often amusing, with some visual jokes and puns. The same is true of NPCs. If you played either of the previous Cat Quest games, you’ll notice that the art style hasn’t radically changed. It has evolved and gotten a bit richer and more detailed.

There’s no voice acting in Cat Quest 2, but the dialogue is delivered in short, get-to-the-point lines. The music is faux-orchestral, with samples and synths instead of real instruments. The presentation is maybe where Cat Quest 3 can’t sustain its 12+ hour playtime, which is as substantial as any RPG. The tone never changes, the music gets a bit repetitive and the reliance on cat and pirate-themed puns starts to age poorly. Beating the game opens up a replay, or as the developers call it, Mew Game+. Apologies.

Cat Quest 3’s style is its calling card, but the surprise comes from its addictive and unexpectedly deep gameplay systems and mechanics. It’s a full-fledged ARPG with cat and pirate trappings. Fans of felines and suckers for swashbucklers of any age should enjoy the adventure. Cat Quest 3 releases on August 8–International Cat Day.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***