I reviewed Cat Quest II back in 2019, and my impressions were: “This is a good game.” Easy, slappy, and aesthetically pleasing with tons of puns, I had little ill to speak of the furry escapade. With much to improve on, I was excited to try Cat Quest III, because all the developers had to do was enhance the systems purrently in place, and we’d have a more robust, enjoyable experience. I’m satisfied to say they did just that.
This time, our feline fellows are born as Seekers who must retrieve the North Star because that is what Seekers do. Last of their line, the Seekers must race to the treasure before other pirate ne’er-do-wells get to it first. Along the way, the silent protagonists run into all sorts of friends in the archipelago who need assistance.
Cat Quest III’s sidequests won’t give you anything close to a catnip high, but they add context and presence to the small world you sail around. Some of the quests break from the tired formula a bit, such as corralling foes with various movement patterns into a shrinking target area, while others put a slight twist on the fetch quest mechanic. All are simple enough to solve, which makes the predictable design easier to bear. In truth, I enjoyed them, because the dialogue was cute and inventive.
Of course, combat is core to this action RPG with its iconic, slightly angled camera. Button mashing satisfies on controller or keyboard and mouse. The first half of the game requires some degree of strategy, timed dodges, and fussing over equipment, though savvy players will min-max their way into off-the-charts damage.
Initially, players can only equip a certain number of accessories, which increases with the character’s level. Similarly, the ship can only be outfitted with a limited number of upgrades, though I’ll talk more about that later. As one might expect, the accessories are nothing flashy: raw stats with some passive benefit. Passive benefits range from bonus ammo on the side arm to generating mana when hit.
Aside from swords and guns, players can equip four spells that typically inflict some elemental damage in varying attack patterns, though buffs and a healing spell exist. If you’re wondering how you’re supposed to do all of this with limited slots, rest assured the team designed this game with cooperative play in mind. Mana generates when players hit enemies at a generous rate, keeping players feeling powerful. While I wouldn’t describe Cat Quest III as a challenging game, my wife and I died about ten or so times over the course of the adventure because active, mindful play is required to avoid multi-shot attacks that can surprise players, for instance.
Most enemies signal their attacks with a flashing light, for example, though this can make dodging quite a challenge when multiple enemies target players. Managing ammo isn’t a huge issue since players have infinite and guns reload on their own; sometimes a good side arm is the key to an encounter. Some of the optional boss fights took us a few tries, which is good, though players typically earn money to upgrade equipment or a copy of equipment that levels current items if already obtained. In typical RPG fashion, beating the hardest boss leads to a powerful weapon, available for new game+, I suppose. On the other hand, Cat Quest III may have a secret or two to try that equipment on.
Since the map is an archipelago, players need to sail around. The seas have tastefully placed enemy ships waiting for a fight, and several of the optional bosses are also ship battles. To my surprise, ship combat is fun and exciting. Steering the ship is a task since the boat can’t turn on a dime. Expect wide arcs that require understanding enemy movement and attacks to stay alive. Since we were playing cooperatively, I sailed while my wife shot and used special attacks, which is a system that worked pretty well for us. Ships can be outfitted with special ammo, but that eats a slot for passive bonuses, such as increased health and damage. Once again, wisely building a ship is key to winning some of the more challenging fights, but death is a slap on the wrist.
Expect Cat Quest III’s art style to resemble earlier titles, though the graphical quality is definitely a step up. Spell effects can make battles a touch chaotic, and we had trouble locating ourselves in more than a few fights. This being an easier title, that wasn’t much of an issue. Musically, chipper, piratey tunes maintain the charming, family-friendly atmosphere, though don’t expect anything to jam out to on Spotify.
Overall, I found this nine-hour jaunt to be superior to Cat Quest II, which already wasn’t a bad game. As I suggested earlier, all the developers had to do was beef up the game slightly, which they did. This is the definitive comfy game that you can play with a spouse, friend, or child. If this trajectory is any indication of what the developers can accomplish with the series, I’m eager to see what they do next.
