Although I recognized the series Cat Quest Because of their constant appearances on ‘best mobile games’ lists, I hadn’t paid much attention to them. Behind their cute appearance they seemed to be very simple action titles that offered nothing interesting. What a shame to admit that I got carried away by their appearances! These are games with much more depth than I expected and Cat Quest 3which I will talk about in this review, is without a doubt the best of this feline trilogy.
This series is the work of The Gentlebros, a small independent studio based in Singapore. Their two previous games combined cute felines with a world of heroic fantasy, but now they offer us a pirate adventure.
The story revolves around the North Star, which fell from the sky many years ago and has the ability to grant any wish. It was found by a group called the Seekers, who hid it for unknown reasons. Our protagonist is a cabin boy cat in the service of the ghost of Captain Capi and together they are searching for the star. But the fearsome Pirate King and all his henchmen are doing the same.
Sailing the Gatoribe
Cat Quest III it’s a game of ‘true’ open world. As soon as we begin the adventure we have the freedom to go anywhere on the map to explore. We will surely run away from many of the islands due to the high difficulty of the enemies, but nothing prevents us from visiting them and trying to get their treasures.
Combat is mechanically simple. We can attack, dodge, and switch from our melee weapon to a firearm with limited ammo that replenishes over time. It’s easy to accuse this game of being a button masher, but later on we get various elemental magics and make different ‘builds’ for the character that give much more variety to the fights.
There is also naval combat. When you are sailing through the sea on your ship, you may encounter enemy ships. These engagements require you to crash into your opponents at high speed and shoot them with your cannon. Your ship can also be equipped with different types of guns and upgrades.
Although the main story can be quite short, there are plenty of side activities. The map is full of secrets and there are over 160 treasure chests to find. There are also a good number of optional dungeons with bosses that can be “hunted” for rewards and special equipment.
It is clear that Cat Quest 3 takes some inspiration from RPGs like Diablo in its combat and loot systems. It’s much more kid-friendly than Blizzard’s series, but it hides some darkness in its world.
Apathetic horror and meowing laughter
If you played the previous titles in the series Cat Quest They know that Their plots always hide unexpected and sometimes cruel surprises.with many references to death, manipulation and suffering. Something they have in common is the presence of Aelius, a strange entity that controls events from another dimension and whose mysterious plans do not seem good at all.
Aelius reappears in Cat Quest 3 and brings with it a good dose of cosmic horror. I’m not saying this because it has an obligatory reference to the most famous work of the infamous HP Lovecraftbut also for some elements that I won’t mention so as not to give spoilers. The plot takes some unexpected turns that take it away from the tender initial appearance. They give the story a deeper and more emotional scope.
Speaking of the story, almost every supporting character has his or her own subplot, including the optional bosses. Some of these are simple and humorous—like the conflict between the Fire Pirates and the Ice Pirates—but there are others that have tragic elements. There are heartbreaks, duels, and betrayals. Although the game treats them with some humor, there is always something ‘dark’ behind them. The end of the Golden Tower subplot and the true story of the Pirate King are some of them.
But as I said, that “darkness” is always covered with humor. This game is full of visual jokes, puns (some of which lose meaning in the Spanish translation but most of which work adequately) and funny moments.The character designs are adorable, the settings are very colorful (although the interior of some towers and caves is somewhat repetitive) and the melodies are pleasant.
Pirates and gatorsaries
Cat Quest 3 can be played in the company of someone else. In my opinion, This title is even more enjoyable in multiplayer modeWhile playing co-op increases the difficulty of the enemies, it also allows for a greater variety of strategies thanks to the variety of equipment and its characteristics.
It is possible to combine hats, outfits, weapons, and trinkets to boost different types of elemental attacks, defense, attack speed, ranged damage, and more. It is even possible to create “pure builds” for healers or tanks. While I focused on fast attacks, my wife made a build for her kitty that boosted electric damage to the max. While the first few bosses were a bit tricky, in the second half of the game we were able to create completely broken builds that would take down enemies in a matter of seconds.
You may have noticed that I didn’t mention many flaws, and that’s because —although it does have some— they didn’t bother me too much. Some fights became so chaotic that it was hard to tell what was going on, I found a bug that forced me to quit the game, and some scenarios are repetitive, but none of that stopped me from smiling at this great adventure.
Needless to say, I had a great time playing it. Cat Quest 3. The combat was fun, the story surprised me a lot, and the exploration always felt satisfying. I didn’t expect any of this from an indie game starring adorable kittens.
This review was made with a digital copy of Cat Quest for PlayStation provided by Kepler Interactive. This game will be available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC from Thursday, August 8, 2024.
