Cat Quest III Review – A Purr-fect Adventure

Introduction to Cat Quest III

The Cat Quest series has been making a name for itself within indie gaming spaces as an adorable action adventure that eventually grew to include a local co-op mode in its sequel. Over the years, the series has refined its gameplay systems to address feedback from the community and really hone in on what makes this series so special. The result is Cat Quest III, an entry that redefines the entire series with visuals that mirror first-party-funded projects and an adventure that sparks excitement after every discovery.

Story and Setting

I’ll start this review by saying that you don’t need to play the other entries in the series before this one. The story of Cat Quest III is focused on the beginning of a Pirate Cat’s adventure. After an attack by the Pi-Rats, a special young child known as the Seeker was discovered by a lost spirit named Captian Cappey. The story then picks up 15 years later as the child and Cappy still a ship and set out on a quest to find the North Star because that’s what fate says the Seeker has to do. Others wish to take the power of the North Star, which might affect the story in some ways depending on which quests you complete, but I played casually and managed to get a good ending.

Each quest has an interesting line of events that makes completing them fun.

After acquiring the ship, you and Cappy are kind of on your own for the remainder of the adventure. You’ll meet a few other characters, but none of the NPCs really managed to leave a lasting impact. Outside of an encounter with the Pi-Rat King, known of the villains even managed to sway the narrative one way or another, this game is ultimately about adventure, and you’ll get that, but if you’re hoping for an engaging epic, you might want to look elsewhere.

Quests and Gameplay Mechanics

What Cat Quest III has is charm. Each quest has an interesting line of events that makes completing them fun. I never found myself annoyed when I spotted a new side quest on the horizon. Instead, I would b-line to it and see what it offered. I wouldn’t consider any of the quests particularly difficult, but the puzzles sprinkled around the map weren’t always easy to solve. While the playtime is around around 12 hours, I think the team could have spent a little longer creating a better conclusion. The events just wrap up a little too quickly after a lengthy build-up, but maybe this is determined by whether you complete everything or not; I’m not sure.

Action Systems and Equipment

So, to accompany you on the many side quests, there are some rather satisfying action systems. There are several weapons, each with various attack patterns. One of the stranger weapons is a shield that I never quite got used to using, but there are a few of these half-baked ideas here that, while still very fun, make the equipment system a little broken. You see, you can roll dash into a run, but if you have a wand equipped, you can faze dash. There are only one or two dungeons where this was even needed, and I never even felt like enemies had elemental weaknesses, which was a bummer. One of these ideas that was less easy to forgive is after completing all of the bounties, nothing happens. I was hoping for a special fight or bonus chest, but nothing happened.

Cat Quest III redefines the entire series with visuals that mirror first-party-funded projects.

Anyway, enough complaining because Cat Quest III is a very fun game. The overworld map is lush with discoveries and activities that make exploration exciting. Saling around or landing on an island typically triggers an event where you can either try to complete it or go somewhere else. Much of the experience is up to the player, but there are areas that contain tougher enemies that you should stay away from during the early game. Further, you’ll often find dungeons that feature arena battles and environmental puzzles with some rather creative solutions. Also, the amount of chests is clearly on display, so you don’t leave anything behind, which can also be found on the overworld map.

Character Progression and Balancing Issues

I will say that after about level 30, the game can become broken from an action standpoint. The gear, in general, is just a little boring, but the elemental side-effects for ice are insane. I ended up equipping an automatic Ice attack that freezes enemies, and then I placed a level 3 electricity shield so they slow motion into the area of damage and get wrecked. For added damage, which is rarely needed, I would use a level Ice crystal spell with equipment that raised my Ice damage, and that’s how I one-shoted the final boss. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is balancing is an issue, but that didn’t really hurt the amount of fun I was having.

I put time into the game, completing quests, leveling up, and improving my gear to make me a very powerful pirate, and that’s what I got. I think the gear upgrade system is also a little dull and limited, as it just basically raises your stats, but none of the buffs change or can be upgraded. After a while, you’ll notice you’re picking up the same gear. Well, that’s because this game doesn’t have too much, but if you get doubles, it just adds to the level of the gear.

Local Co-op Mode

I think what made the experience even more fun was the local co-op mode that really delivered an experience that I hadn’t had in a while playing video games. Cat Quest III is a game that is approachable to players of all skill levels, which leads me to believe that the game is exactly what the developers wanted it to be. And while I can sit here and complain about wanting a higher difficulty mode, I think the game’s audience is those looking for that weekend adventure to bring a little big of joy and discovery into their lives and hopefully share the experience with a friend.

Final Thoughts: A Captivating Adventure

Cat Quest III is an exceptionally charming and captivating adventure. It’s packed with discoveries, both small and large, but every moment spent playing is rewarding. Sure, the gear system might be a little broken, but the experience makes for a purr-fect weekend game. Common, I had to make at least one cat pun.