Cat Quest III is a delightful action-RPG that I cannot wait to play more of | Hands-on preview
As somebody who is far too easily excited by new video games, I tend to end up starting most games with a tangible giddiness running through my body. This isn’t always the case though, and if anything I prefer this because it means I get a chance to be pleasantly surprised. With a name like Cat Quest III I must admit I wasn’t convinced that the upcoming cat based action RPG would be something I’d be desperate for the release date for, but after playing through the preview build, and I couldn’t be happier to be wrong.
In Cat Quest III you play as an adorable little kitty pirate, who is on a quest to obtain a valuable gem known as The North Star. Shaped (as you might expect) as a star, this particular bit of pirate swag is sought after by all those who call the sea their home. After finding a magical slab that will help point to the way to this elusive booty, you think you might have a chance of making pirate history as long as you can cut down all the mice standing in your way. It’s a simple but charming reason to set sail, and leads to a hell of an adventure.
In essence Cat Quest III is a fairly straightforward action RPG, but it’s an incredibly compelling one. Your fluffy character starts with quite the selection of weapons and attacks, with a sword, old timey pistol and a spell which summons an electric orb shocking all who go near it. You can also dodge roll out the way of incoming damage, which is a necessity if you’d like to keep any of your nine lives.
This is only your starting gear too, and like any good RPG there’s a huge selection of equippable items to find hidden across the islands you’ll be exploring. Some of these will just offer simple but incredibly handy stat boosts, others are entirely new weapons you can use to take down any pesky enemies. By the end of my short time with Cat Quest III I had a machine gun and claws that were tearing through baddies with ease, and was having a great time doing jump attacks and blasting back starfish with attitude.
Cat Quest III wouldn’t be much of a pirate game if you did all your fighting on land, and thankfully the ship you gain access to almost immediately ensures that isn’t the case. Soaring across the waves and firing your cannon is as simple as you’d hope, while still changing things up enough to provide a breath of fresh (and salty) air from your beach based escapades.
Above anything else though, it’s the exploration loop that makes Cat Quest III so ridiculously compelling. Every island you arrive on has a number of chests to find which you’re told as soon as you step foot on them, and hopping from shore to shore to collect them all is the perfect checklist gaming experience. Little puzzles like rocks which need hitting in the right order or maps with clues to treasure fit the pirate theme perfectly, and the rewards you find mean that exploring absolutely always feels worth it.
Even in the preview build, there was so much to Cat Quest III that I want to get stuck into. All your gear can be upgraded at the blacksmith, there’s a tavern with bounties to claim on powerful enemies (which will happily bury you if you’re not careful), and loads of side quests to check off if you want even more cash and gear. The sense of progression felt great even after only an hour or so of playing, and I can’t wait to see how much stronger my end-game cat is in the full game.
No preview of Cat Quest III could ever be complete without talking about the drop dead gorgeous visuals. The 2D character models are as impressive as they are adorable, and the environment has a sort of traditional map aesthetic that is just so charming. Combined these styles result in an absolute feast for the eyes, and it just makes exploring the seven seas even more of a treat.
Cat Quest III is a delightful action RPG that I simply cannot wait to play more of. The pirate theme is just wonderful, and exploring the seas and islands that make up the game is both compelling and worthwhile. When you combine this with the engaging combat and gorgeous visuals you have something special on your hands, and this treasure of a game is one to keep your spyglass trained on.
Cat Quest III is coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch on August 4th.
