Cat Quest 3 Review (PS5) – I have really been looking forward to this one. When I stumbled upon the first one I had no idea what it was. Now, whenever a new one is announced I cannot wait to get my claws stuck in.
These games are like treacle, warm and sweet, they do not break any real gaming trends but they make me smile and they are true ‘comfort gaming’. Welcome to Cat Quest 3.
Coming from the lovely folk at GentleBros, Cat Quest 3, is the third in the line of whimsical, cute RPGs that are very funny, quite light on mechanics and just wholesomely warm. if Cat Quest were a person, I would squeeze their rosy cheeks, pat them on the head and give them a bag of sweets.
Let’s jump right in!
Cat Quest 3 Review (PS5) – Warm, Familiar And Furry
Return of the Cat!
Your quest in Cat Quest 3 is simple, as it was for the first two games. You must traverse an open world map, fighting through dungeons, scratching at bosses, picking up sidequests and eventually finding your way to the illusive Northern Star, a relic of magnificent power.
While the main quest may be nothing more than a set of dungeons, it’s wrapped in a comedic, extremely entertaining narrative that had me smiling from start to finish.
However, your cast or characters are more vibrant, more varied and incredibly realized. Now we have heavy metal rock and roll cats, uncanny octopi, tricky rats and even a pair of starfish lovers.
Every piece of dialogue is wrapped in quirky puns and the whole thing is lovingly written and never takes itself too seriously.
Like Slipping into a Warm Robe
Mechanically, the game on the whole is very familiar, which I love. I never want this series to stray too far from its naive and wholesome roots. You now have a pirate ship to navigate, local co-op and an increased amount of loot, spells and weapons. It’s always rewarding trying new tactics, builds and styles out. There is a lot more than meets the eye in some of these basic RPG systems.
As before your spells and equipment are upgradeable using your gems and coins as currency. There is a joy to be had here in trying out new combos, trying new trinkets and using different elements against varying enemies.
For example, my current build works on Arcane magic, I have an arcane magic wand, arcane magic armour that boosts those stats and a spell that uses arcane damage and leeches health off enemies.
I am nearly unstoppable. Well until I find something else that tickles my fancy anyway. Tie this into the fact your ship is fully customizable too and you have a lot of levers and knobs to play with during your furry jaunts.
Beautiful In Its Simplicity
Nothing is ever complicated, you always know where to go and even if you did not, just travel in any direction and you will find a hidden dungeon or some puzzle to get stuck into. It’s beautiful in its simplicity and in a market flooded with over-complicated games, wrapped up in bloat and padding, Cats Quest is a series that is so refreshing and incredibly immediate.
Cat Quest 3 retains its joyous presentation that is chock-filled with charm and wonder. Characters are bold and incredibly detailed, the environments are bright and varied and the world map that your cat skips across is an actual map.
You walk over the names of places and it has a classic, old-school feel to it that you see less and less of these days.
Unbothered By Modern Trends
I adored Cat Quest 3, it retains everything I loved about previous entries while improving on the visuals and RPG elements of its predecessors. The co-op is fun as is the new boating mechanic, Cat Quest 3 is trimmed of all fat and gets to the enjoyment and fun immediately. This game is the purrfect length, the purrfect difficulty level and never overstays its welcome.
I truly wish more games were like this, no faff, no mess just straight-up joy. Let’s be honest, that is why we all play games, right? Well, see you next time for Cat Quest 4. (shhhhhh, spoilers…) Take my money now!
Cat Quest 3 is available on the 8th of August for PS5 and PS4.
Review code kindly provided by the publisher.