The Best Catventure Yet

Summary Perfectly spaced humor throughout the game makes its narrative shine.

Upgradable gear and spells add depth to gameplay.

Sailing on a pirate ship and naval battles add exploration elements that keep things fresh.

Cat Quest 3 continues the epic adventures in a land of cats, dogs, and rats, with even more humor and a new mechanic of sailing the ocean in a pirate ship. The franchise was created by The Gentlebros back in 2017 and has been delighting players ever since with the purrfectly balanced combination of open-world catventure and comedy. In addition to exploring dungeons and handling side quests for NPCs, Cat Quest 3 expands the map by giving players the ability to set sail in their own pirate ship.

As a longtime fan of the series, I was reluctant to get too excited about Cat Quest 3 after being a bit disappointed in the two-character aspect of Cat Quest 2 even when played solo. I worried that the franchise could continue to slowly disappoint me with each new title. I am happy to be wrong, however, with Cat Quest 3 exceeding my expectations and topping my love of even the first game. The Gentlebros have managed to create something truly pawsome, with perfect mechanics for handling the pirate ship and even more humor to offset the dark overtones of the deeper story.

Cat Quest III 4.5 Pros Humor is perfectly spaced

Good gameplay mechanics with upgradable gear

The pirate ship adds for world exploration Cons No online multiplayer, local only

The Story Of Cat Quest 3 Continues The Tail Of The Series

Formerly Known As Pirates Of The Purribean

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Cat Quest 3 begins with a cutscene of a kitten being put to sea in a basket after a pirate ship destroys the vessel that the baby's parents were on. This kitten bares the mark of the Seeker, and is found and raised by Captain Cappey, who is the same type of creature as Spirrey from Cat Quest and Kirry of Cat Quest 2. The game then picks up 15 years later with Captain Cappey and the Cat Hero, who is played by the character, setting off on a pirate adventure to find the legendary North Star.

It is possible to play Cat Quest 3 without having experienced the first two games and still have a great time, but it is clearly a continuation of the grander story. Those who have played the first two games will get much more from the story.

Naturally, the North Star is a coveted item that has more than simply the main character chasing it. Several fiends, including the furrocious Pi-rat King and even Meowtallika, are also looking for the North Star for its powers to grant anything the holder most desires. The player's character is the only Seeker left in existance, however, and singularly holds the power to pave the way to this hidden treasure who was sealed away by Seekers of old.

Related SteamWorld Heist 2 Review: A Wonderful Adventure Of Heists And Hats SteamWorld Heist 2 is a fun adventure full of heists that is enjoyable for anyone, regardless of their knowledge of other SteamWorld games.

Gameplay For Cat Quest 3 Is Purrfectly Executed

Pirates, Pi Rats, And Plundering

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Similar to previous games, players have the ability to upgrade their gear and spells in the game to become more powerful. As long as they have enough of the necessary currencies, players can make any armor, weapon, or magic spell be incredibly powerful so that they can theoretically fight any enemy, regardless of their level. That would require a lot of grinding at the beginning of the game, however, and would likely make the game too simple.

A local co-op mode is available for Cat Quest 3, allowing another player to easily join the fight as another cat at any time by visiting a rest beacon.

The game includes essentially three types of gameplay areas: the overworld, dungeons, and the sea. Right from the beginning, players are able to explore anywhere they would like to, with a pirate ship available moments after starting and the ability to swim across the ocean, or anywhere they wish, using a float ring. Unlike previous games, there are no levels listed for dungeons, and each of the islands can be reached at any time, although there is the risk of running into a level 60 enemy while you are level 5.

Any direction a player wants to go, there are things to discover, and the combat system in the game has been refined to allow players to easily swap between weapons or magic in an intuitive and easy way. A local co-op mode is also available for Cat Quest 3, allowing another player to easily join the fight as another cat at any time by visiting a rest beacon. Thankfully, the second cat only appears in 2-player mode, unlike the dog/cat duo that was always present in Cat Quest 2, even when playing solo. Personally, I did not like the dual character approach of that game, and am happy to see it gone.

Sailing The Purribean And Having Naval Battles Are A Wonderful Addition

And The Floaty Ring Is Adorable When Swimming

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As I stated above, I was hesitant to get too excited about the announcement of Cat Quest 3 partially because I was afraid that adding the pirate ship could cause extra confusion and difficulty, or create too much of a focus on sailing and deviate too much from how the previous two games played. This is not the case at all, however, and I am truly impressed at how smoothly the ship blends into the rest of the game and the ease of jumping in and out of it.

The ship can be summoned at any dock, so players don't need to keep track of where they parked it, and the cat can jump in and out of the ship anywhere on the water or shore. Even in the middle of the ocean, I could jump out of the ship and my little orange cat was floating in an adorable floaty ring and could swim anywhere, without ever getting tired. Or, just walking into the water would immediately create the floatation ring and the character would begin swimming, with a seamless transition. Naval battles with enemy ships on the water are a lot of fun, and the ship can be upgraded just as any other weapon or armor.

Easter Eggs And Characteristic Charm Add To This Paw-some Game

The Humor Continues

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Of course, one of the biggest hallmarks of The Gentlebros style is the subtle humor and easter eggs that are in each of the Cat Quest games. The constant play on words and clever things that can surprise players through exploration are what I love the most about the series. Cat Quest 3 does not disappoint, particularly in one instance with a certain castle that is best left for players to stumble across on their own, but is absolutely fantastic and hilarious.

Enemies such as the Duck of Doom and even Meowtallika are just the right amount of silliness without feeling out of place. Meanwhile, fans of the series will enjoy seeing the nods to other games with Kidd Cat, the younger sibling of Kit Cat, and the challenging return of Cathulhu.

Final Thoughts And Review Score Fur Cat Quest 3

4.5/5 - "Must-Play" By Screen Rant's Review Metric

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While it is unfortunate that, like the first two in the series, Cat Quest 3 is local multiplayer only, the game is an incredible addition to the franchise. Somehow, the developers have taken all the best things about Cat Quest and made them even better, with understandable game mechanics and another purrfect soundtrack and graphic design. Anyone who, like me, found themselves a bit disappointed in Cat Quest 2, should not hesitate to try this one, as it is a perfect balance of all the things that make Cat Quest an enjoyable series.

The story itself is not long, only lasting 10–15 hours for the main game. Once the game is over, players can also try it in New Game+ Mode or the upcoming "Mew Game" Mode, which will provide challenges such as not allowing players to equip anything or preventing them from leveling up higher than level one. Providing many more hours of enjoyable gameplay for Cat Quest 3 even after the main story is over.

Screen Rant was provided with a PS5 digital download code for the purpose of this review.