Kepler Interactive
Video games that attempt to thread the phonograph needle between younger and older audiences have a slippery job . game likeDetective Pikachu Returnscan find themselves walk a difficult tightrope act as they waffle between which age group they require to cater to . That can lead in an dissymmetry between simplistic written material and complex gameplay or frailty versa . While the idea of courting a wide age kitchen stove is appeal , it ’s not an easy chore .
That ’s why I ’m impressed byCat Quest 3so far . On its surface the plagiariser RPG certainly looks and sound like a full-strength - up kid ’s game . It has an adorable graphics style and a playscript full of well-to-do feline pun . And yet , I found myself deeply engaged as I dally through a lengthy demonstration . Deep RPG systemshad me so locked in that I was surprised when I hit the remnant of my clock time .
Kepler Interactive
Why was a secret plan that seemed so geared toward young players speaking to me ? That ’s becauseCat Quest 3has a more nuanced consultation in head : actor who are young at heart .
Sail away
I was unfamiliar with the Cat Quest serial before start my demonstration , so its setup initially bewitch me off guard . I ’d always assumed it was a fairlystraightforward 2D platformer , but that ’s far from reality . or else , Cat Quest 3sets players at large in an overworld that resemble ones detect in classic RPGs . One quick glance and you might bear it ’s a retro atavist with turn - base encounters . That ’s not the casing either . This is very much the sort of book that you ca n’t judge by its cover .
While the threequel might be surprising to newcomers , Cat Quest fans will regain a familiar formula here . I ’d drop into my demo with just a blade and start whip enemies , grabbing treasure , and grow inviolable with each grade up . It almost feel like a small dungeon - crawler at moments , as I trounce through “ Pi - Rats ” and hoard worthful gear from chests . I ’d quickly get a principal objective lens as I was state to track down a specific treasure , but I was free to search a modest patch of islands in any way I saw set .
The freeform exploration stand out directly . Cat Quest 3has some of the hooks of your standardopen - world game , but uncovering find much more organic . Rather than plank marker on a mathematical function , I routinely find into sidequests and hidden chests as I sweep around islands either on foot or in my ship . When I sail north , I encounter a fisher being harassed by some ships . I blast them with canons , but the ill-humoured fisherman reject to give me a reward . He quickly relents and clues me into a nearby treasure chest , pay me a worthful payoff . instant like that made me eager to search every corner of the map that I could during the demo . And what I check here was only a small mouthful of its much bigger map .
I ’d similarly find myself surprised by both the scrap and RPG systems the deeper I got . At first , it all seemed elementary . I slashed some early foeman by mashing a release and dodging attacks . before long , my arsenal would expand as I gained flame and lightning spells I could tie to my bumpers . I could swop to a retentive - range pistol with the strike of a release , and that playstyle changed a few times as I retrieve weapon system with very different blast and reload hurrying ( I ’d end my demo with a automobile gun with tons of rounds ) . By the oddment of my demo , I had already bought in on the surprisingly fast - pace battles that had me carefully juggle my close- and foresightful - range options .
All of that pairs with ship combat , which allows me to savage boats and threshold with a heavy shank , and deep customization . I had several gear slot to handle during my demonstration , including vesture , artillery , perk , spells , ship upgrades , and more . Each of those can be upgraded at a blacksmith or fortune teller , increase their stats . The final challenge of the demo had me trying to beat a raging wild boar in the undecided Earth . I could n’t quite hack it at first , but then I remembered that I ’d roll up a large premium of atomic number 79 . After some measured outlay , I come back much firm and wiped the floor with it . That grade of reward for grinding and exploration work me back to the kind of old - shoal RPGs I grow up with . And I do n’t remember those quick tactile sensation are an stroke .
Young at heart
It really feel likeCat Quest 3understands and caters to a specific interview . It ’s not so much geared toward Kyd as it is the kind of player who still carry a youthful get-up-and-go and want to see that in their game too . The quality is playful , with a pirate write up and swashbuckling characters that ’ll take older players back . It ’s alike to the tone of a retro reversion likeSea of Stars , though it ’s even more unembarrassed in its good - natured silliness . All the while , it delivers inscrutable and engaging systems that do n’t leave it feeling simplistic .
The tone might leave some role player rove their eyes , even if they are the intend audience . A good chunk of the dialogue I register boiled down to low - hanging true cat puns that get old fast . Expect to see word like “ purr ” and “ fur ” shoehorn into as many words as possible . That ’s where the dangerous undertaking can get down to experience just a short patronising , slip off its tightrope ever so slenderly .
Aside from that , though , Cat Quest 3isn’t set off too many red flags . The only minor annoyance comes from its newest addition : ship exploration . Being able to summon a boat at any dock with the imperativeness of a button and voyage around islands opens up exploration even more , though turning and aiming at foe can be just a bit inelegant . It did n’t take long to get used to that , though , and I ultimately bump myself enjoying how ship could change some intimate kinetics . For instance , if I get word a group of enemies hanging out on a shoring , I could choose to cast up on them with my boat and loose fire alternatively of disembarking and doing it myself . A wellness Browning automatic rifle check that I do n’t just spam that , as accept too much harm will require me to stand near my ship for a turn until it renovate itself .
Cat Quest 3feels like it ’s finding a large balance so far , merging RPG depth with youthful storytelling and some surprising combat challenges . I kick the bucket in assuming it just would n’t be for me , but I ’ve come out of it itch to research more . think my curiosity piqued .
Cat Quest 3launches on August 8 for PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X / S , Nintendo Switch , and PC .
