Cat Quest III review: Cats, pirates, and a whole lot of fun

A quick way to make me interested in your game is to involve cats of some kind, so I was surprised to discover a beloved RPG series with a passionate fanbase prominently featuring cats and other furry creatures that I didn't know of. Cat Quest is a series of adorable, bite-sized RPGs telling a multi-chapter narrative of feline heroines on the search for world-altering treasure. Cat Quest 3 is the latest entry in the franchise and was my introduction.

Ten hours and some change later, I had 100% complete Cat Quest 3 and all of its achievements, and my feelings were bittersweet. On the one hand, I genuinely had an absurd amount of fun exploring this unique world and diving into the shockingly diverse combat, but on the other hand... it was over. This is an extremely inviting, approachable RPG for players of all ages that may be one of my top Xbox games of the year, with my only wish being that there had been just a bit more for me to explore (and that the first Cat Quest was actually on Xbox).

What is Cat Quest 3?

Cat Quest III - Launch - YouTube

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Cat Quest 3 is the third entry in the Cat Quest franchise from The Gentlebros studio, with the franchise collecting a rather passionate collection of fans over the years. The Cat Quest games are role-play games (RPGs), with each entry telling a separate (but related) story of a cat embarking on an epic quest in the search for treasure or powerful artifacts. Cat Quest 3 is understandably the most ambitious of the franchise yet, with some important quality-of-life improvements and refinements.

In this game, you play as a young cat pirate with the blood of the Seekers, an ancient race of beings connected to a godly artifact contained inside them. You're accompanied by Captain Cappey, a mysterious ghost-like cat that helped raise you from a young kitten. Your goal? Seek out the North Star Treasure, something that's apparently supposed to be able to guide anyone who finds it to their deepest desires. You're far from the only person in search of this artifact, though, and will have to go up against immensely powerful foes.

Cat Quest 3 is an approachable RPG with an option for local two-player co-op and is definitely on the shorter side of games. There's sadly no option for a physical edition on Xbox or Windows PC (boo!), but you can get a physical copy of Cat Quest 3 for $29.99 at Best Buy (PlayStation) or $29.99 at Best Buy (Switch).

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Cat Quest 3 review: The good

The pros highlights

• This is a very polished, all-around well-made game with few bugs or obstacles to having fun.
• And it is fun — it's supremely easy to dive in and both exploring the world and fighting enemies is a blast.
• Some may not like the persistent puns and wordplay, but the consistency of the worldbuilding, character designs, and narrative writing is excellent.

To summarize Cat Quest 3 as concisely as possible — it's fun. The Gentlebros didn't set out to make the world's most ambitious role-playing game with the most expansive open world, most realistic visuals, or most branching and choice-driven narrative. Instead, Cat Quest 3 simply sets you loose in a modest-sized world and gives you all the freedom to explore and fight as you choose.

Both elements are fun, as well. Cat Quest 3's map is split into multiple regions that each have its own environments, enemies, and quests, and while you'll be dissuaded from entering certain regions until you're appropriately leveled, you'll never be outright stopped from rushing headfirst anywhere you want. I personally love how Cat Quest presents its world as if you're literally wandering on a huge, colorful, 3D map, and that vibrant art style is married perfectly to the world and character designs, which are filled with unique personalities.

Traversal is split between your pirate ship and running (or swimming) on foot, and combat is similarly divided. That combat is what surprised me most about Cat Quest 3, too. The controls are simple: you can dodge, attack, switch between melee and ranged weapons, and use one of four equipped spells. It takes only moments to master, and at first, it seems like the combat overall will remain incredibly simple. However, Cat Quest 3 quickly introduces you to an expansive roster of gear, weapons, and spells that can be used to create a huge number of perfectly viable and fun loadouts.

At the end of the game, I was an arcane mage who specialized in rapid-firing devastating area-of-effect attacks that also healed any damage I took, but I also played with loadouts that overwhelmed enemies with a never-ending stream of multiplying physical attacks or used endless healing to remain alive and simultaneously dish out damage, or rain down countless thunderbolts on the battlefield, or... there are genuinely a lot of options here.

Enemies are also interesting and diverse, and bosses feel challenging yet fair. Cat Quest 3 isn't afraid to throw a decent number of enemies at you, either, and the game's Infinity Tower dungeon is an excellent way to test your skills and loadouts against endless waves of increasingly difficult opponents. The loop of explore-and-fight in Cat Quest 3 never stopped being amazing fun, and that's both because the foundational mechanics of this game feel very polished and because the campaign is actually interesting.

Yes, Cat Quest 3 is packed with cat puns and animal wordplay. If you're one of the people who don't like puns (or having fun), then you're probably not reading this review anyway. If you're still here, though, then Cat Quest 3 likely isn't for you. I found the consistency of the game's writing to be adorable and oddly endearing, though, and it all fed into a single theme: reliability. Cat Quest 3 is reliably stable, reliably fun, and reliably dedicated to its world-building and themes.

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Cat Quest 3 review: The bad

The cons highlights

• Cat Quest 3 is a very short game, taking me around 10 hours to 100% complete (including the achievements).
• This length means there's not a ton of depth to the game's narrative or worldbuilding, and the number of side quests are sadly limited (although I did love the ones that are here).
• While this is a very approachable game simply because of its simple gameplay mechanics, it is lacking in accessibility options.

I don't have a lot of negative things to say about Cat Quest 3, as it's a consistently fun and high-quality video game from beginning to end. However, I do wish this game was longer. I always expected it to be modest in length, but I successfully completed 100% of all of the game's content and achievements in around 10 hours. At the end of that experience, I was left wanting more, and the New Game+ that I am glad is here, unfortunately, wasn't quite enough.

I would've appreciated just a couple more hours of content, like perhaps one more region, just to add some additional side quests and opportunities to explore. 12-14 hours really would've been the sweet spot for me, but I still love what I did play. Being able to return and play the game in two-player co-op also provides some extra replayability, and The Gentlebros is planning to update the game with a little more content down the line.

This also isn't the most accessible game. It fares alright solely because it's designed to be approachable for players of all ages and skill levels, but there's a distinct lack of extra accessibility options for those with various disabilities. For example, you have to mash the "X" button a lot in Cat Quest 3, which may be difficult for those with mobility challenges. A simple option to be able to hold down the "X" button to auto-attack would go a long way here, as would the ability to remap controls.

Finally, I can't move on with expressing how desperately I want the first Cat Quest game to be on Xbox. No, this isn't related to Cat Quest 3, but I'm disappointed that only the latter two games of the trilogy are on Xbox. Give us the first game, please!

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Cat Quest 3 review: Final thoughts

You should play this if ...

✅You love adorable games that provide hours of simple fun

Cat Quest 3 isn't the height of worldbuilding, storytelling, or gameplay design, but it is a fantastic blend of everything that makes video games fun. If you're a fan of adorable games that waste no time throwing you into the joy-filled fray, Cat Quest 3 is an awesome time.

✅You want a casual game easy to play with someone else

Be it a child, friend, partner, or anyone else, Cat Quest 3 is an excellent game to play with another person. This is especially true if one or both of you are more casual gamers who just want to vibe together in a colorful, lovely world. Cat Quest 3 is fun for all ages and skill levels.

You should not play this if ...

❌You want a new RPG to fully immerse yourself in for dozens of hours

Cat Quest 3 is one of the shortest RPGs I've ever played, which, on one hand, makes it a refreshing respite from the countless games that demand you invest significant portions of your life into, but on the other means that you'll have a limited amount of time to actually immerse yourself in this world.

I'm a huge fan of many different kinds of games. I love open-world racing games that let you drive cars you'd never have an opportunity to in real life; I love action-adventure games that tell amazing stories behind addictive gameplay; I love narrative-driven journeys through every aspect of the human experience; I love difficult and competitive games that puzzle, challenge, or teach you. I also love RPGs, which offer you a chance to explore all-new worlds.

Cat Quest 3 isn't a hardcore, challenging video game, nor will it occupy you for hundreds of hours. It's casual fun, and it's an RPG in the simplest ways. It's also one of my favorite games that I've played so far in 2024. The Gentlebros accomplished something very impressive: creating a game that is unbelievably consistent across all its themes, mechanics, and features. Cat Quest 3 is adorable, colorful, and pure fun all throughout, and you can explore all it has to offer on your own or with someone at your side.

The cost of entry is low, and you don't need to have played the previous Cat Quest games to fully appreciate this one (I haven't, but I absolutely will be revisiting the first two Cat Quest games now). I do wish it was just a little bit longer, but overall, I had a blast with Cat Quest 3 and wholeheartedly recommend it.

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