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Playing Cat Quest 3 I simply couldn't decide whether this game is made for kids or for a mature audience. I've played a lot of kids' games; I'm not ashamed to confess that, but this game is far from the ones created for children, that's for sure.
However, everything showcased in Cat Quest 3 looks and feels exactly like the game that targets those little ones among us, but once you start to play it, you'll see that this game has a lot to offer, and I sincerely doubt that kids are capable of understanding this game's mechanics and how it behaves in general.
All this made me utterly confused, not because I hate games for children, God forbid, but because I didn't know how to approach it properly. With that being said, my entire experience with Cat Quest 3 is somehow confused and double-measured, but anyway, I'll try to be as objective as one can be in measuring this quite interesting game.
Story
As far as the story can be comprehended from this preview build, I can already say that it won't be anything particularly interesting. You play as a pirate cat in the search of the ultimate pirate treasure of the Purribbeans, the treasure of the North Star. Of course, you're not the only one searching for it, but it seems that you're the only one who can find it, so your enemies will play nice with you, chasing their own agendas.
Every new boss defeated, every dungeon completed, and every activity finished will steer you closer towards your ultimate goal—finding the treasure, which unfortunately cannot be achieved in this preview build; for the story's conclusion, we'll have to wait for the full game to come out.
The story is told in an unusual way: through the dialogues presented in the form of speech bubbles, where Captain Cappey (the cat spirit and your loyal companion) will usually converse with the other characters in your stead, and in this way, you'll uncover what's going on in the world and what to do next.
Anyhow, it is quite impossible to make measurements about the story if it isn't complete, but the direction in which it goes doesn't promise much. Will it be any better once the complete game is released? It remains to be seen.
Gameplay
Regarding gameplay, Cat Quest 3 is quite an interesting game, to say the least. It is some sort of open-world action RPG featuring an isometric view with gameplay very similar to the one in Hades games. You'll even meet one character that shares the same universe, but that might just be a pure coincidence because, apart from the same playstyle and camera orientation, these two games are nothing alike.
The entire concept of Cat Quest 3 has that casual and unserious tone. The game design, enemies, main character, and side character are all made to look and feel like a cute cartoon, whose gameplay will serve as some sort of relaxation. However, the gameplay elements are far from simple, to be honest.
You'll meet a levelling system that, although overly simplified, is there nonetheless. The game is jam-packed with various activities like dungeons, caves, towers, and many other locations you can explore, and finishing each of them will reward you with a piece of equipment or some upgrades ranging from weapon upgrades, character upgrades, or ship upgrades.
Yes, there's a ship to control in the game. Even though it looks like a small child's toy with overly simplified controls, it's still very fun to use it and to sail over the water areas on the map. Apart from sailing, you can also swim, but with a lifeline, and at any moment you can jump from the ship or from a swimming position on the ground and search for the activities.
Regarding combat, it is not overly complex. You own two weapons, a melee weapon and a ranged one, and you can use magic. Ranged weapons and magic have reload times, so you'll have to keep that in mind when fighting enemies. Switching between weapons is very smooth, and to win an encounter, you'll have to use all three attacks simultaneously, making the fight encounters tense and sometimes even hard.
Exploring the world will let you find different types of weapons with higher levels. Some areas will require higher levels as well, and the enemies and bosses inside those areas will be too difficult to beat because the entire combat system is based on button mashing rather than some sophisticated combat where attacks and dodges must be perfectly coordinated, which means the higher-level you are, the better your chances of beating harder enemies.
However, as decent as it might be, do not expect a lot from this preview build in terms of duration. Only a small portion of the game will be accessible, while inside the rest of it, you simply cannot enter due to the invisible border. Once, for instance, you defeat a certain boss, the developers will kindly thank you for playing, and you will be sent to the main menu.
In the conclusion of this preview's gameplay, I'd say it promises a lot and serves as a good introduction to what we might expect once the full game is released. The game seems to be going in the right direction; whether it stays on course remains to be seen.
Graphics and Sounds
Cat Quest 3 is a very cute game, and I guarantee you'll fall in love with it at first sight. The entire graphical experience is reminiscent of a beautiful cartoon featuring very charming and cute little characters that look like small toys.
Most of the game is played on a map that looks like the one seen on board games. This entire map looks beautiful and very colourful. Dungeons and caves look beautiful as well, and the graphical presentation in general is very charming, vivid, and cartoonish.
However, from a technical point of view, do not expect some sophisticated graphics with all the modern graphic settings and all because, in the PC version, there are no graphic options to be changed apart from the resolution and the option to toggle full screen.
The sounds are interesting but a bit forced for my taste. By forced, I mean the game is forcing those pirate songs, sounds, and everything connected to the pirate theme, and I must say it is all a bit too much. I know the pirates are the game's main topic, but the whole situation is a bit overused, to be honest.
The other sounds are really nothing special, and they serve their purpose well, but to say that the sound presentation is something unique or that the soundtrack will leave a lasting impression on you would be a lie.
Regarding performance, the game runs very well even on older machines so you should have zero problems running it. It's also worth mentioning that I didn't have a single problem during my gameplay in terms of crashing or any other issues.
Conclusion
Cat Quest 3 is a charming game that showcases the pirate world from an alternate perspective—through the eyes of a small pirate cat. It all looks very cute and adorable, and once you immerse yourself in the game, you can see glimpses of very sophisticated gameplay with some very interesting ideas.
The game is definitely showing qualities, and I strongly believe that, once the full version is out, the final product will show all its potential.
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