Cat Quest

Game Title: Cat Quest
Released: August 8, 2017
Game Length: 8 Hours
Grade: B

Prelude

The Search: There are a number of games that are on my watchlist. I thought about getting TMNT Shredder's Revenge, even when it was 30% off, but 2 hours of mindless gameplay when you don't have any friends or desire for a challenge didn't seem worth it. My Time at Sandrock decided to extend their release date by two months. I could get Starfield but the current price scares me. Is there anything in my library that would be interesting to play?

Mechanics

Simplicity: Cat Quest is one of those games that you are never sure if they are worth playing until you try it out yourself. The game mechanics aren't that hard to grasp but can get difficult unless you are aware of what is going on. You can attack, dodge, and use magic. Enemies will telegraph their attacks with red markers on the ground. Quests are gained from task boards and occasionally requires you to clear all enemies in a cave. Equipment can be obtained from chests.

The World: The stories in Cat Quest aren't as elaborate as I hoped. It is almost as if the game is self-aware of how shallow leveling can be by having your guide call out expletives - carefully inserted with random cat terminology - when you go on yet another fetch quest or the villains fool you again into another trap. It wasn't the best way for the designers to expand the world. Much of your adventure is limited in scope with roughly 30 enemy types and less than 100 items to equip. The visuals are rather nice with an interesting "map view" as you trek across the various villages. However, the game doesn't really do a good job telling you where to go next as the levels backtrack around the entire map.

Game Design: While the game released for various platforms at roughly the same time, Cat Quest feels more like it was originally built to be a mobile game. There might be chests scattered about to provide you equipment, but finding the same equipment just to upgrade them can get very tiresome. The developers also play on this joke where the guards hate their job because they all wear "crappy gear" that you too can wear. Instead of adding points to your character, it actually subtracts them. Find them again and the stats actually get worse. There is a blacksmith that will let you open a random chest for a small fee but there is no telling which item you will receive or by how much it will improve. Another annoying aspect is how the developers added golden chests inside the cave system that cannot be opened until you reach endgame. You'll be scratching your head on the method to open them for awhile. Thankfully, a small icon will display for which caves you haven't explored and which ones have a golden chest available.

Endgame: Once you reach around level 30 about 5 hours in, the game will unlock a couple of abilities to get around the map and bypass enemies. This allows you to gain the rest of the magic abilities as well. Unfortunately, there is very little left to do in the rest of the world. You can visit the founder's island and meet the developers for the best armor. There is a secret cave with a secret pathway that gives you a ridiculously overpowered weapon. There's an island where the developers tease of a sequel with dogs if the game does well enough (which it does). There's also the holiday quests to preoccupy your time. 

Summary

Review: If the game was simply $5, I'd probably be more willing to recommend this game. Despite its relatively short playthrough, there is still enough content to keep you entertained. Though, I have a feeling that the second (and an upcoming third) game solves a lot of problems of the first. The game looks great aesthetically but the cat puns seemed a bit too forced in every situation. The overall tone of the game was a little too edgy and overbearing as well.