Cat Quest II

 

Game Title: Cat Quest II
Released: September 24, 2019
Game Length: 12 Hours
Grade: B+

Gameplay

 

Improvements: The game at its core is no different than the first Cat Quest. In fact, much of the original story is referenced quite a bit with similar towns and stories. However, you will notice that all the gold chests can be found on the global map. You can pause the game to scan the world this time and search for quest levels. You now get a choice of using a melee weapon or a ranged magical staff with the penalty of losing half your health. There are a few auxiliary attack bonuses you can earn through special stones. You can choose the difficulty of the game (normal was definitely the standard experience) and advance all the way to level 100. The climax of the main story will be around level 60 and gradually lead you to each of the final areas until level 85. You are encouraged to continue advancing through additional quests and areas before given the option for new game plus or mew game (with modifiers). 

Dog World: Perhaps the biggest change to the story, which was hinted on one of the islands in the original, is how now you have both cats and dogs present in this game. This means that the first half of the game will be revisiting your old cat towns and the second half contains the ruff dog towns. You will be greeted with a new supply of puns as you explore the conflict between both of these worlds. Because the world is so vast, there are towers you can take through a shortcut hub. Instead of randomly upgrading a piece of equipment, you can now pay the cat to upgrade any armor of your choice or pay the dog to upgrade a weapon.

Another Player: What's also pretty awesome is how there are now two characters present on the screen. Your inventory must be split evenly with each one holding four spells, a helmet, chest, and weapon. Upgrading these items are pretty easy as everything is pooled together. The AI is rather sophisticated by reacting to your attacks, health, and positioning. You do not need to worry about them as they are invulnerable to everything. You can switch at any time and will automatically switch if your current character falls. There is a small window to which you can stand next to your comrade to revive them.

Endgame: What's odd is how the developers incorporated the same flaws of the first game into the sequel. Once you receive water-walking at around level 60, you can make your way over to the special island, slowly take down some level 99 enemies, obtain the golden key, and receive some notorious equipment that trivializes the content. One character can boost their health to ridiculous levels while the other can reduce 5MP abilities down to 1MP. This means that you can cast the same spell 15 times as quickly as you can press the button. Equipment found in the later levels become more novelty items that simply look good on you cosmetically instead of improving your gameplay. 

Minor Details: You'll notice a few little adjustments made in the game. Quests are now offered by characters instead of a task board. There are now challenge ruins in addition to the cave system. Instead of taking a nap, you will now rest at a heart stone (that restores you to full in a single tick). Your heal ability now generates an aura that can slowly heal both of you, but it will disappear upon receiving any damage. 

Summary

Review: Cat Quest 2 is a fun little game for one or two players. There is enough content to satisfy the cost of the game and enough cuteness to keep you entertained. The gameplay is sophisticated enough to develop some tactics without getting too complicated for the casual player. My only concern is how the game feels more like a mobile game you might play with a friend in short bursts than an interesting one that builds your experience overtime. You can always try out the demo before making a purchase.