Cat Quest III Review (Steam)

Cat Quest III offers a delightful experience with its beautiful cartoon-like graphics and a manageable download size of 1.11GB. The game is available for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and it even includes a platinum trophy for dedicated players. The action brawler gameplay is engaging, featuring two playable characters and the ability to drop in and out of local co-op. Players can choose between two difficulties, Easy and Normal, and benefit from tutorial pop-ups as they play. The game provides three save slots and frequent boss encounters, adding to the excitement.

The open-world design allows players to explore freely, although enemy strength can influence how successful these adventures are. Players can swim, run, and drive boats around the expansive map, which is filled with both main story quests and optional side quests. Coins are plentiful, dropping from enemies, chests, and various locations in the world. The game encourages players to play how they want, with options to upgrade weapons and gear at Blacksmiths using gold, and spells that can be earned, equipped, and upgraded with special orbs. The responsive ship controls and the variety of attacks based on equipped ammo make sailing particularly enjoyable.

Each piece of gear, weapon, or ship part displays its damage and any additional buffs or abilities, such as increased health or damage. Hidden bushes and treasure chests on every island provide rewards, and progress is shown on the map. The game is fun to play, with rest spots on every island where players can heal and save their progress. Autosave is a regular feature, and anchor points allow for instant ship spawning. The hack-and-slash combat is complemented by dodge rolls, magic, and a mix of melee and ranged weapons, all set to a great soundtrack.

However, there are some drawbacks. The controls cannot be remapped, and there is no online multiplayer. The open-world nature can make it easy to get lost or go off track, and cutscenes cannot be skipped, which can be frustrating if you need to replay a fight. The game includes many fetch quest-style side missions, though they are varied and can provide cool moments, such as choose-your-own-adventure stories. Enemies drop experience orbs that help level up your stats, and there are many characters to meet and work with. Caves and dungeons offer different viewpoints, adding a small but impactful variety to the gameplay. Enemy health bars are always visible, and puzzle stones offer rewards. There are many outfits, armor, and weapons to mix and match, and a bounty board for taking out bosses and earning unique rewards. The game is very moreish and builds on its predecessors in many ways, though enemies do respawn when you leave a dungeon or cave. Players can also upgrade and equip new buffs and upgrades to their ship.

In summary, Cat Quest III is a highly enjoyable game with a lot of content and variety. Its beautiful graphics, engaging gameplay, and numerous customization options make it a standout title. However, the inability to remap controls, lack of online multiplayer, and some repetitive elements may detract from the experience for some players. Overall, it is a fun and rewarding game that builds on the strengths of its predecessors.