Cat Quest was a fairly successful action RPG released by Singapore-based team The Gentlebros in 2017. It was praised for its nostalgic recall of classic RPG mechanics while avoiding some of the tedious grinding necessary to progress through the storyline. Cat Quest II was released on multiple platforms in mid-September of last year, taking place narratively centuries after the original, now a tale of two heroes instead of one. Two ancient kings emerge from limbo to find their kingdoms overrun by monsters and under the thumbs of tyrants. Familiar characters from the first game- royal advisor Kirry and blacksmith Kit Cat- appear to help guide the duo through their first few adventures.
Very quickly, Cat Quest II resolves itself into the same open-world play that the original offered, with dungeons and sidequests offered openly, with only a recommended level shown before the player accepts the challenge. Kirry waits patiently at whatever landmark will begin the next quest that will further the main narrative, but while a side-quest or two is enough to level the players up for the next boss, there’s so much to explore that completionists will be near to overpowered by the time they get around to it. Kit Kat offers armor and weapons upgrades while after a brief encounter with the mages’ guild, they will offer upgrades to the spells, frequently moving locations for the convenience of the player.
Playing on the PC I found that a general hack-and-slash approach was enough to get me through exploring and most of my questing without a problem – I didn’t even realize that the red pattern that appeared on the ground underneath an enemy was the range of their attack until the first boss fight. I was too busy stabbing to pay attention. And I never truly used dodge unless it was for a boss.
The big boss fights required a bit more strategy; blindly smashing through wasn’t an option, especially as the magic-user Cat King didn’t have the HP to stand up to it and the tank Dog King needed the cat’s cover fire to be most effective. It would’ve been really interesting to see co-op in action, but unfortunately, I did not get that opportunity. As one of the people who did NOT play the original, I was curious to see what was different – I was really shocked to see how much was the same, from the map to the enemies to the combat. I think the biggest changes are the addition of the dog kingdom as allies and an increase in detail to the artwork.
Overall, this really was an enjoyable little game- no stress, low stakes, but still an engaging colorful world with a solid story and unique characters. A little much with the puns, you’ve been warned, but it truly is that level of challenging that lets you blow off some steam without losing your mind to frustration. And, as a side benefit, it’s really easy to find a stopping point, so if you’ve got other stuff going on, it’s easy to turn it off and come back to it without losing a ton of progress. If you’re an RPG fan that has more pictures of your pet than your SO on your camera roll, Cat Quest II might be right up your alley.
This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
Feline Good Bout the Game, A-paw-lling puns aside
Summary
Utilizing a lot of classic RPG mechanics, Cats Quest II is a successful follow-up to the original, further building on the charming world of Felingard by allowing players to explore the newly allied Lupus Empire.
