Cat Quest: The Puuurfect Action RPG | An Excursion

[00:00:22] Greetings, travelers, and welcome to an excursion into the Retro Wildlands. My name is Nomad, and this is my gaming podcast where I like to share my thoughts and experiences with a video game that I have discovered or rediscovered while roaming the gaming wildlands.

[00:00:39] Thank you very much for tuning in to the show today. Today marks the beginning of something a little different.

[00:00:46] In our regular, numbered episodes of the show, you and I will check out a video game and spend a good amount of time with it.

[00:00:53] I'll use music and sound to play through a bit of the game with you as I tell you about the game and share my own thoughts and experiences.

[00:01:01] Over the last few years, I've played some awesome modern AAA and indie games that I've wanted to talk about, but I don't feel like they would be the best to make long-form podcasts out of,

[00:01:12] especially since the show's main focus is mainly on older retro games.

[00:01:17] As a way to talk about some of those games, I've made some YouTube video reviews talking about some of those particular titles,

[00:01:25] which you can find over on our YouTube channel if you search The Retro Wildlands if you're interested in checking those out.

[00:01:32] But as a way to talk about those games in podcast form, I've molded those video reviews into an audio format,

[00:01:40] so in case you don't do the YouTube thing and you're curious about my thoughts on a game I wouldn't have covered otherwise,

[00:01:46] this is how you can partake in that.

[00:01:49] So with that said, welcome, my friends, to The Excursion.

[00:02:08] Greetings, travelers, and welcome to The Retro Wildlands.

[00:02:12] My name is Nomad, and in this video, I invite you all to join me around the campfire as I share with you my thoughts and experiences with a little game I discovered

[00:02:21] called Cat Quest.

[00:02:24] While roaming The Retro Wildlands, I often find myself discovering some interesting games,

[00:02:29] and even though Cat Quest isn't quite retro, I had a really good time with it, and I wanted to give it a moment in the spotlight.

[00:02:36] And even though I am very much a dog person, there was just something about an action RPG focused on cats that immediately caught my attention.

[00:02:46] I mean, look at him! He's so cute!

[00:02:50] Cat Quest is an open-world action role-playing game that was originally released back in 2017.

[00:02:56] You can find this game on PC and mobile, but I played Cat Quest on my Nintendo Switch and again on my PlayStation 4 because...

[00:03:04] I'm kind of a sucker for trophies.

[00:03:07] Developed by The Gentle Bros and published by PQ,

[00:03:10] this top-down action RPG has you battling monsters, collecting loot, and leveling up as you make your way across the kingdom of Feline Guard,

[00:03:19] an island kingdom ruled by, you guessed it, cats.

[00:03:23] Your sister has been abducted by the evil white kitty Dark Hoth, and it's up to you to save her.

[00:03:30] However, with the help of Speary, a guardian spirit, you will find out there's a lot more going on here than a simple rescue mission.

[00:03:39] You're going to need to gear up and level up if you're going to be able to take out the evil Dark Hoth.

[00:03:45] So, if you're ready, don your armor, grab your sword, and prepare a little magic.

[00:03:51] Let's dive into this game and begin our Cat Quest.

[00:03:59] Cat Quest is an action-adventure open-world RPG where players take control of a nameless feline warrior on a quest to save their sister.

[00:04:09] Along the way, our hero is going to do battle with many enemies as you level up and gear up in order to defeat the evil Dark Hoth and win the day.

[00:04:20] The game's combat happens in real time, where you'll be balancing landing melee attacks, casting magic, and performing evasive maneuvers.

[00:04:29] While saving your sister is certainly important, you'll also be taking the time to do some dungeon crawling, equipment gathering,

[00:04:36] and over 60 side quests in an effort to level up and become the feline warrior you were destined to be.

[00:04:44] Cat Quest is a fairly simple experience, all things considered, but the plethora of equipment you can find and the variety of magic you can wield allows you to change up your play experience to a degree.

[00:04:55] And with numerous side quests and dungeons to conquer, there's plenty to keep you busy.

[00:05:02] On top of it all, Cat Quest sports a charming graphical style and has some witty dialogue that's as charming as it is humorous.

[00:05:11] Even though you do run the risk of cat pun overload by the end of your journey.

[00:05:16] The story in Cat Quest starts off simple enough.

[00:05:25] While at sea, our hero witnesses the abduction of their sister by the evil kitty, Drakoth.

[00:05:33] Drakoth then leaves our hero for dead, but lucky for us, our hero survives the ordeal because, you know, we need the rest of the game to happen.

[00:05:41] But after being awoken by a strange guardian spirit, our hero discovers that they are a descendant of the Dragonblood, a group of cat warriors who defeated evil dragons that once inhabited the land of Felineguard.

[00:05:57] Unsure what it all means, it becomes clear though that Drakoth is no slouch and you'll need to grow stronger in order to win the day.

[00:06:06] That's when Spiri, your guardian spirit, suggests that we do everything we can to rise to the challenge.

[00:06:13] And that means completing quests, finding new gear, and of course leveling up.

[00:06:19] Surprisingly though, and in a good way, the story in Cat Quest does go a little deeper than that if you take the time to explore the world a little bit and complete as many side quests as you can.

[00:06:30] While I don't think the overarching story will win any awards for its narrative or anything,

[00:06:35] I was pretty impressed with how the game leaves little narrative breadcrumbs for the player to find, and how deep you decide to get into it is all up to you.

[00:06:45] The ending was pretty solid and had a narrative twist that I wasn't expecting, and it really tied in to all the adventuring that you're going to be doing in a very creative way.

[00:06:56] But while everything around you is full of cat callouts and cat puns, where Cat Quest really shines is in its gameplay and presentation.

[00:07:12] The visuals in Cat Quest are immediately eye-catching and are best summed up as crisp and charming.

[00:07:19] As you explore the open world, you'll notice the world is created to look like you're traversing an actual overworld map.

[00:07:26] Areas of interest are called out, and when you partake in some quests, waypoints, and paths look as though they're being drawn onto the quote-unquote map itself for you to follow in real time.

[00:07:38] It's a great touch, and it works exceptionally well.

[00:07:42] You can even zoom out and take a larger look at what's around you, but you don't get to see the entire world all at once.

[00:07:50] The game wants you to explore, and while the world can look a little samey from time to time as you put more time into the game, exploring is genuinely fun most of the time.

[00:08:03] Dungeon areas look neat as well, though the cave and ruin backdrops can start to get a little repetitive, even though the layouts are varied.

[00:08:12] The game's sound design is pretty solid as well.

[00:08:16] Swinging your weapon around feels weighty, magic spells can pack an audible punch, and there's plenty of meow sounds to be had.

[00:08:25] I was really impressed with the game's soundtrack more than anything else, though.

[00:08:30] The whimsical, carefree composition really lends itself to this open-world adventure that you're on.

[00:08:36] I do wish there was a little bit more variety to the music, as I did find that the overworld theme and the dungeon-crawling scores did get a little repetitive after a while, but that's just me being a little nitpick.

[00:08:49] Overall, Cat Quest sounds great, and it does a wonderful job immersing you into the world of Feline Guard.

[00:08:57] But pretty visuals and stellar sound are only part of the experience.

[00:09:02] The biggest and most robust part of Cat Quest is undoubtedly the gameplay.

[00:09:14] The gameplay experience that Cat Quest brings to the table is not overly complicated, and it doesn't try to be.

[00:09:21] While your main objective is to follow the story, Cat Quest encourages you to explore and discover new things.

[00:09:29] You as the player are free to move around the world as you see fit and tackle challenges and dungeons in any order that you want.

[00:09:37] You will find out, though, that in classic RPG fashion, some areas will be harder than others based on your levels, so you aren't going to be exploring everything all at once.

[00:09:48] Still, you'll find it easy to level up as long as you're consistently exploring, doing quests, and defeating monsters.

[00:09:56] Combat in Cat Quest is pretty fluid, and once you get the hang of it, it's not that difficult.

[00:10:02] You have a basic physical attack, but as you explore, you'll discover magic spells that you can purchase and upgrade by spending gold on them.

[00:10:11] You have a magic meter below your health bar that depletes any time you use magic, but restoring it is as simple as hitting an enemy with a physical attack.

[00:10:22] Some enemies are weak to physical attacks, while others take more damage against magic.

[00:10:28] While it's easy to just wail on your enemies with your melee weapon, the game encourages you to lean on your magic and switch to melee attacks to keep your magic meter charged up.

[00:10:38] Once I got comfortable with using magic more, I found that the game wasn't at all difficult.

[00:10:45] If you're good enough and decide to put your reps in, you can actually defeat the game's final boss with just a few magic attacks.

[00:10:54] You'll also learn that in combat, enemies will telegraph their attacks, and you'll see a red sort of area of effect appear on the ground, so you can use that to time your attacks, and right before the area fills up completely red, you can execute a well-timed dodge to avoid taking damage.

[00:11:13] But don't think combat is a walk in the park, though.

[00:11:16] If you find yourself facing multiple enemies, or even a few overpowered ones, you'll figure out pretty quickly if you're strong enough or if you need to take a step back and level up a little bit more.

[00:11:28] Other than slaying monsters for experience points and leveling up, finding equipment is the next best way to increase your strength and survivability.

[00:11:37] You'll be rewarded with new equipment through treasure chests, completing quests, or by purchasing a random piece of equipment from Feline Guard's resident catsmith, Kit Kat.

[00:11:48] Each piece of equipment can boost one or a combination of your three basic stats – physical attack, magic attack, and hit points.

[00:11:58] Some items you equip will even grant you an armor stat.

[00:12:03] While you have armor, you won't take damage directly to your health until it's depleted.

[00:12:10] Once it's depleted, it'll recharge when you're outside of combat.

[00:12:15] Each piece of equipment also has a level assigned to it, and the way that you level up your gear is by finding a duplicate of it.

[00:12:23] It's a pretty cool idea, especially if you keep finding your favorite piece of gear.

[00:12:29] Now, while I love the idea that each piece of equipment can be used to build up the specific stats that you care about,

[00:12:36] you are sometimes forced into wearing specific gear that powers up something that you don't really want it to just because the luck of the draw makes some undesirable piece of equipment stronger than others.

[00:12:50] But that's not the worst thing, really.

[00:12:53] On my second playthrough of Cat Quest, I found myself focusing more on a magic-oriented build than a physical one,

[00:13:00] and it changed up how I played in a fun way, so I can't really fault the game too much for this design choice.

[00:13:08] Still, a big gameplay draw is going to be finding new equipment, and new equipment is the purrrr-fect incentive to explore, conquer dungeons, and complete side quests.

[00:13:21] Speaking of side quests, there are a lot of them.

[00:13:24] The nice thing about side quests, though, is that most of them are pretty short and sweet, allowing you to rack up gold and experience pretty quick.

[00:13:33] Some of the narrative motivators for side quests can be a bit uninspiring and even nonsensical at times,

[00:13:41] but others can add a little more layer to the overarching story, and I thought those ones were pretty cool.

[00:13:47] While they are called side quests, you'll want to do your best to complete as many as you can in order to level up and gain access to more gear.

[00:13:56] Side quests are accessible from boards that you can find in several of the game's towns,

[00:14:01] but I did find it hard to determine what side quests were available and where they were available from.

[00:14:07] The reason being, your only indicator is a small yellow exclamation point to signify a new quest being available,

[00:14:16] so you'll have to revisit some towns that you were in previously in order to check back every now and then and see if a quest is available to you.

[00:14:25] Quest objectives themselves aren't overly complicated, and there's a waypoint indicator that always lets you know where to go,

[00:14:33] so you never feel like you don't know what's next.

[00:14:36] While some may argue that this approach can dial down the difficulty way too much, I personally never had a problem with it.

[00:14:45] For someone like myself who doesn't really mind a streamlined approach to questing every now and then,

[00:14:50] this helped me make the most out of my game time.

[00:14:54] My time with Cat Quest never really felt wasted, and very rarely was I wandering around wondering what I needed to do next.

[00:15:02] If I had to level any criticism at Cat Quest, it's that the gameplay can start to feel repetitive sooner rather than later.

[00:15:11] Once you get used to the combat and the overall flow of the game, it can start to be a real grindfest if you let it.

[00:15:17] And while I think the game's writing is endearing and certainly charming, I can only handle so many cat puns.

[00:15:27] However, when it comes to grinding away to gain experience and collecting gold to purchase more gear or upgrade your magic,

[00:15:34] I personally like that sort of gameplay loop, and if you do too, I think you're going to have a good time with Cat Quest.

[00:15:48] So when you wrap it all up, I had a really good time with Cat Quest.

[00:15:53] Overall, my first playthrough only took me eight or so hours, and that was me taking my time.

[00:15:59] I enjoyed the experience so much that I ended up buying the game again on my PlayStation 4 just so I could go back and get the Platinum Trophy, which is very easy to obtain.

[00:16:09] At its heart, Cat Quest is a fun experience and one that I would not mind diving into again.

[00:16:16] It has a visual appeal that's immediately, well, appealing, a soundtrack that perfectly transports you into the game world,

[00:16:25] and a gameplay loop that's sure to satisfy those looking for a shorter action RPG experience that's mindful of your time

[00:16:32] and rewarding to those who take advantage of all the game has to offer.

[00:16:36] It's very clear to me that the developers put a lot of love into this game,

[00:16:41] and after learning that Cat Quest 2 and Cat Quest 3 exist,

[00:16:45] I am positive I'll be returning to the land of Feline Guards sooner than later.

[00:16:50] If you've been on the fence about Cat Quest, or this is your first time hearing of it,

[00:16:55] I highly recommend you give it a try.

[00:16:58] And this is coming from a guy who is definitely not a cat person.

[00:17:09] Thank you very much for listening to my review of Cat Quest.

[00:17:14] If you stuck around this long, I'm hoping it's because you liked what you heard,

[00:17:17] so if you want to hear more from me, check out our other episodes of the Retro Wildlands podcast.

[00:17:23] You can also check out the show on YouTube where you can find some other video game reviews

[00:17:27] as well as some past live streams that I've done if you're looking to partake in anything like that.

[00:17:33] The Retro Wildlands is part of the Superpod Network,

[00:17:37] home of some amazing gaming podcasts and other gaming content,

[00:17:41] so you can follow us over there at superpodnetwork.com.

[00:17:46] Other than this show, you can check out some other awesome shows such as the Superpod Saga,

[00:17:52] The Elder Trolls Gaming Podcast,

[00:17:55] The 3DO Experience,

[00:17:57] Remember64,

[00:17:58] and many more.

[00:18:00] There's blog posts, videos, and tons of other content, so be sure to check it all out.

[00:18:06] Now, if you're still listening and you have a few minutes to spare,

[00:18:10] I'd really appreciate it if you could leave The Retro Wildlands a good review on your podcast platform if you're able to do so.

[00:18:17] You can leave a star rating if you listen over on Spotify,

[00:18:21] but you can also leave a long-form review over on Podbean where I host the show,

[00:18:26] Podchaser, Podcast Addict, and iTunes, just to name the ones I know off the top of my head.

[00:18:32] Good reviews will help circulate the show around, but more than anything, it'll let me know that you like what it is that I'm trying to do here.

[00:18:39] But, like I say at the end of every show, you are under no obligation to do any of this.

[00:18:45] Just the fact that you're listening to my show right now is much more than I could have ever asked for,

[00:18:50] so above all else, thank you for being here.

[00:18:54] And thank you again for partaking in this short excursion into the gaming wildlands with me.

[00:18:59] Keep an eye out as I'm fixing to post more shorter, modern reviews like this in the future.

[00:19:05] If there's a specific game that you'd like me to cover, either on a YouTube review or a short audio excursion like this one,

[00:19:12] reach out to me on one of our social media pages and let me know.

[00:19:17] Regardless of where this road takes us next time, I hope you're able to join up with us,

[00:19:21] as we keep exploring and discovering some awesome video game goodness.

[00:19:27] Until then, my friends, my name is Nomad and you can find me…

[00:19:33] Roaming the Retro Wildlands.