Cat Quest 3 is The Gentlebros’ newest adorable, award-winning RPG series entry. While there are still a couple of months until its release in August, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to play a preview build to see what fans can expect from the series’ jump to a new pirate-infused setting.
With the move to the maritime setting of the Purribean, Cat Quest 3 adds some great new features to the series’ formula. The biggest changes come due to the new map. From what I have seen of the Purribean, it is a vast locale filled with dungeons, puzzles, and fun characters. All of these elements push Cat Quest 3‘s structure to be vastly more open than its predecessors. This excellent change encourages exploring the world as much as possible to find all of its secrets.
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Thorough exploration also ensures that players will find side quests to complete and lost items to return to Cat Quest 3‘s diverse cast of fun characters. All while running through dungeons and finding new gear to equip. Gear not only customizes the look of your pirate cat but can also carry stat-altering traits, move sets, or entirely new abilities.
The gear systems are not very complex, but they do offer players a way to tweak gameplay to their preferences and style. I was particularly impressed with the various move sets I experimented with via the weapons included in the preview. Cat Quest 3 includes a new combo system that overhauls combat to make it more reactive and satisfying, and it makes combat an absolute blast to play.
Of course, no kitty is much of a pirate without a ship. Cat Quest 3 also gives players their own ship to customize and sail. Sailing is not nearly as involved or complicated as something like Sea of Thieves, but it works well enough. Being able to customize and outfit your ship with new items and cannons is the real star of the show, with ship combat feeling more like a less interesting or varied version of ground combat. One smaller detail that I really appreciated in the preview, however, is the ability to shoot at enemies on land from your ship in the water, allowing you to deal with tough bosses or groups long before you would otherwise be able to.
Besides the new pirate-themed additions, Cat Quest 3 largely looks as though it will continue the great elements the series has become known for. That means plenty of cat-based puns, well-integrated drop-in drop-out co-op, and gorgeous art designs. It also emphasizes accessibility, making it a great co-op game to play with a non-gaming friend or someone younger.
While I only got to see a slice of what Cat Quest 3 will have to offer upon launch, it was plenty enough to sell me on the fantasy of becoming the most ferocious furry pirate on the seas. There seem like there are numerous great adventures waiting just beyond the Purribean’s horizon, and they seem like they will be an absolute joy for fans and newcomers alike.
Cat Quest 3 releases on August 8 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
