I love it when smaller developers announce a sequel. Not only do they now have the opportunity to add a number of quality of life updates, but it also allows them to further refine and ideally find a larger audience for their games. Given Cat Quest was pretty good, to begin with, this isn’t as interesting a road to travel, yet it is still exciting to see what improvements they decided to make. With a new adventure, co-op mechanics and the same simple yet effective gameplay, is Cat Quest II a must for fans or did The Gentlebros Games coast on previous success? Here’s our Cat Quest II Review.
Cat Quest II takes place after the events of the first adventure, starting with your usual chosen one(s) will be born and good things will happen storyline. Here the previous king of both the cat and dog nations are back to obtain a magical sword and vanquish threats to their previous kingdoms.
It isn’t the most imaginative or interesting story around but it is effective enough to give your journey meaning. Most of your time will be doing various tasks in service of obtaining the power of support needed to take back your kingdom or help those along the way. None of the quests or story elements are terribly complicated, making it great for younger players, with enough jokes and charm to keep veteran players entertained.
Where Cat Quest II stands out is actual gameplay. Not a whole lot was changed between in the sequel and that isn’t terribly surprising given how simple and fun it was. For those unfamiliar, basically there is a large overworld and a number of dungeons you can transverse and collect loot or defeat foes. There is an attack, magic and dodge buttons, which you need to use in conjunction with enemy moves. Things like attacks are made fairly easy to read, though not to the point where it removes any challenge. It is less you need to carefully pay attention to every move and more, pay attention to red circles and act accordingly. This makes it great for newcomers or less skilled players, as you don’t need to anticipate or predict moves and react, but not at the cost of these skills being irrelevant.
In this adventure you get a partner, either AI-controlled or player, that can support you. Each character has their own stats, magic, perks and build, though the experience is shared. Unfortunately, the extra character doesn’t do a whole lot, unless you’re playing with someone else, and in some ways reduces the difficulty. However, I do like that you can give them a different build so someone can specialize in killing these enemies and the other can excel at defeating another.
This is only furthered through exploration and side quests. A lot of these will give you resources to further your build, with a good number of different weapons and items to use. One nice thing is weapons/armor can be enhanced by finding them, meaning progression is somewhat based on the tools you like using, not just use the latest and greatest for your particular style. The same is true for magic, except there you might want to pay attention to resistance and maximize damage through stronger elements.
Considering Cat Quest II feels geared towards a younger demographic, at times it can feel overly simple. Combat is extremely straightforward, as are puzzles, mechanics and more. It won’t offer much of a challenge to veteran players, in a lot of ways it’s similar to how it feels to play Dynasty Warriors, though challenging enough to give newcomers a sense of accomplishment. Even if nothing was overwhelmingly difficult, the fun of wandering around slashing stuff was enough to keep me moving.
Another stand out element is the cute art style. Nothing, even the more threating enemies, are terrifying, making it easy to just wander around. Different weapons and armor also change your appearance, giving equipment to some cosmetic elements too. But, above all, it’s just very peaceful and easy to look at.
Cat Quest II Review – Verdict
As mentioned above, Cat Quest was pretty good to begin with, so it isn’t surprising the sequel is also great. It combines the simple yet effective combat with a new story, additional quests and a few new mechanics that make it feel fresh. While more experienced players will find it rather easy, less skilled or younger players will likely feel at home with the combat. It offers enough challenge to test your skills but not enough to overwhelm. Toss in a cute art style and tons of side quests and it’s easy to see why it’s fun.
[Editor’s Note: Cat Quest II was reviewed on PS4 platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]