Cat Quest II

Genre: Action-RPG

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Cat Quest + Cat Quest II: Pawsome Pack, along with the original Cat Quest. It is also included in Cat Quest: The Fur-tastic Trilogy along with Cat Quest and Cat Quest III.)

Cat Quest II, like its predecessor, is a family-friendly Action-RPG that takes the typical quests and adventures of the genre and streamlines them and makes them user-friendly and easy for anyone to play. This game builds on the foundations its predecessor laid out by adding a 2-character mechanic and 2-player co-op play. This game was released on multiple platforms including the Nintendo Switch in 2019.

Before I go on, I should note that much of what I said in my review of the first Cat Quest still applies here, and as such I have copied over much of my review of the first game. If you’re curious to see what’s new in this installment, skip ahead to where I detail the 2-character mechanics.

Just like the first game, the presentation for this game is quite good, using a combination of 2D character sprites on a 3D-ish world. I say “-ish” because the details on this 3D world are also 2D sprites. I could compare this game to something like Paper Mario, except the two definitely feel distinctly different. In any case, the visuals here are distinct, colorful, and memorable, even though they don’t do anything impressive, they still set this game apart. I’ll add that the second game looks more polished than the first, with some nice-looking water and a few other nice effects. These visuals are backed by a very good orchestral soundtrack befitting an epic adventure.

And of course the amusing thing here is that while the tone and story here shout “epic adventure!”, everything else very deliberately does not. You’re a cat/dog hero team in a world of anthropomorphic cats and dogs, place names and dialogue are filled with terrible puns like “Purrsecutor” and “Purrotector”, and dialogue in general is lighthearted and doesn’t take itself seriously at all. It’s amusing and actually feels perfectly suited to the style of gameplay present here.

And on that note, the style of gameplay here is one that has all the trappings and outward appearances of a more serious Action-RPG, but streamlines every part of the game so much that playing through this adventure is far more breezy and user-friendly than even some of the more simple RPGs. That is not to say that this is a simple, mindless game. Rather, that Cat Quest does everything it can to remove unnecessary busywork from the genre.

Want to sleep at an inn? Just walk up to one, press X, and your hero will drop down on its stoop for a moment. Get a new piece of armor that’s the same type as one you already have? Rather than making you compare inventory and bring your unneeded gear to a shop to sell, the game just upgrades the armor you already have, easy-peasy.

There’s still some depth here, though. Players will have to decide on what loadout to equip, and combat still requires you to pay attention to attack, magic, and the timing of your attacks and your enemies’ attacks. There are hidden secrets to find, and plenty of things to do… it’s just that all of it is made as quick and easy to hop into as possible.

Okay, so all of that stuff I just said applies to both the first and second Cat Quest games. However, that is not to say that this is a lazy sequel or a copy of the first game’s experience, because this game adds in a major new component, its two-character mechanic.

Right from the start, players play as both a dog and cat character, swapping between the two and letting an AI control the other character. At any time, a second player can join, taking the place of the second character. And while it certainly isn’t necessary to play this game with two players (the helper AI is actually pretty good), it’s the co-op play here that really shines, and this is in part due to some clever mechanics to ensure teamwork.

That mechanic I mentioned earlier where getting a new set of armor identical to one you have just levels up your other set? It was in the first game too, but here it takes on a new dimension because having only one of each type of armor means that you can’t simply outfit both characters with the “best” armor. Both characters are basically forced to equip different types of armor, and I’d say this limitation is a clever mechanic that forces players to have each character specialize rather than simply aiming to be a “master of all stats”. The same is true of magical spells – either character can equip any spell, but each spell can only be equipped to one character.

The game does some other things to encourage communication and teamwork. There’s no split-screen, so players must agree on where to go. Quests require both characters to start. Experience points are split between players but gold is shared, meaning that purchases are something players will want to discuss before making them. And regardless of specialization, either character can revive the other by standing around their downed body for a short while.

Of course, this also means that when two players don’t coordinate properly, it can be a pain. Either player can open the pause menu and fiddle with things, either player can skip conversation, and of course either player can “draw aggro” by attacking monsters, so if two players can’t work well together, they’ll make each other miserable.

And this game still has the same flaws of the original – the light nature of the game’s tone and the uncomplicated nature of its mechanics do mean that it feels like a less significant game than others in its genre. This is a fun, lighthearted romp, not a truly epic entry in the genre you’re likely to look back on fondly a decade from now. However, I think it’s fair to say that the game knows what it is and has no illusions about being anything more than that.

Overall, I think that the clever addition of co-op mechanics here makes Cat Quest II a much-improved sequel, and while this is definitely still an excellent solo experience, it manages to be a truly excellent co-op experience, and I would say it’s well worth playing just for that. However, regardless of whether you play solo or with a friend, Cat Quest II is a superb light-hearted Action-RPG well worth playing.

tl;dr – Cat Quest II, like the first game, is a family-friendly Action-RPG that simplifies numerous elements of the genre to produce something streamlined, user-friendly, and… well, full of puns. And this game builds on its predecessor by adding an exceptional and well thought-out co-op mode. It still may not have the weight of some of the more impactful games in the genre, but it is nevertheless a thoroughly enjoyable game, and one fans of the genre would do well to give a look.

Grade: B+

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