A Cat’s best friend.
At the tail end of 2017, we were introduced to Cat Quest on a variety of home consoles and PC. It was a game that I really enjoyed and was pretty excited when its sequel was not only announced but that it would have local co-op and feature dogs in its pun-filled world. While Cat Quest II is still an enjoyable game, and a better game in certain respects to its predecessor, it still plays it far too safe for its own good and doesn’t quite pack the punch of the original.
Cat Quest 2 takes us back to Felingard, the main location from the original game, but much time has passed and the land has seen some significant changes. Certain locations return, albeit with a new look, but this very much feels like a whole new map with a familiar aesthetic. You also have the Barkara Desert, a huge location that is home to the Lupus empire of dogs. Each location is packed full of cat and dog themed names such as the Pawasis, Far-Fetched Sands, Whiskerest, or South Pawt.
You’ll play through this charming adventure as the cat and dog kings of old, set forth to bring peace back to the land. You’ll encounter resistance on both sides, tracking down special relics to aid in the battle, as well as coming to grips with some shocking truths that are initially kept from you. There is a small but enjoyable cast of supporting characters you’ll interact with on the way, and a ton of side quests and puzzles to keep you busy for around 8-10 hours or so.
I mention in my opening paragraph that Cat Quest 2 plays it far too safe and I mean that it doesn’t feel like much has really changed. Sure, we get a whole new story and some fun co-op gameplay, but everything else feels the same in nearly every way. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but those who were hoping to see some gameplay advancements, like myself, may come off being a tad disappointed. It also doesn’t help matters that returning to Felinegrad does make the game feel all too familiar. I would have loved to see the map evolve and feature more verticality like scaling a tall mountain, making the world seem more explorable than just a flat plain.
If you haven’t played the original Cat Quest, I strongly suggest doing so, but let’s get into what its sequel Cat Quest 2 actually is. The game has you on a quest to save both kingdoms, and you’ll do this by working together. The best thing that this sequel does is by adding co-op, allowing both players to inhabit the body of either the cat or dog, outfitting them in armor, changing up their weapons, and equipping different spells to make them stand out. If you don’t want to play co-op and choose to go the single-player route, then you have that option available to you, allowing you to swap back and forth at will. I will note that the AI tends to retreat away from battle when you roll around and really only goes on the offensive when you do.
Cat Quest 2 is very simple in its execution, making it a solid entry point for really any level of skill. You have a dodge roll that allows you to avoid telegraphed attacks, usually indicated by a damage ring or focused line showing where the attack will land. You can equip weapons such as swords, axes, or staves, but sadly no bows this time around. Most weapons have stats like bonus experience gain, or a trade-off of more strength but lower health. The same goes for armor as well as you’ll often not just pick something because of a fashion choice. What’s still impressive about the inventory system that was present in the first game, is that duplicates simply feed into that item, making it stronger as opposed to filling up your inventory space.
Each character can equip up to four spells, such as slowing down your enemies with Freezepaw, addressing your wounds with Healpaw, or sucking enemies into a vortex with Gravi-ruff. These skills and more allow you to flesh out your cat or dog warrior with a variety of attacks, making combat deep enough to avoid much repetition. You’ll also gain the ability to walk on water, making exploring the land and its surrounding areas that much easier.
As you embark on your quest, no pun intended, you’ll encounter several locations that are detailed as to what level you should be for attempting them. While some of the final locations were in their high 90’s, I didn’t really have too much of a problem tackling them several levels lower. While most boss encounters were somewhat challenging, the final encounter itself was oddly the easiest fight the game offers. The game does still offer many other challenges and dozens and dozens of side areas and quests designed around keeping you busy far past rolling credits on the game, easily giving you your money’s worth out of it. The game also offers up a new game plus mode that lets you up the challenge in several ways.
While I was let down by the lack of any real change to the gameplay, I still had a great time with this sequel. It is certainly better made than the original and the addition of co-op can give the game a longer lifespan than the original. I will state that if the teased sequel of Cat Quest 3 doesn’t offer up significant changes to the formula, then it’s hard to say how engaging the series will remain without some drastic innovation.
Cat Quest II was purchased by the reviewer and played on an Xbox One X
All screenshots were taken on a Xbox One X