I went into Cat Quest 2 expecting a lot of the same from the original Cat Quest. Which was not necessarily a bad thing. Although I felt like Cat Quest was a little long for what it was, I still enjoyed the charm and overall gameplay. The only thing I knew about Cat Quest 2 was the introduction of a AI controlled player 2. You could also play the game in couch co-op but the AI controlled buddy was good enough for me. I downloaded the game onto my PS4 early Saturday morning thinking I could blow through it in a few hours. It took me roughly ten hours to beat the game and it honestly felt like twice as long.
The game follows the same formula as the first Cat Quest in terms of gameplay. Cat Quest 2 expands on the world and lore of the Cat Quest universe. I feel like this is where the game went wrong. Every interaction you have with anyone is filled with dialogue. It is the one thing that truly made this game almost unplayable for me. Every minor side quest takes longer than it should because the characters have so much to say. From what I gathered they are trying to fill you in on more lore but for the most part its entirely unnecessary exposition. Add to that the nonstop cat and dog puns and the game is unbearable. Every conversation and every interaction has to have a pun. After about five minutes the charm of this game wears off. I couldn’t skip the dialogue fast enough. With that aspect of the game you would think it is just a fun game that is not meant to be taken seriously.
Another issue I had with this game was the expanded map. Initially I thought that would make it more fun but it only creates more of a headache. Along the way you discover quick travel points but even those don’t make any sense. The fast travel points don’t tell you where they take you exactly and they are not even located in convenient locations on the map. I found myself just walking back and forth across both maps which just added to the slog of the game. This increased map size also made side quests more mundane. I was trying to get the platinum trophy in the game so I had to do all the side quests. Most side quest not only added nothing to the game but were just obnoxious fetch quests. You would talk to your NPC and they would send you across the map, you do your task and you have to walk back across half the map. The quests were only designed to add more gameplay time to the game. The majority of the quests were also just NPC’s using you to trick you which was never a surprise. The only reason these side quests are of any use is to level up. If you want to clear the dungeons and get an opportunity to get better gear you need to do the terrible quests. The main story is also no better. I skipped through most of the talking. The gist of it is the cats and dogs were at war and some nefarious bad guys are trying to start the war again. You have to beat both the Kings of Cat and Dog lands. Really none of it matters. The game play loop is the same throughout. Fight, level up, fight stronger enemies, level up, etc.
The combat remains almost identical to Cat Quest one but the added AI character can be equip with different magic moves. You can swap between the two characters and when you die you will automatically control the character who is still alive. The second player was useful for tougher boss fights since you could run around to revive your main character. Mid way through the game I found it easier to control the weaker character and let my main character do all the fighting. It didn’t make the game move along any faster but it helped out a lot when fighting dungeons that were 50-100 levels higher than you.
At the end of the day Cat Quest 2 just failed on so many levels for me. I felt like it was trying to be too cute but also too serious at the same time. The main mechanics of the first game were present in this sequel, still it lost a lot of what made the original fun. Ultimately Cat Quest 2 can easily be skipped unless you are somehow invested in the history of the Cat Quest universe.
All The Stuff With BlinkAfi 