Cat Quest III

Cat Quest III is an action role-playing game. Players control a cat on a journey to find the "North Star", a treasure capable of granting the wishes of whoever possesses it. Along the way, the cat must battle against other groups of pirates who seek this artifact. The player character can attack in melee with swords and other weapons, or attack from a distance with guns and magic wands.

Spells can also be learned and cast to attack foes, and can afflict them with various effects. Players explore a world map composed of various islands, where they can travel on foot or across the ocean in a ship. The islands contain dungeons where the cat can fight enemies and obtain useful equipment. Crossing the ocean allows for combat with pirate ships, which the player fights using cannons.

The game opens with The Pi-Rat King destroying a boat. The only survivor is a kitten, which floats to shore and is found by a pirate ghost spirit named Cappey. Fifteen years later, Cappey and the cat, going by the name The Seeker, are looking The North Star, which has fallen into the Purribean and is said to grant whoever finds it great power. They quickly learn that The Pi-Rat King is also looking for The North Star, and is forcing other pirates to help him on his quest.

The Seeker and Cappey need to find three keys that open up the Polaris Ruins, where the first clue to the North Star is. They get the keys by defeating two ghosts of wardens, former keepers of the North Star, and the leader of the Boar Tribe, who reveals that the North Star originally belonged to his people before it was taken away. Now able to access the Polaris Ruins, they encounter the Pi-Rat King, who reveals that he has been following them as only a Seeker can get the clue. The two decide to keep moving forward, and find a key for the Infinity Tower.

According to the review aggregate website Metacritic, Cat Quest III received "generally favorable reviews". Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 85% of critics. Nintendo Life called Cat Quest III one of the best indie games of 2024, and praised its visuals, quests, and combat. However, the reviewer felt that the game felt familiar to other games in the action role-playing genre.

Shacknews enjoyed the writing, appreciating its inclusion of puns, and especially liked the bosses. Nintendo World Report liked the exploration and found the game "delightfully funny", but felt that it was too short.