A cat role-playing game, reviewed by my twins (age 7 1/2)

"Watch out for the big mean duck!"

Cat Quest III. Screenshot: The Gentlebros., Kepler Interactive

I’m not sure just what lessons my kids have gleaned from the Marios, Zeldas and Kirbys we’ve played over the last two years, but I know what they got from playing the new feline pirate adventure Cat Quest III this month: a familiarity with inventory management, map markers, side quests, and leveling up.

In other words, they’re now prepared for just about any video game coming out in the future.

We’ve been playing this pun-laden action role-playing game on the Switch on and off for the past couple of weeks. (It’s also available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox, FYI).

We’ve dressed our cat pirates with special shirts and hats, armed them with weapons and magic, crisscrossed an archipelago filled with enemy towers, caves, and treasure chests, then opened up the game’s menus to put on better gear and started the loop again.

We’ve also spent a lot of time hopping into the cats’ pirate ship to sail around and smash enemies. 

I think my kids have had a good time, but I figured I’d ask them.

So, during a long drive earlier this week, I interviewed my twins, age 7 ½, about what was basically their first loot-based RPG. I’m not going to say they were tough interviews, but they certainly took more liberties than most of my interviewees.

The following transcript has been edited for clarity–and to reduce excessive references to Skibidi Toilet.