It's no surprise. I like cats. Lots of people like cats. Abraham Lincoln liked cats. Usually, "cat people" comes with a negative stereotype. Can't get a girlfriend/boyfriend so has to settle down with eighteen cats in a one bedroom apartment. While that's true in some cases, other "cat people" are low energy, very passive people. They just want to chill and play a game and eat chips and give the cat a good scratch if it's nearby. Such as it is, I have probably found a good game for those kinds of cat people. A game that is relaxed and simple even though it has no qualms about being a jerk to you at times. That game is The Purring Quest.
The Purring Quest is a short indie game that is focused on a cat (duh) who is trying to reunite with his owner. His owner is grieving the loss of his wife and seems to suffer a momentary memory relapse while visiting her gravestone. Kimchi the cat goes on a voyage through different areas defeating enemies on his way to his fur-ever home. Along the way, Kimchi meets several "celebrity cats" such as Nala, an incredibly adorable Instagram star; Nora the Piano cat; and Cooper, a cat who wears a digital camera on his collar. Around the areas, you can find and rescue disabled cats who have been caged by the evil cat, Tika (who happens to be the co-founder of Valhalla cats). The cool thing? All the disabled kitties actually exist!
This game is a pretty simplistic platformer. You start at one end of the level and jump, climb, and scratch your way to the other end where a boss is waiting to be a nuisance. In the beginning of the game, the settings give you the option of being able to jump high using a button or to be able to double jump. I get why the developers would let you choose, but honestly, being given an option doesn't really matter to me. As long as I'm able to get around alright, it doesn't matter which option I choose.
Don't get hair in your keyboard.
As for the jumping, it's not the greatest. Several times, Kimchi would simply slide off of the platform and to impending death. The game also has you collecting fishbones along your journey, but you never actually end up using them except to get 100% on a level. There are certain times when you are given special abilities. One of these abilities is a box to hide in Metal Gear style. This is all great and well from hiding from pesky dogs who instantly take you back to the last check point. The one fault I found, however, is that sometimes the box doesn't activate at the same rate each time. Sometimes it's instantaneous; sometimes it takes a few seconds and you end up having to hightail it out of a sticky wicket. Another seemingly random element is the inclusion of a Guitar Hero style piano mini-game. Initially, I tried to play this part with my controller, but it was almost impossible to get the timing and buttons correct. If you get to this part in The Purring Quest, I highly recommend using the keyboard. It'll save you a lot of frustration.
For an indie game, The Purring Quest did a decent job in the art and music categories. Everything is hand drawn and animated by a previous employee of Disney. The music is simple, yet beautiful. This game goes to show that you don't necessarily need super hyper ultra graphics and fully orchestrated music to be a good game. I only with that the graphics were a little more detailed, but I definitely commend the artist for putting in so much time and effort.
Overall, The Purring Quest is a short little adventure that is perfect for cat lovers. It may be a little boring and frustrating at times, but the "cuteness" quality almost makes up for its downfalls. Not only that, but by getting the game, you help with a worthy cause! A percentage of the profits made by The Purring Quest goes to provide healthcare and to help find loving homes for the disabled kitties as well as other animal welfare organizations, which is pretty AWESOME if you ask me. A lot of time and effort goes into caring for healthy animals and even more so for disabled ones. So if you're a cat lover like me, better snatch this little charming game up quickly!
