The Purring Quest (PC)
It’s not a secret that the internet absolutely adores cats, and for some, the mere idea of playing as one would be enough to sell a game like The Purring Quest. If you are looking for a game where you can play as a realistic feline, The Purring Quest might be the best pick for a cat lover, not only because a percentage of the game’s profits goes directly into supporting animal welfare programs, but because the game is absolutely packed with love for humanity’s feline companions.
The Purring Quest’s platforming adventure doesn’t just feature a cute kitty in the starring role but actually pulls in cats from the real world for guest appearances. While none of the names are familiar to me, a few internet celebrity cats serve as helpful guides during the game’s five levels. Henri, also known as le Chat Noir, is a particular highlight, his nihilistic existentialism an unusual and often humorous perspective, but other cats like Nora the Piano Cat end up influencing an entire gameplay section. Another interesting inclusion of real life cats comes from the caged ones you need to rescue in each stage, the developers choosing to highlight some special needs cats that appropriately enough emphasize the adoption of rescue cats. Former Disney animator Javier Granados does an excellent job drawing the game’s many felines and bringing them to life as well, with the main character Kimchi in particular having a lot of cute touches such as grooming herself when left alone or scrunching up near the edge of a platform as she prepares to jump.
The five levels of The Purring Quest are also littered with the kind of pleasant humor you might expect to find on a Facebook page for cat lovers. Graffiti and posters with silly jokes about catnip and the famous laziness of felines adorn the beautifully detailed hand drawn environments, the low stage count probably allowing the team to create areas that look so nice without having to make any compromises. Levels also contain collectibles that help alter the game’s main menu screen, what begins as an empty apartment eventually growing into a decorated playroom for a host of cats. The low amount of collectibles make it easy to collect them as well and they add a bit more to do in stages that might be a bit plain otherwise, the floating fishbones in particular asking for a sharp eye at times or careful platforming to grab so your title screen kitties have the best playroom you can put together.
The regular platforming in The Purring Quest isn’t too deep though, and it’s possible this is intentional to avoid putting off non-gamers who might just want a casual adventure to play full of cat paraphernalia. It isn’t without its moments, the final level including a high speed platforming section that requires a good feel for timing your jumps, but most levels just ask for a light level of engagement. Your abilities are fairly straightforward, a jump and a claw swipe practically being your only skills necessary for navigating stages. There are two jump style options, one being a high jump that is a little awkward to use but the double jump option allows for greater control and seems all around superior save for breaking away from the realism featured in much of the rest of the title. The claw swipe is used to deal with a fairly realistic set of enemies like mice and birds, but it can also find use in launching objects. Unfortunately those objects don’t always have a reliable flight path, an odd issue considering their placement always aligns with one singular purpose without much complexity to the puzzle or battle they’re involved in.
Stealth is also implemented and is a little bothersome when it crops up. At first you are meant to hide behind objects to avoid dogs who will charge you and set you back to a checkpoint if you’re caught. Checkpoints in general can be a bit too far apart, but these patrolling pooches can at least usually be jumped right over instead if you’re careful enough and much of that weak stealth can be bypassed. If you do need to engage with it though, the game eventually gives you the cutely named Schrodinger’s Box that you can pop on in an instant for a hiding spot that can be used anywhere, thus lessening the time you might need to wait if you were only relying on provided cover.
Kimchi’s adventure is actually spurred by her owner’s disappearance. After an opening scene showing the history of a couple coming together, adopting Kimchi, and soon being reduced to just the man living alone with his cat, a visit to the park leads to Kimchi’s owner being reminded of his wife and heading off alone. Kimchi heads out on a fairly short quest in search of her missing owner, relying on the advice and instruction of the famous cats to find where he went. The small level selection begins with a graveyard and includes a village near a forest, but much of the five stage journey takes place in urban settings. They do a decent job of diversifying these such as the skyscraper portion taking place primarily on rooftops and building interiors while the Gothic Quarter involves scaling ivy on the side of buildings and walking through the streets more, so while the game tries to root its settings in believable locations, it does a decent amount to set apart how they’re navigated.
Boss battles are actually featured in The Purring Quest and the combat’s simplicity doesn’t make them too exciting. The Graveyard’s crow boss is a waiting game and the moles who you need to knock on the head with falling objects involve that imprecise item launching mechanic, but The Purring Quest’s bosses aren’t just aggressive animals. One level actually wraps up with a piano-focused rhythm game instead, and in one of the smartest implementations of a sudden rhythm game in an otherwise unrelated title I’ve seen, the game has you play the main menu music you’ve become used to by then so that hitting the notes is easier than using an all new track. With the game’s small soundtrack already being a fairly good accompaniment, it’s easier to accept the piano portion, especially since it’s doesn’t demand that you do well during it. The levels that involve platforming challenges for bosses are also a nice break away, so while the fight portions are weak, The Purring Quest still has a few nifty ideas for how to wrap up a level that do their job as a stage’s climax a bit better.
THE VERDICT: A game by cat lovers for cat lovers, The Purring Quest has a lot of heart put into paying tribute to humanity’s furry feline friends. The lovely animation, the appearance of real world cat celebrities, and the jokes about cat ownership all give the game such a pleasant feeling that is topped off by a fitting soundtrack. The platforming design isn’t very adventurous though and some mechanics like the stealth or hitting objects are rather rough, but most of the adventure is simple and accessible to make it more appealing to general audiences. With some collectibles to give regular gamers a bit more to do, The Purring Quest achieves a decent middle ground gameplay-wise that makes it a game best played just to appreciate the care put into bringing this simple title to life.
And so, I give The Purring Quest for PC…
An OKAY rating. The rather plain platforming at the heart of The Purring Quest means it doesn’t exactly wow anyone without an interest in cats, but the gameplay framework feels like its main purpose is to be the host to all the love pet owners have for their little companions. The little touches in Kimchi’s animation, the humor spread across the game’s unfortunately small amount of levels, and the appearance by other cats who all are adorable in their own way is bound to please people who came to the game just for the kitties, and the action component won’t obstruct them from experiencing it save a few little hiccups here and there. Collectibles do add a little extra to prevent the game for being too barebones, but The Purring Quest is clearly designed to put forth its art, music, and cat characters as the appeal and those all do a fairly good job of sustaining an experience that doesn’t stick around long enough for its simplicity to truly become a problem.
The Purring Quest is a fairly easy recommendation for cat owners not because it’s doing anything particularly interesting with its gameplay but because its built from the same love they likely hold for their own feline companion. The donation to a good cause and important messages about cat ownership built into the game help with this recommendation too, so while it won’t wow anyone who doesn’t find the concept inherently appealing, that care for the subject matter comes through strongly enough to ensure people who do love cats a lot will find a lovely little adventure celebrating these special pets.