The Purring Quest (PC) Review
We liked?
- + Play as a cat!
- Guest appearances from famous internet kitties
Not so much?
- Poor response to jump controls makes the game harder than it needs to be
- Only five levels in total
The Purring Quest is a valiant first attempt from developer Valhalla Cats, but it’s far from being the polished product I was hoping for.
at lovers, your prayers have been answered – now there’s a game where you can play as a cat! Step into the paws of Kimchi, a kitty on a quest to be reunited with her beloved owner. Run, jump, hide from dogs and overcome obstacles to complete your mission.
The debut title from fledgeling studio Valhalla Cats, The Purring Quest is a platformer that’s packed with cats. Not only do you play as a cat, but a number of famous internet cats will show up along the way – luminaries such as Henri Le Chat Noir and Oskar the Blind Cat, all appear, with their owners’ blessing. As a big cat person myself, I was expecting this game to right up my alley, but unfortunately, the experience fell a little flat.
At only five levels, The Purring Quest is not big on longevity, and even with collectibles and cats to find in each level, there’s only so long you can spend on it. Somewhat annoyingly, quite soon after release, the developers pushed an update which invalidated all existing save files, forcing you to start over whether you wanted to or not.
What does add a bit of length to the game is simply how frustrating it can be. I tried playing the game with both keyboard and gamepad, and either way, the controls are just less precise and responsive than I’d want from a platform game. Coupled with the end of level challenges, which include climbing a tall tower without falling to your death, or escaping a search helicopter (no, I don’t know why either…), it adds a level of frustration to the game that really sours the playing experience.
With its hand drawn art style and sorrowful music, the game has a serious and atmospheric feel to it. There’s a framing story which starts out very much like the first ten minutes of Up, so expect it to tug at the heartstrings a little!
*Final Thoughts*
The Purring Quest is a valiant first attempt from developer Valhalla Cats, but it’s far from being the polished product I was hoping for. Cat lovers will no doubt pick it up for the novelty of it, but until the problem with the precision of the controls is addressed, I won’t be returning to it.