The Purring Quest Can't Keep Its Hairballs Down
The Purring Quest is a much cuter game than it is an enjoyable one to play. It seems worth getting that much out in the open right from the onset, as whether or not developer Valhalla Cat’s feline focused platformer is worth any sort of consideration, depends on how much its premise can carry it for you. If you exist at the center of a Venn diagram consisting of cat related paraphernalia, armchair philosophy, and graffiti calling for substance legalization, The Purring Quest is able to provide at least some amusement for a very distinct audience. For those less immediately taken in by celebrity cat cameos and catnip jokes, The Purring Quest quickly becomes more chore than delight. For every adorable cat on screen, The Purring Quest’s presents a dozen screens painfully plain and flat. This is as much a frustration due to how it contributes to The Purring Quest’s uneven appearance, but even more so as it is often impossible to read a level for platforms and hazards, resulting in many cases where the player must leap blindly and rely on trial and error to navigate to the end. As a strict platformer with zero objectives to contend with beyond running, jumping, and picking up fishbones, it’s hard to excuse The Purring Quest for screwing up such an integral portion of its design. Poor jumping controls and clipping issues further exaggerate The Purring Quest’s mediocre mechanics, to a degree that is the digital equivalent of kicking someone while they’re down.
This feeling of sadness more than disappointment comes across primarily on account of how clear it is that Valhalla Cat’s legitimately love their game, and despite all its faults put their all into making it at least a little charming. I can’t fully recommend The Purring Quest in any capacity, in fact I feel insincere even saying it may be worth an hour of your time, but I do wish the best for Valhalla Cat’s future projects. They have a long way to go, but I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that they’ll get there someday. Until then I will have to advise you to get your cat fix elsewhere.
"Quick Thoughts" is a place for micro criticism, abstract musings, and shameless showcasing for games which either don't fit into a full review or I am not yet ready to talk about to that extent, essentially acting as a concise running commentary on whatever I'm currently playing and my thoughts thereof.