Cat Quest III – How to Be a Pirate

Michelle Fern on Pet Life Radio

Arrrrrrrr you ready to fight pi-rats? 

In this latest trailer, learn the ropes of pirating as you explore freely from top to bottom! Uncover hidden secrets and face purr-ilous challenges along the way. Engage with quirky characters and mysterious objects – ye never know what surprises await! Michelle Fern welcomes Desmond Wong, one of the creators of Cat Quest! Meow Matey! 


Listen to Episode #251 Now:

Cat Quest on Pet Life Radio

BIO:

Desmond Wong is the co-founder of The Gentlebros, a studio best known for the Cat Quest series of games. With over 15 years of experience in the industry as an artist and designer, Desmond has worked on all things from AAA titles to indie games. With a huge passion for video games, he hopes to continue making games he loves for the people who love it!

Transcript:


00:00:02.140 --> 00:00:03.940
Announcer: This is Pet Life Radio.

00:00:03.940 --> 00:00:05.040
Announcer: Let's talk pets.

00:00:24.959 --> 00:00:27.359
Michelle Fern: Hello, feline friends, welcome to Cattitude.

00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:29.999
Michelle Fern: I'm your show host, Michelle Fern.

00:00:29.999 --> 00:00:31.839
Michelle Fern: We have a really unique show.

00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:37.279
Michelle Fern: As you listeners know, I always say, you know, we're about anything and everything cat.

00:00:37.279 --> 00:00:43.519
Michelle Fern: Well, this is a really unique cat subject, but this is for all you gamers out there.

00:00:43.519 --> 00:00:46.939
Michelle Fern: And if you're not a gamer, you're still gonna find this show a ton of fun.

00:00:46.939 --> 00:00:48.779
Michelle Fern: So stay tuned, we'll be right back.

00:00:53.559 --> 00:00:57.559
Announcer: Pet Green's is proud to support Cattitude on Pet Life Radio.

00:00:57.559 --> 00:01:06.859
Announcer: Our small family farm produces live organic cat grass, catnip and soft chew treats packed with green nutrition to help your pets truly thrive inside.

00:01:06.859 --> 00:01:17.979
Announcer: We're partnering with pioneer cat behavior expert and bestselling author, Pam Johnson Bennett, to help indoor cats live their best lives with indoor enrichment tips for their parents.

00:01:18.539 --> 00:01:24.019
Pam Johnson Bennett: Anyone who knows me knows I am a very strong proponent for cats being indoors.

00:01:24.019 --> 00:01:32.879
Pam Johnson Bennett: But when we bring cats indoors where I feel it's safest, we have an obligation to make sure they have a fulfilling life, that they get enrichment.

00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:36.479
Pam Johnson Bennett: And part of that enrichment is encouraging health.

00:01:36.479 --> 00:01:39.159
Pam Johnson Bennett: And a big part of that health is cat grass.

00:01:39.159 --> 00:01:42.179
Pam Johnson Bennett: Cat grass helps with the prevention of hairballs.

00:01:42.179 --> 00:01:45.179
Pam Johnson Bennett: It can help keep your cat away from house plants.

00:01:45.179 --> 00:01:47.359
Pam Johnson Bennett: It's also fun for your cat.

00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:53.799
Pam Johnson Bennett: It's a natural behavior that your cat wants to chew, and you know that you're providing it in a safe way.

00:01:53.799 --> 00:02:00.219
Announcer: For more information on the benefits of cat grass and catnip for your cat's indoor enrichment, visit petgreens.com.

00:02:03.999 --> 00:02:07.119
Announcer: Let's talk pets on petliferadio.com.

00:02:18.011 --> 00:02:19.131
Michelle Fern: welcome back, everyone.

00:02:19.131 --> 00:02:20.871
Michelle Fern: I'd like to welcome Desmond Wong.

00:02:20.871 --> 00:02:26.531
Michelle Fern: He is the CEO of the development team and game designer for Cat Quest 3.

00:02:26.531 --> 00:02:27.651
Michelle Fern: welcome, Desmond.

00:02:27.651 --> 00:02:28.591
Desmond Wong: Hi, everyone.

00:02:28.591 --> 00:02:29.251
Desmond Wong: Hi, Michelle.

00:02:29.251 --> 00:02:31.091
Desmond Wong: Super excited to be on the show.

00:02:31.091 --> 00:02:33.291
Michelle Fern: I'm very excited to have you on.

00:02:33.291 --> 00:02:39.691
Michelle Fern: So Cat Quest 3 was released on International Cat Day, August 8th.

00:02:39.691 --> 00:02:40.771
Michelle Fern: Did you play on that?

00:02:40.771 --> 00:02:43.211
Desmond Wong: Yeah, we totally did, right?

00:02:43.211 --> 00:02:45.511
Desmond Wong: Every Cat Quest game, this is the third one already.

00:02:46.051 --> 00:02:50.111
Desmond Wong: We've always released it close to or around International Cat Day.

00:02:50.111 --> 00:02:51.031
Desmond Wong: It just fits, right?

00:02:51.031 --> 00:02:52.971
Desmond Wong: I mean, it's a game about cats.

00:02:52.971 --> 00:02:54.651
Desmond Wong: Yeah, people love cats.

00:02:54.651 --> 00:02:57.371
Desmond Wong: Like, the best time to do it is International Cat Day.

00:02:57.371 --> 00:02:58.771
Desmond Wong: So we've always done that.

00:02:58.771 --> 00:03:00.291
Michelle Fern: So this is Cat Quest 3.

00:03:00.291 --> 00:03:03.751
Michelle Fern: So it was originally released in 2017.

00:03:03.751 --> 00:03:04.591
Desmond Wong: Yeah.

00:03:04.591 --> 00:03:06.791
Desmond Wong: Wow, okay, 2017 is a really long time ago.

00:03:06.791 --> 00:03:08.351
Desmond Wong: But yeah, why cats, right?

00:03:08.351 --> 00:03:11.871
Desmond Wong: So Cat Quest is actually the very first one.

00:03:11.871 --> 00:03:14.831
Desmond Wong: It's actually the second game that we made in our company.

00:03:15.391 --> 00:03:22.551
Desmond Wong: And when we were concepting the second game, we knew we wanted to base it off an animal, right?

00:03:22.551 --> 00:03:32.431
Desmond Wong: Cause we felt that if you do that, it's easier to create something unique that people haven't really seen before because lots of games are centered around humans, right?

00:03:32.431 --> 00:03:33.211
Desmond Wong: And stuff like that.

00:03:33.211 --> 00:03:36.051
Desmond Wong: So basing it off an animal could be really cool.

00:03:36.051 --> 00:03:40.731
Desmond Wong: So, and cats are really near and dear to our farts, right?

00:03:40.731 --> 00:03:43.211
Desmond Wong: Especially the people in my company, right?

00:03:43.211 --> 00:03:44.411
Desmond Wong: The people that worked on the games.

00:03:44.811 --> 00:03:49.271
Desmond Wong: And even here in Singapore, like there's this whole thing about community cats, right?

00:03:49.631 --> 00:03:50.311
Michelle Fern: Oh yeah.

00:03:50.311 --> 00:03:52.951
Desmond Wong: Yeah, there's like a lot of residential areas.

00:03:52.951 --> 00:03:56.991
Desmond Wong: You know, we have lots of cats that just like live below our blocks, right?

00:03:56.991 --> 00:04:01.731
Desmond Wong: And now, like the residents here, we just love to take care of them and things like that.

00:04:01.731 --> 00:04:04.411
Desmond Wong: And you know, as we all know, the internet loves cats.

00:04:04.411 --> 00:04:05.771
Desmond Wong: There's so many cat memes.

00:04:05.771 --> 00:04:07.391
Desmond Wong: It's super fun, super cute.

00:04:07.391 --> 00:04:10.911
Desmond Wong: And we just kind of knew that it was a little bit of a cheat, right?

00:04:10.911 --> 00:04:13.031
Desmond Wong: We were to base the game on cats.

00:04:13.651 --> 00:04:16.171
Desmond Wong: We will kind of like win half the battle in a sense, right?

00:04:16.171 --> 00:04:19.911
Desmond Wong: Like people would already love the game just because it's about cats.

00:04:19.911 --> 00:04:21.991
Desmond Wong: So that was one of the major reasons.

00:04:21.991 --> 00:04:24.931
Desmond Wong: You know, the rest of it is cats is just so much.

00:04:24.931 --> 00:04:27.831
Desmond Wong: They're just so rich in like our culture, right?

00:04:27.831 --> 00:04:31.371
Desmond Wong: In pop culture, especially, there's the whole thing about how cats have nine lives.

00:04:31.371 --> 00:04:33.711
Desmond Wong: There's all those things that we could pull from, right?

00:04:33.711 --> 00:04:36.511
Desmond Wong: Creatively to create our games, right?

00:04:36.511 --> 00:04:41.651
Desmond Wong: And cats themselves, they have like really interesting, you know, relationships with other animals too.

00:04:41.831 --> 00:04:44.751
Desmond Wong: Like we all know, you know, cats and dogs have that relationship.

00:04:44.751 --> 00:04:46.571
Desmond Wong: Cats and mice have that relationship.

00:04:46.571 --> 00:04:51.111
Desmond Wong: And those were things that we could pull from as well, when we were designing our games.

00:04:51.111 --> 00:04:57.691
Desmond Wong: So yeah, basically, there's just so much stuff that we could use with cats and it really helped us create something unique.

00:04:57.691 --> 00:04:59.131
Michelle Fern: You said something interesting.

00:04:59.131 --> 00:05:02.211
Michelle Fern: And so it's a little bit off topic, but not really.

00:05:02.211 --> 00:05:04.431
Michelle Fern: So you said in Singapore, there's a lot of cats.

00:05:04.431 --> 00:05:08.291
Michelle Fern: I know that in Asia, cats are very popular.

00:05:08.291 --> 00:05:10.731
Michelle Fern: And I believe they outnumber dogs.

00:05:11.191 --> 00:05:18.631
Michelle Fern: And I think one reason might be because there's a lot of apartments and cats are better for apartments than dogs.

00:05:18.631 --> 00:05:19.931
Michelle Fern: Are there other reasons?

00:05:19.931 --> 00:05:20.191
Michelle Fern: Yeah.

00:05:20.191 --> 00:05:25.211
Desmond Wong: I mean, like legally in Singapore as well, it's easier to keep a cat in public housing, right?

00:05:25.211 --> 00:05:29.191
Desmond Wong: And I think in Asian culture, especially, right?

00:05:29.291 --> 00:05:41.531
Desmond Wong: Like cats are just seen as easier to take care of, especially in Japanese culture, cats are really strong in their mythology and things like that, right?

00:05:41.531 --> 00:05:44.051
Desmond Wong: So I think all this kind of like trickle down.

00:05:44.051 --> 00:05:48.111
Desmond Wong: It's not to say dogs and other animals are not popular here as well, right?

00:05:48.111 --> 00:05:55.311
Desmond Wong: It's just that I think due to the space limitation, because dogs need really large area to run around and things like that, right?

00:05:55.311 --> 00:06:00.831
Desmond Wong: It's just, I think, easier to take care of cats here in Singapore, especially with the space limitation and things like that.

00:06:00.831 --> 00:06:08.991
Desmond Wong: But yeah, I think there's really a lot more like cat owners here, at least that I know of, as compared to other animals.

00:06:08.991 --> 00:06:10.471
Desmond Wong: So yeah, you're right to say that.

00:06:10.471 --> 00:06:11.711
Michelle Fern: Interesting.

00:06:11.711 --> 00:06:20.991
Michelle Fern: I always find the cultural differences between people in different places so different, except if you love cats, you love cats.

00:06:21.091 --> 00:06:22.251
Michelle Fern: That's all.

00:06:22.251 --> 00:06:23.971
Michelle Fern: We have both sides, other things.

00:06:23.971 --> 00:06:26.471
Michelle Fern: That's one thing that brings us all together.

00:06:26.471 --> 00:06:29.811
Michelle Fern: So let's talk about your game.

00:06:29.811 --> 00:06:32.731
Michelle Fern: Can you give us an overview of the game?

00:06:32.731 --> 00:06:39.771
Michelle Fern: Like what are some of the adventures that people will experience when they play Cat Quest 3?

00:06:39.771 --> 00:06:40.411
Michelle Fern: Yeah, sure.

00:06:40.411 --> 00:06:45.971
Desmond Wong: So a Cat Quest game is what we call an action adventure role-playing game.

00:06:45.971 --> 00:06:50.231
Desmond Wong: So what that means is you kind of play as a cat, right?

00:06:50.491 --> 00:06:53.691
Desmond Wong: Set in a really fantastical cat world.

00:06:53.691 --> 00:06:57.111
Desmond Wong: So everything in our world is based around cats, right?

00:06:57.111 --> 00:07:03.211
Desmond Wong: So imagine kind of like a medieval fantasy environment, kind of like Lord of the Rings or stuff like that.

00:07:03.211 --> 00:07:04.731
Desmond Wong: But everything is a cat, right?

00:07:04.731 --> 00:07:09.031
Desmond Wong: So like all the people living in towns are town cats, right?

00:07:09.031 --> 00:07:10.931
Desmond Wong: The king is like a lion, you know?

00:07:10.931 --> 00:07:13.471
Desmond Wong: So it's just really fun.

00:07:13.471 --> 00:07:16.591
Desmond Wong: You know, we incorporate full, our game is full of puns, right?

00:07:16.731 --> 00:07:21.511
Desmond Wong: So like the main continent in the game is called Fallen Guard, you know, right?

00:07:21.511 --> 00:07:24.951
Desmond Wong: The place you explore in Cat Quest 3 is called the Caribbean.

00:07:24.951 --> 00:07:26.931
Desmond Wong: So there's really cool and fun things like that.

00:07:26.931 --> 00:07:36.951
Desmond Wong: So in each game, you kind of like go on this adventure or what we call a cat venture and you save it from like a big bad guy, right?

00:07:36.951 --> 00:07:39.871
Desmond Wong: Which is usually another cat, right?

00:07:39.871 --> 00:07:44.591
Desmond Wong: And you do this by fighting enemies, you know, learning spells, right?

00:07:44.671 --> 00:07:55.211
Desmond Wong: Equipping armor, fighting new weapons, fighting treasure along the way and getting stronger and stronger until you're like powerful enough to more or less, you know, save the world, right?

00:07:55.211 --> 00:08:02.991
Desmond Wong: So it's designed to be super accessible and super easy to play, which is probably why a lot of our fans are somewhat younger, right?

00:08:02.991 --> 00:08:04.771
Desmond Wong: Some never played games before.

00:08:04.771 --> 00:08:09.551
Desmond Wong: We have a lot of parents who play the cat quest games with their kids, right?

00:08:09.551 --> 00:08:12.191
Desmond Wong: So it really appeals to the whole white age group.

00:08:12.191 --> 00:08:15.831
Desmond Wong: So in a sense, that's what the cat quest games are, right?

00:08:15.831 --> 00:08:19.371
Desmond Wong: And in Cat Quest 3 this time, it's pirate themed, right?

00:08:19.371 --> 00:08:27.511
Desmond Wong: So as I was saying, you get to explore the Peribian as a pirate cat and your main adversary this time are mice, right?

00:08:27.511 --> 00:08:29.471
Desmond Wong: So we're calling them pirates, you know?

00:08:29.471 --> 00:08:31.971
Desmond Wong: So they're like rats on the sea and stuff like that.

00:08:31.971 --> 00:08:33.971
Desmond Wong: So yeah, that's what Cat Quest 3 is about.

00:08:33.971 --> 00:08:37.231
Desmond Wong: And in general, what the whole franchise is about as well.

00:08:37.231 --> 00:08:43.611
Michelle Fern: As I was watching the trailer video, it made me think about, you know, cats were mousers.

00:08:43.611 --> 00:08:48.811
Michelle Fern: Oh, they still are in some places, but they were mousers on ships way back.

00:08:48.851 --> 00:08:49.851
Desmond Wong: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:08:49.851 --> 00:08:56.651
Desmond Wong: So we used all their rats, like what I was saying before, about how there's so much a rich lore that we could pull from all this.

00:08:56.651 --> 00:08:58.211
Desmond Wong: So we use a lot of this, right?

00:08:58.211 --> 00:09:04.611
Desmond Wong: Like rats have been known to be on ships and stuff, which is why we thought, oh, they're a perfect fit for being pirates, right?

00:09:04.611 --> 00:09:08.371
Desmond Wong: In a sense, like, so they're on their own ships, they'll sail the high seas of the Peruvian.

00:09:09.031 --> 00:09:11.751
Desmond Wong: Yeah, so we thought it would be really fun to do that.

00:09:11.751 --> 00:09:20.051
Michelle Fern: Are any of the cat creatures modeled after cats that either you have or friends have, family members?

00:09:20.051 --> 00:09:20.891
Desmond Wong: Not exactly.

00:09:20.891 --> 00:09:28.631
Desmond Wong: So we took a great effort, right, to make sure that all our cats kind of have this unique and homogenous look, right?

00:09:28.811 --> 00:09:36.491
Desmond Wong: It's for development purposes to make it a little bit easier, but it's also easier for players to recognize our characters when they see them on light, right?

00:09:36.591 --> 00:09:42.731
Desmond Wong: Or they see a drawing or a silhouette of a character from Cat Quest, or they will know, like, oh, that's a Cat Quest cat.

00:09:42.731 --> 00:09:44.171
Desmond Wong: That's a cat from Cat Quest, right?

00:09:44.171 --> 00:09:53.151
Desmond Wong: So what we kind of did was we looked at a whole bunch of, like, cat species, you know, like the Persian cat, brown-haired cats and all those stuff.

00:09:53.151 --> 00:09:59.551
Desmond Wong: And we kind of, like, combined them all together to create this unique look for the characters in the game, right?

00:09:59.551 --> 00:10:14.931
Desmond Wong: So we do have certain characters in the world that reference, like, cat breeds, in a sense, but they're more there to inform, like, their character in the game as well, like, what kind of character traits they have, in a sense, and things like that.

00:10:14.931 --> 00:10:33.151
Desmond Wong: So to your question of whether we model, like, any of our characters from certain cats that we know and own, so not really, but we kind of do take everything that is out there from the cats that we know and from the cats that we see in pop culture and kind of, like, combine it all into one unique look.

00:10:33.611 --> 00:10:35.371
Michelle Fern: Okay, that's interesting.

00:10:35.371 --> 00:10:45.391
Michelle Fern: So while you won't see a distinct Siamese or Sphinx or scottish bull, those smushy-faced cats.

00:10:45.391 --> 00:10:52.971
Desmond Wong: So yeah, you won't actually see, like, the actual breeds, but we do take, like, certain breeds into account when designing our characters.

00:10:52.971 --> 00:11:01.311
Desmond Wong: So for example, like, the main Betty in the first game, right, his model after a Sphinx, he has character traits of a Sphinx cat, right?

00:11:01.451 --> 00:11:03.591
Desmond Wong: And that's like a character who's, like, really grumpy.

00:11:03.591 --> 00:11:08.011
Desmond Wong: So his face is kind of like model after, like, a Persian breed, right?

00:11:08.011 --> 00:11:13.071
Desmond Wong: So we do take elements from different breeds of cats.

00:11:13.071 --> 00:11:15.111
Desmond Wong: But yeah, they're not actually those breeds.

00:11:15.111 --> 00:11:17.691
Desmond Wong: Like, it's just all Cat Quest cats in the same way.

00:11:17.691 --> 00:11:18.911
Michelle Fern: OK, I got it.

00:11:18.911 --> 00:11:21.851
Michelle Fern: We're going to take a short break and we'll be right back.

00:11:24.991 --> 00:11:26.271
Michelle Fern: Hey, Michelle Fern here.

00:11:26.271 --> 00:11:29.231
Michelle Fern: And you know, saving cats is near and dear to my heart.

00:11:29.471 --> 00:11:35.211
Michelle Fern: Did you know that there is an estimated 70 to 100 million free roaming cats in the United States?

00:11:35.211 --> 00:11:38.631
Michelle Fern: And without spay neuter, that number will keep growing.

00:11:38.631 --> 00:11:45.451
Michelle Fern: Not only does spay neuter mainly reduce the community cat population, but it also keeps cats healthier.

00:11:45.451 --> 00:11:51.571
Michelle Fern: scooter, the neutered cat, is on a mission to give cats an extra life by making it hip to be sniffed.

00:11:51.571 --> 00:11:56.591
Michelle Fern: Visit his website, givethemten.org to help pioneer a better world for cats.

00:11:56.891 --> 00:12:01.371
Michelle Fern: That's GiveThemTen, spelled out, T-E-N dot org.

00:12:01.371 --> 00:12:04.371
Michelle Fern: Ready for the biggest cat celebration in the world?

00:12:04.371 --> 00:12:11.111
Michelle Fern: Come to the CFA International Cat Show and Expo in Cleveland, Ohio on October 12th and 13th.

00:12:11.111 --> 00:12:19.691
Michelle Fern: The Expo is the world's grandest cat celebration, seamlessly blending pedigree cat exhibitions with feline welfare and rescue initiatives.

00:12:19.691 --> 00:12:30.311
Michelle Fern: It captivates over 10,000 feline enthusiasts each year, celebrating all cats, whether rescue or pedigree, in a shared spirit of love and unity.

00:12:30.311 --> 00:12:35.051
Michelle Fern: Dive into cat-themed activations and enlightening educational sessions.

00:12:35.051 --> 00:12:43.631
Michelle Fern: Marvel at 1,000 non-pedigree and pedigree cats, adoptable felines and explore over 100 cat-themed vendors.

00:12:43.631 --> 00:12:48.591
Michelle Fern: It's an event dedicated to honoring our beloved felines and their admirers.

00:12:48.591 --> 00:12:51.651
Michelle Fern: And guess what feline influencers are coming to meet and greet?

00:12:51.991 --> 00:13:00.971
Michelle Fern: YouTube Cat Video Sensation, Erin's Animals, as well as Nathan the Cat Lady, Lambo, Leesha, Chupy and many, many more.

00:13:00.971 --> 00:13:05.751
Michelle Fern: Gather your cat crew and do whatever it takes to head to the CFA Cat Expo.

00:13:05.751 --> 00:13:10.431
Michelle Fern: It's a whisker-wiggling, tail-twirling extravaganza you won't want to miss.

00:13:10.431 --> 00:13:12.631
Michelle Fern: Get your tickets at cfacatexpo.com.

00:13:13.911 --> 00:13:15.191
Michelle Fern: That's cfacatexpo.com.

00:13:18.671 --> 00:13:23.031
Announcer: Let's Talk Pets on Pet Life Radio.

00:13:23.031 --> 00:13:25.231
<v SPEAKER_2>petliferadio.com.

00:13:35.806 --> 00:13:37.226
Michelle Fern: welcome back, everyone.

00:13:37.226 --> 00:13:39.566
Michelle Fern: I'm talking to Desmond Wong.

00:13:39.566 --> 00:13:45.266
Michelle Fern: He's the CEO of the development team and the game designer of Cat Quest 3.

00:13:45.266 --> 00:13:51.226
Michelle Fern: So, Desmond, this is probably one of the fun parts that you had when you were creating the game.

00:13:51.226 --> 00:13:59.746
Michelle Fern: What kind of cat traits that we all know of and love, like hairballs, that you incorporated into the game?

00:13:59.746 --> 00:14:01.086
Desmond Wong: Right, that's a great question.

00:14:01.086 --> 00:14:04.826
Desmond Wong: So like, in the game, you can kind of rest and get your health back, right?

00:14:05.006 --> 00:14:08.246
Desmond Wong: So you do this by literally taking a cat nap, right?

00:14:08.246 --> 00:14:12.606
Desmond Wong: And the whole process comes complete if a cat's caught and everything.

00:14:12.606 --> 00:14:13.966
Desmond Wong: So it's really cool.

00:14:13.966 --> 00:14:17.386
Desmond Wong: The weapons in the game is inspired by cat-like things, right?

00:14:17.386 --> 00:14:19.886
Desmond Wong: So like, one of the weapon types are like cat claws.

00:14:19.886 --> 00:14:22.686
Desmond Wong: So you can like kind of scratch your enemies and things like that.

00:14:22.686 --> 00:14:25.206
Desmond Wong: The whole game is full of cat puns.

00:14:25.206 --> 00:14:27.726
Desmond Wong: You know, we have the character speaking puns in a sense.

00:14:27.786 --> 00:14:31.806
Desmond Wong: So they'll say stuff like perfect or like possible, you know, things like that.

00:14:31.806 --> 00:14:33.386
Desmond Wong: Even like, what was it?

00:14:33.386 --> 00:14:35.946
Desmond Wong: Like cats have this aversion to water, right?

00:14:35.946 --> 00:14:38.886
Desmond Wong: And we use that as part of our gameplay.

00:14:38.886 --> 00:14:48.046
Desmond Wong: So like when you start a cat quest game, you can't really access areas or areas in the water right from the beginning because, you know, your cat just doesn't like it, right?

00:14:48.046 --> 00:14:56.246
Desmond Wong: So we kind of use that level design, you know, you have to find your way around giant water bodies and stuff like that because cats just don't like it.

00:14:56.626 --> 00:15:03.066
Desmond Wong: But in Cat Quest 3, because it's set in the Peruvian, you're a pirate, you know, we had to give a cat like a giant floating device.

00:15:03.066 --> 00:15:05.006
Desmond Wong: So it's a little bit less torturous for them.

00:15:05.006 --> 00:15:06.666
Desmond Wong: There's a lot of other things too that we do.

00:15:06.666 --> 00:15:10.626
Desmond Wong: So cats like milk, even though they're a little bit lactose intolerant, right?

00:15:10.626 --> 00:15:14.886
Desmond Wong: So like the tanvids in our game, instead of serving ale or beer, right?

00:15:14.886 --> 00:15:16.026
Desmond Wong: They serve milk, right?

00:15:16.026 --> 00:15:18.806
Desmond Wong: So all the cats in the game drink milk.

00:15:18.806 --> 00:15:24.226
Desmond Wong: There's lots of other minor details as well, like the way the characters move, you know, the sounds they make and stuff like that.

00:15:24.686 --> 00:15:27.766
Desmond Wong: And even right down to the stories of the game, right?

00:15:27.766 --> 00:15:33.226
Desmond Wong: We really try to base it off, like what would a cat's story be?

00:15:33.226 --> 00:15:40.606
Desmond Wong: So for example, like in the first game, you know, it's really about the love and relationship a cat has with its so-called owner, right?

00:15:40.606 --> 00:15:45.646
Desmond Wong: In the second game, it's about how cats and dogs have to unite to save their kingdoms.

00:15:45.646 --> 00:15:50.666
Desmond Wong: And in Cat Quest 3, it's really about, you know, how you can have a family with cats, right?

00:15:50.826 --> 00:16:00.626
Desmond Wong: So it's every Cat Quest game is kind of centered, steamed around something, you know, that is really crucial and like a focal point of what being a cat is.

00:16:00.626 --> 00:16:01.346
Michelle Fern: Thank you.

00:16:01.346 --> 00:16:07.986
Michelle Fern: What kind of fun can somebody have in the game, like battles and I don't know, pirates fighting?

00:16:07.986 --> 00:16:09.466
Michelle Fern: What can we expect?

00:16:09.466 --> 00:16:09.766
Desmond Wong: Yeah.

00:16:09.766 --> 00:16:12.526
Desmond Wong: So Cat Quest is an actual adventure game.

00:16:12.526 --> 00:16:16.106
Desmond Wong: So what that means is you'll be able to do combat, right?

00:16:16.106 --> 00:16:18.386
Desmond Wong: So you can attack enemies.

00:16:18.386 --> 00:16:20.446
Desmond Wong: So there's lots of fun to be had there, right?

00:16:20.566 --> 00:16:24.106
Desmond Wong: In Cat Quest 3, especially, you'll be fighting other pirates, right?

00:16:24.106 --> 00:16:29.166
Desmond Wong: Well, rats, they come with like all the different movesets as well that you will have to overcome.

00:16:29.166 --> 00:16:34.946
Desmond Wong: And the newest thing that we're adding in Cat Quest 3 is like a fully sailable pirate ship, right?

00:16:34.946 --> 00:16:40.166
Desmond Wong: So anytime in the game, you'll be able to jump in your ship and sail on the Caribbean.

00:16:40.166 --> 00:16:42.986
Desmond Wong: The ship can fire like giant cannonballs.

00:16:42.986 --> 00:16:46.906
Desmond Wong: There's many different abilities you can learn and equip on your ship.

00:16:46.906 --> 00:16:47.766
Desmond Wong: So it's really fun.

00:16:47.886 --> 00:16:51.486
Desmond Wong: You know, there's lots of cool things you can do in the Caribbean.

00:16:51.486 --> 00:16:53.206
Desmond Wong: You can sail around.

00:16:53.206 --> 00:16:59.186
Desmond Wong: You can meet the different people or other cats and dogs that live in the Caribbean, right?

00:16:59.186 --> 00:17:01.126
Desmond Wong: Lots of treasure, lots of treasure to find.

00:17:01.126 --> 00:17:04.106
Desmond Wong: So that's one of the major draws of the Cat Quest game as well.

00:17:04.106 --> 00:17:06.426
Desmond Wong: You know, you're exploring a cave.

00:17:06.426 --> 00:17:08.306
Desmond Wong: You come across this giant treasure chest.

00:17:08.306 --> 00:17:13.386
Desmond Wong: You open it, like lots of cool stuff spew out, and then you find a cool new weapon.

00:17:13.386 --> 00:17:15.686
Desmond Wong: You get to equip it and see how it does on the end of each, right?

00:17:15.786 --> 00:17:21.786
Desmond Wong: So that's kind of like the fun part of the Cat Quest game and what most people would go and expect it.

00:17:21.786 --> 00:17:26.826
Michelle Fern: As you were talking before about different cat traits, I was thinking about this.

00:17:26.826 --> 00:17:33.166
Michelle Fern: What about some of the things that are, maybe this will be too realistic, just like movies don't show it.

00:17:33.166 --> 00:17:34.806
Michelle Fern: Do you have litter boxes?

00:17:34.806 --> 00:17:35.626
Desmond Wong: Litter boxes?

00:17:35.726 --> 00:17:39.446
Desmond Wong: Also, we have it like a part of the environment, right?

00:17:39.586 --> 00:17:47.546
Desmond Wong: So like, if you go into the different homes of the cats that live in our world, you get to see this like in their houses and things like that, right?

00:17:47.546 --> 00:17:50.266
Desmond Wong: But they're really there for more like decorative purposes.

00:17:50.266 --> 00:17:50.486
Desmond Wong: Yeah.

00:17:50.486 --> 00:17:59.286
Desmond Wong: So there's lots of all these cool little details that we put in our world, you know, to kind of like link it back to the source material and things like that.

00:17:59.286 --> 00:17:59.606
Michelle Fern: Okay.

00:17:59.606 --> 00:18:01.206
Michelle Fern: So bring more reality.

00:18:01.206 --> 00:18:04.426
Michelle Fern: Do you think people playing the game?

00:18:04.426 --> 00:18:09.806
Michelle Fern: Now, this is a stretch, I know, but you've had three Cat Quests.

00:18:09.806 --> 00:18:15.326
Michelle Fern: Do you think this has persuaded some people to consider adopting cats?

00:18:15.326 --> 00:18:18.926
Desmond Wong: Oh, I, well, okay, that's a really good question.

00:18:18.926 --> 00:18:25.426
Desmond Wong: I don't know, but what we have seen is, so we get messages from our fans all the time, right?

00:18:25.426 --> 00:18:30.906
Desmond Wong: So we've been getting messages of like people telling us like, oh, you know, they actually don't like cats, right?

00:18:30.906 --> 00:18:33.726
Desmond Wong: Or they prefer other animals like dogs and stuff, right?

00:18:34.126 --> 00:18:40.426
Desmond Wong: But after playing the Cat Quest games, they're starting to get a little bit more open to cats in a sense.

00:18:40.426 --> 00:18:47.186
Desmond Wong: So I'm not sure like if we've convinced people to, you know, bring in cats into their households and things like that.

00:18:47.186 --> 00:18:50.706
Desmond Wong: But I think we're getting people to appreciate them a little bit more.

00:18:50.706 --> 00:18:52.726
Desmond Wong: Yeah, that's what I think.

00:18:52.766 --> 00:18:53.606
Michelle Fern: Hey, why not?

00:18:53.606 --> 00:18:58.626
Michelle Fern: I mean, the more that get adopted and rescued and all of that, the better.

00:18:58.626 --> 00:19:00.206
Michelle Fern: Here's another question.

00:19:00.206 --> 00:19:08.386
Michelle Fern: You said that people know it's called Cat Quest, but there's people that are, you know, they're gamers, they're interested in games, whether they're cat people or not.

00:19:08.386 --> 00:19:12.206
Michelle Fern: So you have cat people, you have gaming people, yeah, then you have people that do both.

00:19:12.206 --> 00:19:19.546
Michelle Fern: So do you think that by, like I said, you have gaming people, you have cat people, there's some overlap.

00:19:19.546 --> 00:19:30.146
Michelle Fern: Do you think with all of the different quarks that you show with cats, because you have so many and you go through so many, there's a lot of thorough details, so which makes it exciting.

00:19:30.146 --> 00:19:33.186
Michelle Fern: Do you think it helps people to understand cats better?

00:19:33.346 --> 00:19:39.586
Michelle Fern: Because you said you did get good e-mail from people, because originally I was a dog person, I had to learn about cats.

00:19:39.686 --> 00:19:43.906
Michelle Fern: Oh, there's this concept out there that cats are not small dogs.

00:19:43.906 --> 00:19:45.066
Michelle Fern: They are not.

00:19:45.066 --> 00:19:49.266
Michelle Fern: It's like cat life, it's on their terms.

00:19:49.266 --> 00:19:54.466
Michelle Fern: So do you think that you did a good job of showing that in the game?

00:19:54.466 --> 00:20:00.226
Michelle Fern: And how does that transcend into messages and communication you've received from fans?

00:20:00.226 --> 00:20:01.886
Desmond Wong: Oh, wow, it's a great question.

00:20:02.026 --> 00:20:04.726
Desmond Wong: So I think as much as we try, right?

00:20:04.726 --> 00:20:15.766
Desmond Wong: So when we're designing the game, we try to pull as much as we can from what we know about cats and also from what we've researched and based on our own personal experience with them, right?

00:20:15.766 --> 00:20:21.046
Desmond Wong: So we pull from all of those and we incorporate them in the game itself.

00:20:21.046 --> 00:20:23.086
Desmond Wong: First and foremost, we're designing a game, right?

00:20:23.086 --> 00:20:25.826
Desmond Wong: So the game mechanics have to come first, right?

00:20:25.826 --> 00:20:38.506
Desmond Wong: And how cats inform those game mechanics really helps as to whether all these come together to inform people better on what cats like and things like that.

00:20:38.506 --> 00:20:42.806
Desmond Wong: I think they do on kind of like on two language, right?

00:20:42.806 --> 00:20:51.486
Desmond Wong: So it kind of does it on a superficial level where we do like give nods towards like the pop cultural stuff of cats, right?

00:20:51.486 --> 00:20:57.826
Desmond Wong: Like how we grew up or like how we grow up knowing like pets like to drink milk, right?

00:20:57.826 --> 00:21:05.846
Desmond Wong: But, you know, a lot of us don't know that cats are lactose intolerant in the sense of like milk is they like milk is actually not great for them.

00:21:05.846 --> 00:21:08.746
Desmond Wong: So we kind of do acknowledge that in our games.

00:21:08.746 --> 00:21:11.966
Desmond Wong: So we hope when people play like cat quest, right?

00:21:11.966 --> 00:21:14.306
Desmond Wong: Like they'll be like, Oh yeah, I know this about cats.

00:21:14.306 --> 00:21:16.386
Desmond Wong: Oh, but I didn't know that about pets, right?

00:21:16.386 --> 00:21:20.786
Desmond Wong: So it's a really tight balance of being, we have to be fun, right?

00:21:20.786 --> 00:21:28.926
Desmond Wong: But we also want to kind of hope from all those things and let people know that, hey, you know, there's these things about cats that you might not know as well.

00:21:29.386 --> 00:21:30.646
Desmond Wong: And we hope we've done that.

00:21:30.646 --> 00:21:39.286
Desmond Wong: So we have kind of like a cat specialist and our team who is constantly vetting our stuff and making sure we're on point and things like that.

00:21:39.286 --> 00:21:43.166
Desmond Wong: So information-wise, we do think we're pretty good at that.

00:21:43.166 --> 00:21:46.846
Desmond Wong: We hope, obviously, we hope people learn a thing or two when playing Cat Quest.

00:21:46.846 --> 00:21:50.966
Michelle Fern: That sounds like a fun job title, Cat Specialist.

00:21:50.966 --> 00:21:53.626
Desmond Wong: It's a secondary role.

00:21:53.626 --> 00:21:59.766
Michelle Fern: Well, I'm glad you bring the reality in because it's a good way to educate people in a subtle way.

00:21:59.766 --> 00:22:00.286
Desmond Wong: Exactly.

00:22:00.286 --> 00:22:02.866
Michelle Fern: What's the next Cat Quest going to be?

00:22:02.866 --> 00:22:03.306
Desmond Wong: Wow.

00:22:03.306 --> 00:22:03.566
Desmond Wong: Okay.

00:22:03.566 --> 00:22:05.086
Desmond Wong: So that's something I can't talk about.

00:22:05.106 --> 00:22:06.906
Michelle Fern: I know you can, but...

00:22:06.906 --> 00:22:09.866
Desmond Wong: When we first started designing Cat Quest, right?

00:22:09.866 --> 00:22:13.386
Desmond Wong: We actually had like a roadmap already planned out, right?

00:22:13.386 --> 00:22:17.186
Desmond Wong: We want to make nine Cat Quest games because cats have nine lives, right?

00:22:17.186 --> 00:22:18.406
Desmond Wong: As we all know, right?

00:22:18.406 --> 00:22:22.606
Desmond Wong: So every game in the series, we already have an idea, right?

00:22:22.606 --> 00:22:25.966
Desmond Wong: Like the first one was meant to introduce cats, right?

00:22:26.066 --> 00:22:28.426
Desmond Wong: Like this world of cats that we are trying to create.

00:22:28.426 --> 00:22:34.026
Desmond Wong: The second one was introducing the dog kingdom and how the cats and dogs have this relationship with each other.

00:22:34.026 --> 00:22:36.726
Desmond Wong: The third one is introducing pirates, right?

00:22:36.726 --> 00:22:37.686
Desmond Wong: Or pirates.

00:22:37.686 --> 00:22:43.366
Desmond Wong: So in that sense, we do have a plan from the first game all the way to the ninth one, right?

00:22:43.366 --> 00:22:46.886
Desmond Wong: So, yeah, we don't want to kind of like spoil the surprise of what's coming next.

00:22:46.886 --> 00:22:48.906
Desmond Wong: So which is why I don't want to talk about it.

00:22:48.906 --> 00:22:49.126
Desmond Wong: Yeah.

00:22:49.126 --> 00:22:49.726
Michelle Fern: Okay.

00:22:50.206 --> 00:22:51.226
Michelle Fern: That makes sense.

00:22:51.226 --> 00:22:52.546
Michelle Fern: We don't want to spoil the surprise.

00:22:52.806 --> 00:22:54.366
Desmond Wong: Yeah, exactly.

00:22:54.506 --> 00:22:55.506
Michelle Fern: Do you have a cat?

00:22:55.506 --> 00:22:56.686
Desmond Wong: I don't have a cat.

00:22:56.686 --> 00:22:58.006
Desmond Wong: And I knew this question will come up.

00:22:59.906 --> 00:23:00.966
Desmond Wong: I don't have a cat.

00:23:00.966 --> 00:23:02.666
Desmond Wong: But as I was saying, right?

00:23:02.666 --> 00:23:02.926
Michelle Fern: Okay.

00:23:02.926 --> 00:23:05.066
Michelle Fern: So if you did have a cat, sorry, I didn't wrap it.

00:23:05.066 --> 00:23:08.326
Michelle Fern: If you did have a cat, is there a certain kind you would like to have?

00:23:08.326 --> 00:23:10.906
Desmond Wong: I would like to have a Persian, the Persian breed cat.

00:23:10.906 --> 00:23:14.386
Desmond Wong: Yeah, because I find them really cute.

00:23:14.386 --> 00:23:16.546
Desmond Wong: And I just became a dad myself, right?

00:23:17.006 --> 00:23:20.686
Desmond Wong: And then my baby boy kind of has that face.

00:23:21.326 --> 00:23:22.466
Desmond Wong: So it's like perfect.

00:23:22.466 --> 00:23:22.946
Desmond Wong: Yes.

00:23:22.946 --> 00:23:31.286
Michelle Fern: See, I've always wanted a Sphinx, but being hairless and I have a Deva cat that does not like any other ones and that's Molly.

00:23:31.286 --> 00:23:37.286
Michelle Fern: So one of the listeners, and I did a show on this, she wanted to give me a Sphinx cat.

00:23:37.306 --> 00:23:40.186
Michelle Fern: Oh, it would be a plane fly away.

00:23:40.186 --> 00:23:42.506
Michelle Fern: I'm based in the US and I'm in the South.

00:23:42.506 --> 00:23:49.586
Michelle Fern: She was based in the North, but I didn't think it would be fair to the Sphinx cat because I have three regular ones.

00:23:49.586 --> 00:23:56.866
Michelle Fern: Dennis is part of Maine Coon, Molly's a tux and Charlotte's just a confused cat, but she's a cat mix.

00:23:58.166 --> 00:24:04.446
Michelle Fern: But I would be worried because it's easy for their skin to get cut.

00:24:04.446 --> 00:24:04.886
Michelle Fern: Yeah.

00:24:04.886 --> 00:24:07.386
Michelle Fern: So I thought, I can't be selfish.

00:24:07.386 --> 00:24:12.086
Michelle Fern: I can't bring a Sphinx cat into a home where there's three others and one.

00:24:12.126 --> 00:24:12.926
Michelle Fern: Yeah.

00:24:12.926 --> 00:24:14.026
Michelle Fern: Dennis could care less.

00:24:14.026 --> 00:24:15.846
Michelle Fern: He's a Maine Coon.

00:24:15.846 --> 00:24:16.946
Michelle Fern: He's like an old dude.

00:24:16.946 --> 00:24:19.206
Michelle Fern: He doesn't care.

00:24:19.206 --> 00:24:20.426
Michelle Fern: It's just Molly wants.

00:24:20.426 --> 00:24:21.706
Michelle Fern: She's territorial.

00:24:21.706 --> 00:24:22.426
Desmond Wong: Oh man.

00:24:22.426 --> 00:24:23.286
Desmond Wong: Yeah.

00:24:23.286 --> 00:24:27.406
Desmond Wong: Does it sound safe for all of the Sphinx at all?

00:24:27.406 --> 00:24:28.486
Michelle Fern: Some people think they're ugly.

00:24:28.486 --> 00:24:30.406
Michelle Fern: I think they're adorable.

00:24:30.406 --> 00:24:35.406
Michelle Fern: Desmond, this has been so much fun and I've learned a lot about Cat Quest 3.

00:24:35.406 --> 00:24:37.106
Michelle Fern: Where can our listeners buy it?

00:24:37.106 --> 00:24:37.426
Desmond Wong: Right.

00:24:37.426 --> 00:24:44.066
Desmond Wong: So Cat Quest 3 is going to launch on August 8th, which is International Cat Day on Steam, which is on PC.

00:24:44.066 --> 00:24:45.646
Desmond Wong: It's going to launch on Nintendo Switch.

00:24:45.646 --> 00:24:51.706
Desmond Wong: It's going to launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Series S.

00:24:51.706 --> 00:24:54.226
Desmond Wong: And yeah, that's on consoles and PCs.

00:24:54.226 --> 00:24:56.866
Desmond Wong: Yeah, this is coming out on almost everything.

00:24:56.866 --> 00:24:58.066
Desmond Wong: Yeah, on August 8th.

00:24:58.066 --> 00:25:01.486
Michelle Fern: Okay, you guys, August 8th, Cat Quest 3.

00:25:01.486 --> 00:25:01.906
Michelle Fern: All right.

00:25:01.986 --> 00:25:04.786
Michelle Fern: Thank you so much for coming on Cattitude.

00:25:04.786 --> 00:25:05.226
Desmond Wong: Thank you.

00:25:05.226 --> 00:25:06.506
Desmond Wong: It was so much fun.

00:25:06.506 --> 00:25:07.186
Michelle Fern: Thanks.

00:25:07.186 --> 00:25:08.766
Michelle Fern: I hope everyone enjoyed this show.

00:25:09.426 --> 00:25:13.246
Michelle Fern: Kind of different from usual Cattitude shows, but so much fun.

00:25:13.246 --> 00:25:20.026
Michelle Fern: I want to thank Desmond Wong for coming on Cattitude and sharing all this great information about Cat Quest 3.

00:25:20.026 --> 00:25:22.666
Michelle Fern: Thanks to everybody that listens to Cattitude.

00:25:22.666 --> 00:25:25.566
Michelle Fern: I appreciate you listening so much.

00:25:25.566 --> 00:25:26.286
Michelle Fern: So thank you.

00:25:26.286 --> 00:25:27.226
Michelle Fern: Thank you.

00:25:27.226 --> 00:25:38.746
Michelle Fern: Any suggestions for topics that there's some that we haven't covered in a while or things that are new that you want to hear about, just send me a message, michelle at petliferadio.com.

00:25:38.746 --> 00:25:40.526
Michelle Fern: One L or two L works.

00:25:40.526 --> 00:25:43.746
Michelle Fern: So it's michelle at petliferadio.com.

00:25:43.746 --> 00:25:50.826
Michelle Fern: Of course, thanks to my cat crew, Molly, Charlotte and Dennis for helping me love all things cat.

00:25:50.826 --> 00:25:58.026
Michelle Fern: A huge thank you to my producer Mark Winter for working his magic and making me and my guests sound amazing.

00:25:58.026 --> 00:26:01.306
Michelle Fern: So remember, lose the attitude, have catitude.

00:26:02.326 --> 00:26:08.266
<v SPEAKER_2>Let's talk pets every week on demand only on petliferadio.com.