Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest Review
Even Kittypets Get the Zoomies
After more than two decades living outside the US, I’ve gotten used to not knowing much of anything current in books, at any level. I’d certainly never heard of the young-adult series upon which my latest reviewed game, Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest, is based, and perhaps that is a good thing. It means that I started this title with no expectations for what content could, would, or should be included from the books, nor any standards to be missed or exceeded. As my initial reaction to seeing this game was “Yay! Kitty cats!”, I can safely say that I am in a target demographic for this game, if not the demographic the marketing department might have intended. Regardless, it has been an entirely enjoyable romp.
In terms of the story, the developers appear to have gone with making a game set within the world of the books while not actually using definite events from them. The wooded parkland around the lake is home to four clans of fine felines, each with their own established colony and quite mindful of borders and boundaries. The player chooses which clan to be in at the start of a story, taking the role of a juvenile kitty growing into their place within the clan. In the main story sequence, known as Prophecy Mode, this kitty will venture forth, serve the needs of the clan, make friends or enemies, and become first deputy and then possibly leader in a culmination of that clan’s prophecy.
For example, one might begin as Badgerpaw of RiverClan, which has suffered recently from issues with the water table. After several missions of hunting small woodland creatures, gathering vital herbs, and either making deals or dealing with various rogue felines passing through, he is promoted to deputy as Badgerpool. By the end of the tale, he receives his nine lives from the spirits of StarClan and goes on to lead RiverClan in a new and better direction as the leader Badgerstar. The game implies that on a second playthrough things might not go the same way, depending on choices and alliances made. As well, all names and most feline appearances are randomized.
Wet kitty, wild kitty, sneaking through the brush.
Playing as other clans involves different prophecies, different situations, and different outcomes, but largely the same gameplay loop and quest lines. The biggest differences lie in the terrain, as the cats of each clan live in their own quadrant of the map with its own peculiarities, and in the story of the clan colony as it unfolds between missions. None of the stories are particularly long, and the intent is definitely for multiple replays. The game’s narrative is not ‘epic’ in the sense of being grandiose and of world-shaking importance, but rather the smaller, classical sort of ‘epic’, wherein the resolve of the hero and their nation is tested.
But then comes the important part: zoomies. The area around the lake is a kittenish playland, with trails to run, trees to climb, boulders to hop, or the rare and treasured sunny spots to nap in for a permanent stamina boost. Side quests appear regularly between main missions, giving an excuse to explore, and if the player is ever unsure where to go, it’s possible to query the StarClan, the spirits of the ancestors, to provide temporary guidance to the next plot target, or else ask the colony’s tracker cat where to find specific side quest items. While there are limitations to movement, such as areas that are obviously blocked off or an inability to traverse underbrush, there is still plenty of space to run around and explore. It’s too rough to be a paradise, but this section of abandoned, apparently British countryside has everything a kitty could ask for.
(As a minor aside, the only bug I encountered during play involved trying to drop from a branch while an obstacle got in the way. It was resolved by a quick reset, and I only mention it because of the delicious irony that my only complaint involves my purrsona getting himself stuck in a tree.)
Good kitty, bad kitty, smack ’em in a rush.
Unfortunately, it also has plenty of other critters who aren’t as happy to share space. Major threats include sinister snakes, ferocious foxes, bumbly British badgers, or Doberman doggies, all of which hit hard if they catch a cat—not to mention felines of rival clans or rogue gangs. The prey species can be a handful as well, as various birds, rodents, and rabbits do not wish to be hunted for tasty meat. The fresh-kill pile in the clan colony needs to be replenished regularly, however, so a kitty needs to sneak, stalk, and pounce from the shadows to catch their targets unawares.
Combat is a simple but effective turn-based setup, with a clearly displayed action order to take into account. All combat skills have stamina costs, and if a party member runs low, they have to rest a turn to replenish some of it. As well, each attack has a stance associated with it, and the first three stances form a basic circle of strengths and weaknesses. Attack stance is the most direct for damage dealing, but is blunted by defensive stance (whether from a cautious attack skill or from resting). Trick stance gets around a strong defense, but is overwhelmed by attack stance. Beyond this trio, there’s also sneaky stance, which deals critical damage but with a lower success rate, and reckless stance, which is strong but leaves a kitty open for extra damage in return. It’s a simple and accessible system for the game’s likely intended audience, but also provides enough depth to be interesting. The late-game critter encounters bring the difficulty up without being impossible, and there are several secret bosses to locate, if one feels like a challenge.
New abilities are unlocked by completing side quests or furthering relationships with characters in the narrative, and can be trained in the colony. While some skills are available to all groups, others are clan-specific, and a few rare ones are bequeathed through the benevolent guidance of the StarClan ancestors. There is a decent amount of variety in battle skills, and while the main game isn’t too difficult, there is a Defender Mode wherein the player chooses a champion to take on an unending series of opponents, as well as an online battle function to challenge friends. The latter was not available for this review, being prior to the game’s actual release, but an in-game version exists for practice with members of the same clan.
New kitty, stylish kitty, painted with a brush.
The graphics are not photorealistic, but neither are they too cartoony. There is a bundled DLC package available that includes cell shading as one of its various perks, but that’s a matter of preference, as the biggest differences appear to be that the colors blend a little more and that ruffled fur doesn’t have an outline. The kitty creator for the player’s purrsona has a decent variety of values to adjust, with body type, tail length, ear shape, belly pouch floof, muzzle length, fur pattern, and heterochromia all open for personalization at the start. Within the game itself, there are accessories to win or barter, as well as plot events that will leave a mark before they’re over and done with. The feline body models move realistically and with poses familiar to any pet owner, from sneaky butt-wiggles to after-battle yawns and ear skritches.
The area around the lake provides a pleasant backdrop to things. Quiet forests, abandoned campsites, fallow farmland, and rocky moors are well-rendered and perfect for zoomies. The setting helps make the game by standing behind it all. Likewise, the background music is largely understated, allowing the meows, mwrrs, and mmmmmrrowwwls of feline interaction to float past the ears. The only voice acting is provided by Richard Wells as the Narrator, who speaks for the major life events of the story as though reading from a storybook.
To wind this review down, I finally look at the Warrior Cats series details and see that it has fifty-two extant volumes and counting!? Seeing the list of titles and the basic synopses, the direction of this game makes even more sense, as it appears to take the status quo from the end of the tenth book of the series, Starlight, and makes of it an open setting for fans to enjoy their own personal adventure. In doing so, it provides most of what fans of the series would want and expect of it, while keeping things reasonably accessible to players such as myself, who are in it for the kitty-cats. There are elements that could have been done better, but for the larger part it’s been satisfying ear skritches and wonderful belly rubs for all.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.
Be a kitty-cat, get the zoomies
Simple and accessible combat system
Effective use of open setting from books
Works on Steam Deck
Could have done more with plot and setting
Got stuck in a tree
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