Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest released to all gaming platforms (Xbox, Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation) on Friday, October 23rd. This action-adventure roleplaying game takes place in the Lake Territories of the Warriors books, including ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan.
I’ve been excited to jump into this game since the announcement back in July. While little details were revealed then, which I talked about in my article “Warrior Cats Video Game!”, more gameplay was shown to fans as the months went on.
To be clear, I’m not even close to finishing the game. I want to play through each Clan’s storyline and have only just finished with ThunderClan. The below thoughts are my first impressions. I’ve been playing on a Xbox Series X, so my perspective is through that device’s lens.
Mild spoilers for the game are below.
Before I get into the juicier bits of this review, I want to summarize and give my opinion on some of the game mechanics.
Prophecy Mode
Each Clan has their own separate prophecy, allowing for a slightly different experience when playing different characters in all four. When choosing a Clan, a brief description is given of each prophecy. I was worried that each Clan would have the exact same story line, so this was a relief to discover. As far as ThunderClan’s prophecy goes, I enjoyed it!
Character Slots
The game allows for nine custom characters. Re-playability might not be as fun once you finish each Clan’s story, but at least this allows players to make more characters without deleting others.
Stamina Bar
A stamina bar is classic for video games, and I wasn’t surprised to find it here. I like the mechanic that finding sun spots grows a cat’s stamina. Since they are like perches, they’re not difficult to find.
Experience Points
Another traditional mechanic is experience points and levels. Clans of the Forest is no exception. Leveling up is straightforward and appropriately time-consuming. My type of playthrough usually means leveling up a lot so that final battles are easier. I was two levels higher than the final boss in ThunderClan’s story line.
Inventory
You can’t have a game like this without inventory. It is accessible and organized finely. I don’t have much comment otherwise.
Turn-Based Combat
A lot of the game focuses on combat, whether that is to catch prey or defeat enemies (cats, badgers, foxes, dogs, etc.). The best comparison I can think of is Pokémon, since your cat and the opponent take turns attacking with one of four moves. The moves can be changed in the camp, and each Clan has a set of specialized moves to learn. They are unlocked through quests and experience gaining. Each move has a “stance” or typing: offensive, defensive, reckless, trick, or sneaky. The stances have strengths and weaknesses against each other like Pokémon, too. Luckily, in all battles, a little cheat sheet is available at all times.
Main and Side Quests
Main quests progress the story line, while side quests allow players to gain additional experience. The side quests can get redundant, but help with leveling up.
Clan Outpost
Throughout the territories are discoverable spots called “Clan Outpost” that allow fast travel between territories. Given the expanse of the map, this fast travel option has been a life-saver for time. At one point, I specifically went and found all of them so I could play with more ease.
StarClan Sense
While I don’t use this feature often, it’s a cute add-on. With “StarClan Sense,” players are able to see hidden herbs and direct lines to herbs and other interactable objects. I enjoy how they use it to incorporate StarClan. It has come in handy once or twice when I’m too lazy to go through every patch of grass.
For an extra note, I do wish they’d allow players to key-bind differently. I keep finding myself clicking down on the Xbox pad instead of left for the map. It’d be nice to change their configurations, like a “quality of life” type update.
Now I can move on to what everyone is talking about.
Character Customization
Half of my gripes about the game come down to character customization.
I appreciate the ability to customize my character; however, the game has a way of doing it that is unlike any other I’ve played. Instead of getting to pick everything individually, like tail length or eye shape, a “Cat’s Nature” is what determines their appearance. Players pick personality and agility traits that change the shape of their body, tail, ears, eyes, and fur length. The idea is cute but limiting. I would have loved to be able to determine all of those on my own.
Those aren’t the only limits either. Only twenty-three patterns and twenty additional markings are available. While they cover a wide range of cat coat combinations, it would be nice to see more. As far as the eye and coat colors go, they are the most fixed. Instead of a color wheel, only a small portion of set colors can be picked. It doesn’t allow for as much customization. This was technically revealed in screen grabs and trailers, but I was holding out hope that it would have more.
Fans are disappointed to also see that you can’t create your name on your own. Instead, players have some pre-selected prefixes to choose from (and later, pre-selected suffixes). If the game makers were worried about inappropriate names, they could’ve coded in “banned” words. It limits the creativity of players, especially for those that want to recreate their OC.
Gameplay
I would warrant this game is a lot cozier and less adventurous than expected. A lot of the focus is on gathering herbs and battling, both for prey and defeating enemies. As I play, I’m spending a majority of the time exploring the territory and collecting items.
Being able to decorate all of the dens also lends evidence to this being a cozy game. Decorating is often a mechanic in that category. While I don’t care as much for it, I can appreciate the idea. I will say, I did make sure to have all my dens have decorations brewing.
The plot is fast-paced. This is the other half of my complaint. Each character goes from apprentice to warrior to deputy to leader quickly. I wish the game had more in-between, expanding each Clan’s story beyond just completing one task at a time to progress. It feels like it is missing the true life behind the Warrior Cats series. The game features less emotion and more mechanics.
As far as ThunderClan’s prophecy/plot goes, it has enough mystery to keep me interested at least. I’m finding myself suspicious of various Clanmates and wondering what the outcome will be. Of course, there are pieces left unanswered—which only adds to the unfinished feeling of the story line.
Players can improve or destroy relationships with their Clanmates, but it doesn’t affect much besides dialogue. It is disheartening to not be able to choose a mate and have kits.
Overall
At the end of the day, Clans of the Forest is a basic game. It is not revolutionary, nor does it have a very structured story. When compared to other cat games like Stray or Little Kitty, Big City (some of my favorites), I can understand why people are upset. Fans want more.
Yet, I also think the game has been unfairly criticized. Some players and fans are being downright mean about their commentary. The game is still fun, and I’m enjoying playing it a lot. It has nods to the book series, like quotes from ceremonies and beloved character cameos in each camp and territory.
I also don’t think it plays badly. I was skeptical at first about the movement, both too fast and too slow at points, but I adjusted like I do for every new game. They could add sensitivity settings, and the jumping seems a bit outlandish, but that doesn’t ruin the experience for me.
All of the territory spots aren’t how I pictured them, though, again, that doesn’t make the game bad. Everyone has different interpretations of how aspects of the books look, so it didn’t take me aback to find my imagination was different from the game’s final product.
If you’re the type of gamer that has patience and wants to explore without stress (it is easy to avoid enemies), this is the game to do it. Some people are citing difficulty completing tasks; I’ve found that wandering around every nook and cranny of the territories gives me answers. It might not be like you’re experiencing the books, but I think it is a good start.
I’d love to see them add more in future updates or DLCs. Perhaps they’ll expand the story line, add in mates, or include a medicine cat path. Or maybe this is the first of a line of games that improve upon the previous each time. Or this all means nothing at all. The game might get updates but nothing expansive. Fans might never get another Warriors game after this.
To me, it was worth the money. It has enough whimsy in the music and narration, enough cuteness and realism in the cats themselves, and enough of a story for me to follow. The territories are gorgeous and huge with specific distinctions between the four Clans. I took my time exploring the Moonpool and Gathering Island especially. The bright heather of WindClan stuck out to me, too. Visually, the game is pretty.
Little me would’ve lost her mind to see Warriors get a video game. For that, I am so appreciative that Clans of the Forest came out. The intent of the game is to have a good time. I have. I’ll continue to do so.
My current rating for Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest would be seven out of ten (or three and three quarters out of five).
