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Quest for Glory - Review

Perhaps the Greatest PC RPG Ever

By: Robust Stu


Review Breakdown
   Battle System 8
   Interface 7
   Music/Sound 10
   Originality 4
   Plot 7
   Replay Value 5
   Visuals 10
   Difficulty Easy
   Time to Complete

5-8 hours

 
Overall
8
Criteria

Quest for Glory
 

   This is the third in the spectacular series known as Quest For Glory. For those of you too young to remember, the Quest For Glory series was an early 90s PC RPG series by a renowned (at the time) company called Sierra. This, the third game in the series, follows the exploits of the adventurer (named by you) as he ventures to the African-themed land of Tarna. The adventurer, at your choosing, can be either a Fighter, Magic User, or Thief (or, if you import your character from an earlier game in the series, a Paladin). In Tarna, he must help his friend Rakeesh the Liontaur prevent a war between the Simbani and Leopardman tribes to the east. His adventure brings him new friends and enemies, and takes him to darker places than he ever could have imagined.

   The real time battle system is similar to earlier games in the series, as you can slash, dodge, parry, or (if you're a Magic User) cast spells. The only problem, which is also found in earlier games in the series, is that you really don't need to dodge or parry, as you can attack fast enough that your opponents don't get a chance to attack you. Rather than immediately being awarded money after a victory, you have to search your opponent. But if you forget to search him before you leave, you lose your chance.

   The interface is about as simple as you can get, everything is icon-driven. You have icons for walking, examining, manipulating, talking, and using whatever item you have selected (if any). The capacity of your inventory is basically unlimited, but your max weight is. Basically, the amount you can carry depends entirely on your strength. If you exceed your limit, you move slower and your fighting ability is hindered. However, there are chests in Tarna and the Simbani Village where you can store items that are not immediately necessary. Skills are raised in a similar way to the Saga series, the more you use a skill, the more powerful it gets. Health, Magic, and Stamina can be restored by the usual overnight rest, but can also be minimally restored by resting for a short time, such as 10, 30 or 60 minutes. One unique feature of this game is that you can camp out on the world map at night, a la Breath of Fire 3. However, the danger in doing this is that you can be attacked by a monster while you sleep, and be forced to fight. Side quests in this game are essentially nonexistent, it's a fairly linear game for all the classes.


This calm scene holds more than meets the eye
This calm scene holds more than meets the eye  

   The music in this game is some of the best I've heard in any game ever. From the frantic tension of the battle music, to the African-sounding tunes of the savanna and the Jungle, the music is spectacular. All the sound effects were very realistic, every sword slash, thrown rock, and cast spell sounded as you would expect them to.

   The visuals were very pretty. All the backgrounds were so detailed, you could almost swear that they were photographs of real locations. When you were in the jungle, it REALLY looked like you were in a jungle. All the characters were very detailed also, and moved very fluidly. For how powerful computers were at the time this game was made, the graphics of this game were VERY impressive.

   As good as this game was, it wasn't particularly original. The real-time battles in this style of game (as far as I know) originated in the earlier games of the series, and pretty much everything else was a staple of previous Ultima and Might and Magic games.

   The plot was very deep. For such a short game, you really got attached to the characters and got into the story. The story was full of twists, turns, and inside jokes that only diehard fans of the series would get. Most of the story wasn't very predictable, which got you very interested through the whole game.


The Simbani Village is a friendly place
The Simbani Village is a friendly place  

   The replay value is low. Although there are three different classes you can pick your character to be, each of which have some events unique to them, there really isn't that much different between them to get you excited about replaying the game over and over.

Another low point of this great game is that it doesn't take that long to complete. All skills can be built up very quickly, so you're really looking at only a 5 to 8 hour game here. Part of this is because the battles are so easy.

Even though it has its faults (as almost every game does), this is perhaps one of the best PC RPGs of all time (certainly the best in the series). For a game of such short duration, it is extremely fun to play, and I definitely recommend it to anybody who can get their hands on it.







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