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May. 8th, 2009 01:06 pmIs it wrong to really really be into Guadia Quest? As part of the Retro Game Challenge collection, I was expecting a super-short mock-RPG with almost no depth--basically something that was only there enough to say "hey, you remember NES RPGs, right?" as a quick reference, and move on. But no, Guadia Quest is incredible.
Sure, the four basic challenges can be beaten relatively quickly--no more slowly than with some of the other games, at least--and there's a cheat to see the end credits (which actually counts as clearing the game for the final challenge) if you really hate RPGs that much and can't stand to play it any more than you absolutely have to. However, as an RPG fan, I am very much surprised by how much it has to offer if you actually go beyond what you're required to do and really get into it. It may even be able to stand alone on its own merits as a legitimate RPG. At the very, very least, it's several orders of magnitude more advanced than the original Dragon Warrior, which was certainly considered a real game at the time, even if nowadays it's been ported to cell phones and there are five-minute tool-assisted speedruns on YouTube. I'd say Guadia Quest is just short of Dragon Warrior III or IV in terms of complexity, which certainly puts it in "real game" territory for me, even if some of the dialogue and references a little silly from being aware of its own status as part of Retro Game Challenge. (Aclaf!) The symbol system for weapons is actually a really inventive way to handle the randomness of critical hits/missing/etc. and makes for some surprisingly tough strategic decisions on whether to upgrade equipment to something that might have better stats but not as good a symbol spread, or something. Plot-wise, it's certainly not Xenogears or anything, but the fact that it least has a twist here and there means that it's, again, at least several times more complicated than the original Dragon Warrior. All in all, it's a good game for RPG fans, certainly.
Also, I did mention that Haggle Man 3 is a Metroidvania, right? They certainly saved the best for last in this collection.
Sure, the four basic challenges can be beaten relatively quickly--no more slowly than with some of the other games, at least--and there's a cheat to see the end credits (which actually counts as clearing the game for the final challenge) if you really hate RPGs that much and can't stand to play it any more than you absolutely have to. However, as an RPG fan, I am very much surprised by how much it has to offer if you actually go beyond what you're required to do and really get into it. It may even be able to stand alone on its own merits as a legitimate RPG. At the very, very least, it's several orders of magnitude more advanced than the original Dragon Warrior, which was certainly considered a real game at the time, even if nowadays it's been ported to cell phones and there are five-minute tool-assisted speedruns on YouTube. I'd say Guadia Quest is just short of Dragon Warrior III or IV in terms of complexity, which certainly puts it in "real game" territory for me, even if some of the dialogue and references a little silly from being aware of its own status as part of Retro Game Challenge. (Aclaf!) The symbol system for weapons is actually a really inventive way to handle the randomness of critical hits/missing/etc. and makes for some surprisingly tough strategic decisions on whether to upgrade equipment to something that might have better stats but not as good a symbol spread, or something. Plot-wise, it's certainly not Xenogears or anything, but the fact that it least has a twist here and there means that it's, again, at least several times more complicated than the original Dragon Warrior. All in all, it's a good game for RPG fans, certainly.
Also, I did mention that Haggle Man 3 is a Metroidvania, right? They certainly saved the best for last in this collection.