So what does the Year in Review entail exactly? It's intended to be a shift away from the Superlatives of the past - a celebration of the community, rather than a contest. This will cover everything and anything PureZC staff recognised as important to the community in 2024 - quests, contests, the fact that 2.55 got released, and more!
With that out of the way, let's dive in to:
~~ THE PUREZC YEAR IN REVIEW 2024 ~~
"You didn't tell me how much you're paying me for making me type this up." - Russ on the PureZC Year in Review 2024
The moments of 2024
February marked the final release of ZC 2.55, which was the culmination of three years of work under the current developer team. This final version of 2.55 saw:
- a significant amount of new quest mechanics, combos and items added,
- quests being able to be exported as standalone executable files,
- a brand new subscreen editor,
- a quest test mode,
- an overhauled GUI with compact and expanded modes,
- and many, many more features!
All of the changes made in 2.55 compared to 2.50/2.53 can be reviewed here. At the time of writing, ZC 3.0 has taken a quantum leap forward with Z3 scrolling finally being implemented - maybe we'll be talking about Z3-style quests in Year in Review 2025?
The release of 2.55 also saw the 2.55 quest contest take place, of which the victor would be included with future versions of ZC. Out of the three entrants, Joaish won with "The Deep" - but more on that later!
The annual PureZC Expo took place in Fall - specifically, September! Fifteen different projects were unveiled, ranging from demos, progress reports, to a full palette conversion for EZGBZ!
"They said it couldn’t be done. They said we shouldn’t do it. And yet, against all odds, PureZC once again embraced the chaos." - David on the return of Derisory Substance
To close the year off, the infamous Derisory Substance reared its head once more as "Derisory Substance III". A forum dedicated to nonsense and tomfoolery, it was essentially shitposting before social media became the place for that. The second edition of Derisory Substance was closed down in 2008; Derisory Substance III was the first time a genuine spam subforum had been revived since. The board lasted for a month, complete with a custom skin made specifically for its return.
Derisory Substance III may be gone again, but it lives on in our hearts. Until DSIV comes along, that is.
~ The quests of 2024 ~
Quests! It's what we're here for. We play them, we make them, we rate them. Eighteen quests were submitted to the PureZC database in 2024; some long term projects, some made in eight weeks, some made for contests and some made for the fact we're a hobbyist community that makes Zelda-likes for the fun of it.
Of particular mention is The Deep by Joaish (RedTribeLink), a Metroidvania which pushes the 2.55 engine to its limits - without scripting! This quest was the winner of the 2.55 quest contest that was run by the developers, and will be included with all 2.55 releases of ZQuest Classic.
We now cross to our PureZC correspondents - I mean, staff - for what they thought were the best quests of 2024.
The Deep by Joaish (RedTribeLink)
"The perfect metroidvania to showcase all the new features 2.55 has to offer, this quest was really fun and inventive with creative puzzles and several interconnected regions." - Joelmacool
"A wonderfully designed, UC-inspired Metroidvania that shows just how much ZC can pull off without scripts these days." - Russ
Nostalrul Plus by Haylee
"If Nostalrul was an A, then this is an A+! It's more than just a remake, give it a go!" - Shane
Novel Ruins Gaiden: The Selene Mountain by Kifstopher
"Charming, puzzling, and very, very furry." - Deedee
"I'm over the moon for this one." - Mani Kanina
"Explore secrets, move on from the past, and most importantly beat up Nazi punks." - Deedee again
Saint James Place by Joelmacool
"Enough talk. Talk is cheap." - Rambly
Enigma of Basilischi Island by Rambly and Taco Chopper
"Collect treasure! Talk to kooky characters! Become the epynomous basilcheese!" - Deedee
"I refuse to talk about this quest. It doesn't exist. I've never heard of it. It sounds like the worst Firebird quest of all time and it definitely sounds like the least successful alsoLIONSoft contest quest as well." - Taco Chopper
"Huh?" - Rambly
Hyrule Fantasy Gaiden: Spell of Mudora by runa
"Echoes of Wisdom and Spell of Mudora? 2024 was an awesome year to be a Princess Zelda fan!" - Shane
~ Other notable database entries of 2024 ~
Countless scripts, tilesets and loose tiles made their way to the database in 2024. Of particular note is Cambria 2.55 by Ambient Silence, which has become one of the default tilesets for ZQuest Classic. What began as a simple rework of the original Z1 tileset has become so much more.
Once more, I reached out to PureZC staff to gather their critical opinions on the best of the rest of 2024:
Cambria 2.55 by Ambient Silence
"C'mon ya'll, not a soul in this community doesn't know what Cambria is." - Russ
"Simply the best Classic-based tileset out there, and the default pick for any newcomer looking to make their first quest." - Joelmacool
"Special shoutout to Shane, Jenny, and P-Tux7 for carrying this to the finish line." - Matthew
2.55 Oracle Minecarts by Moosh
"Finally. A classic Moosh script that's been updated for the modern ZQuest Classic user, for the modern gamers." - Taco Chopper
Juventia by anarkhya (Items & HUD | Unused Items | Bestiary (Overworld))
"it is: Juventia.
i see: A criminally underlooked, novel and cool spin on the Zelda 1 sprite set" - Rambly
EZGBZ 2.5 w/ LCD Palettes by Moonlight
"EZGBZ without the cost of hurting your eyes? Sign me up!" - Shane
"It's like how you perceived the Gameboy Zeldas as a kid." - Matthew
GBC Minish Collection by Iustinus Tempus
"The right size to fit into any GB tileset!" - Mani Kanina
Big Sword by Moosh
"I'm genuinely excited to be able to RP as Cloud in ZC after all these years. This is the greatest script of all time." - Taco Chopper
~ The community events of 2024... ~
Screenshot of the Week returned in 2024 on a fortnightly schedule; a total of twenty one contests were run in 2024. Screenshot of the Year 2024 concluded this week, with Matthew claiming bragging rights with this shot:
This year, Screenshot of the Week has returned to a weekly format. With three contests either finished or running, who do you think is an early frontrunner for Screenshot of the Year 2025?
Quest Club continued throughout 2024, with a change of leadership from Ether to Russ. Eighteen quests found themselves to be picked, played and reviewed in retrospect - vintage classics like Lost Isle and Mario's Nintendo Crisis, as well as more modern highpoints such as Canaria, the Upwind March and The Glory Squad.
~ ...and an in memoriam section to the retired community events too ~
Of course, acknowledgement of the retired events of 2024 - Map of the Month, Screen Rebirth and Enemy of the Month - as well as the quality content these contests did provide during their runs.
Here's a handful of winners from Map of the Month in 2024 - Twilight Knight, Phosphor, and Rambly!
And naturally, what's not to like about custom enemies such as the sideview themed entries from Moosh and Lejes?
And finally, a shout out to Demonlink and Kifstopher - the wild and wacky winners of the contest that was Screen Rebirth 9:
Inside of you are two PureZC-branded wolves. One wolf makes GameBoy renaissance screenshots. The other wolf is just waiting for the right moment to shitpost.
Final thoughts on the year that was 2024
"2024 gave us a lot. Great quests, new tilesets, and a brief return to absolute chaos. What will 2025 bring? Hopefully, more of the same (minus the chaos .......... maybe)." - David
"Guys you should play Project Moon when the database release comes out it's a cool quest I worked on please like and subscribe" - Deedee
This concludes the PureZC Year in Review 2024. What did you think of last year? Was there anything you think we missed?
Special thanks to all of the PureZC staff who contributed witty one-liner quotes for this, and to the community for their contributions over 2024! May 2025 be as exciting and productive for the ZQuest Classic community, if not moreso!
