58 replies to this topic

[Russ]

Table of Contents

• Engage to Zeldawock
• The Journey of Link
• Lost Isle
• Ballad of a Bloodline
• This Might Be Good

Yeah, I'm jumping aboard the review bandwagon. So sue me. Anyways, I don't actually play too many quests, but I feel like reviewing a few, so I figured I might as well. So let's get started.

Engage to Zeldawock
by Pokemonmaster64

Far too many quests these days follow a pattern: Explore overworld, find dungeon, get item, beat boss, get crucial story item, repeat, find final level, beat big bad guy, get the girl, end. So it's always nice to see a quest that breaks that mold, and Engage to Zeldawock certainly is one of those quests. An intro explaining the story might have been nice (for those like me who were too lazy to read the story on the donwload page), but ultimately, it doesn't really suffer from dropping you straight into the gameplay.

Starting off a game with one health and spawning between two octoroks. OH BOY!

The gameplay is a breath of fresh air from the standard ZC formula. Rather than a sword, for example, you get a string of magical shots that drain the constantly-refilling magic meter.

Huzzah, magic!

In addition, some enemies drop crystals that act as EXP points, filling up a meter and boosting either your attack, health, of magic when it fills up. While being able to choose which stat to boost might have been nice, I'm not complaining, it works as it just fine.

Now right from the start, you're given the illusion of being able to tackle any of the three gates, but this is not the case. It becomes fairly evident early on that there is a specific order to things.

Darknuts throwing three swords at you are a sufficient deterrent

So basically what you got here is a three main dungeons + one final dungeon quest, minus the overworld. Simple, but it works. Because in addition to being all around well designed, there are plenty of little gameplay quarks thrown in for your frustration amusement. For example, when only one enemy is left in a room, it goes on a rampage, unleashing new, stronger attacks on you. For example, the final octorok in a room will shoot rocks at you machine gun style in four directions. This leads to a nice bit of curiosity, wondering what each enemy will do if left alone. What happens when I only have a tiny little gel left, for example?

Touhou happens

It was around this time that I discovered that you can click on the screen to aim and fire stronger blasts of magic, that travel from Zelda in a straight line through the target until the hit something.

HADOUKEN

Unfortunately, there's no cursor showing where your mouse is, so it's pretty much a shot in the dark guess as to where you're aiming. In addition, I kept accidentally clicking outside the ZC window, causing me to get swarmed by enemies and die as I scrambled to bring the ZC window up again. As a result, I never really used it, aside from one moment during the final battle. A cursor showing the mouse's position would be a huge, huge improvement here.

And then we have the bosses.

IT'S THE OCTOROK FACTORY

This room honestly wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that this is the room before the boss. This is the boss.

Pictured: The sound of your soul screaming in protest

If you're like me, you'll almost be dead by the time you reach here. But no problem, he's not too hard. And then he explodes.

And I thought the gel was bad...

All the bosses have this horrible habit of exploding into a million fireballs, making sure they kill you as you're celebrating your victory.

Let it be known that nobody insults Poke's ability to flood the screen with death

But really, aside from the death screens and the room preceding the first boss, the bosses are pretty fair and balanced (that could be a news channel's slogan...).

But as I've said before, the dungeons are fairly well designed, both in an overall sense, and on a screen by screen basis.

MAGIC MIRRORS HUZZAH

Really, there are only a few moments where I have to question Poke's judgement. A couple of rooms, especially in the final level, will make you go "Really? Was that really necessary?". In particular, there's one moment during the final boss...

Spoiler

Four wizzrobes, each representing an element. if you get hit by the wind wizzrobe's attack, you get sent to the beginning of the battle. I had almost beaten them (literally, there was only about one hit left on them) when suddenly, whirlwind outta nowhere. Bam, back at the beginning of the fight. Words do not express my frustration.

But on the plus side the final segment of the game went beyond incredibly amazingly fun.

In the story section, there isn't too much until the final boss. But despite being such a later starter, the story's pretty interesting, and the ending will send chills down your spine (well it did for me anyways). Maybe it just caught me off guard since I wasn't actually expecting a proper story and ending, but I was pleasantly surprised.

All in all, Engage to Zeldawock is one of the best quests I can remember playing. Well designed, deviates from the standard gameplay pattern, knows how to go a bit insane without being too crazy (for the most part), and is just overall really fun. So go out and play it, you won't regret it.

EDIT: Since this review was released, Poke has released an updated version, which addresses all of the complaints I had, and, as if that weren't good enough, adds two more endings to the game. Go out and play it, now.

[Moosh]

I feel elated having read this! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I noticed several people have had the cursor disappearing issue which is strange because that doesn't happen on my computer. Of course this quest is although mostly complete, there's still room for fixes and extra content. Three_Pendants gave me some excellent suggestions in the help thread, so in a future update, we might see some secret ending DLC (that sounds REALLY dumb, I know).

Edit:

the ending will send chills down your spine (well it did for me anyways)

Ohohohoho! I have yet to achieve the final tier of epic questmakery, Russ, but when I finally do attain that level of skill, I have a story planned that will (hopefully) bring you to tears like you brought me to tears with LotH DX.

Edit again: Oh man, I can feel that questmaking spirit being rekindled again! Well I'll be off! To Narnia!

Edited by Pokemonmaster64, 30 January 2012 - 02:55 PM.

[Russ]

Ooh, secret ending. Looking forward to that; I do love secret endings.

Russ, but when I finally do attain that level of skill, I have a story planned that will (hopefully) bring you to tears like you brought me to tears with LotH DX.

Can't wait for that. I love sad stories, so hit me with your best shot. Just so long as it doesn't explode into a million fireballs.

Oh man, I can feel that questmaking spirit being rekindled again! Well I'll be off! To Narnia!

They have electricity there?

[tox_von]

There should be a rating at the bottom big like the other review as % or /10 so people can judge quests.

[Russ]

Why? I think it's pretty obvious from the review whether or not I liked it. Why do I need to assign an arbitrary number? "In case you weren't paying attention at all the whole time you read that, here's a magic number for you!" If you read the review, you won't need a number to know if it's worth playing.

[Moosh]

I know in my reviews, I put numbered ratings so people can see what I think of a quest beyond the cynical nature I tend to take on for my reviews. For Russ, I don't feel that's necessary. He knows how to give a balanced reviews whereas I tend to accentuate the negative (Don't mess with Mister In-Between).

[Three Pendants]

I'm curious. Did you finish the game at max level (8-8-8) or were you lower than that? Is it even possible to get to the end boss without being at max level? Hmm...

Edited by Three Pendants, 31 January 2012 - 08:56 AM.

[Russ]

Going off the pictures I have, I was at 7 8 7 when I reached the boss room, but 7 8 8 during the final sequence. Not sure where that level up happened, honestly. But no, I wasn't at max level when I hit the final boss.

[Moosh]

Not sure where that level up happened, honestly.

You probably leveled from the 100 rupees dropped by each section of the boss.

Also I'm planning on fixing the one part that annoyed you with that boss.

Could you give me some examples of other rooms that annoyed you besides the octorok factory and the final boss?

Edited by Pokemonmaster64, 31 January 2012 - 04:15 PM.

[Shane]

There should be a rating at the bottom big like the other review as % or /10 so people can judge quests.

If I knew better, there is a entire review there to judge the quest.

Russ, good review and welcome on the bandwagon.

[Sheik]

I enjoyed your review! Good idea not to put a score in. It lessens potential for drama; good reasoning.

[Russ]

The Journey of Link
by Ventus

Just like the last quest I reviewed, Engage to Zeldawock, The Journey of Link attempts to break the mold a bit. But where EtZ used massive scripting, JoL goes for a more traditional 2D sidescroller feel. Imagine Zelda II running off the engine of Link's Awakening. That's the feel it gives off. You explore a traditional ZC overworld, going into sidescroller segments for towns and dungeons. The overworld's pretty basic and linear, but not really bad. I do have to question Ventus's music choice though.

Yeah, LttP's Dark World music fits this place like a glove.

The towns are handled almost exactly like in Zelda II. But, wheras one small tile representing a town worked in Zelda II's overworld, where a few trees represented an entire forest, in an overworld like Z1's, it just look silly.

OH NOES I STEPPED ON TEH LITTLE PEOPLE'S HOUSES.

The 2D format for the towns works, for the most part. My biggest complaint is that stepping in front of a door makes you automatically enter the house, making you actively jump over houses you don't want to enter.

Now might be a good time to talk about the experience system. You collect EXP in the form of rupees dropped by enemies. These are spent in EXP shops scattered across the game on things like sword upgrades, health upgrades, defense upgrades, and heart rings.

It's a pretty clever idea, actually.

Now let's talk dungeons. They're good, for the most part. Fun sidescroller segments, at just the right difficulty, with just the right amount of scripts thrown in to make things fun.

They're also somewhat reminiscent of Mario

There are, however, a few exceptions. Namely, the spikes. Simply touching spikes makes Link die instantly. No mercy, no hope. Just an instant death of impalement.

Megaman, eat your heart out.

The problem here is you have to jump JUST right to make it. And then you have to blindly jump to the next screen and hope you jumped right. No kidding, I think I died about 20 times here. It's just poor design, that really stands out against an otherwise good quest.

Now let's talk bosses. All of them are scripted, which is a very good thing. Some of them are pretty well implemented, nice and balanced.

Ghoma dropping from the ceiling with a spider web. This is a clever boss idea.

And then some of them... some will flay you alive and use your entrails as desserts. Such as the Aquamentus from Hell.

Nobody is allowed to mention Hydra ever again after this monstrosity.

It shoots streams of fire that home in and murder you. It's impossible to get near it without being burned to a crisp. Honestly, it's pure evil.

Now in general, the quest is pretty bug free, but there are some horrible, horrible exceptions. The most annoying bit for me isn't exactly a bug, but I feel it should be mentioned here. The game allows you to select your A and B weapons. But since it's all sidescroller, roc's feather is going to be equipped the whole time, meaning you're pretty much limited to only one item at a time. But whenever I try to switch, I keep forgetting I have to hit B on the subscreen to equip it, leading to multiple deaths by "I JUST SELECTED THE POTION WHY IS LINK NOT HEALING ARGH".

But the biggest bug? Dying in level 3 causes you to respawn in the first town? Why? I don't know. But after dying on the level 3 boss and reappearing all the way back there, I honestly lost the will to go on and stopped playing.

So in short? It's a fun game, general well designed, although with a few big annoyances. If you can look past them, you're in for a good time. So would I recommend it? Yeah, I suppose so, but know there are a few frustrations. My suggestions to Ventus are pretty simple. Script the L or R button to be a jump button, rather than relying on Roc's Feather. Tone down the Aquamentus. Fix the spike pit. Change the way the doors work in towns. And for the love of all things holy, fix the continue bug in the catacombs.

And that wraps this review up. What will I review next time? Heck if I know.

[Shane]

Very nice review, love it!

[Russ]

Alright, I'm digging this thread up for the purpose of right another review. Get ready, cuz this time, I'm tackling one of the biggies of the site.

Lost Isle
by DarkFlameWolf and Peteo

There are many types of quests made in ZC. We have the Zelda 1 clones. We have the dinky little goofing around quests. There are even a few cool experimental types out there. But every once in a while, somebody steps forward to create something above and beyond that, something truly magnificent. Enter Lost Isle.

From the looks it, this is gonna be a very cheerful quest

Right off the bat, Lost Isle dumps you onto a giant island and says "Have at it." While the quest has an interesting story (which I'll get to later), it's mainly driven by exploration. And it does not disappoint there. When I say the overworld is enormous, I'm not kidding. It must take up at least six maps, possibly more. Six maps, filled with a huge variety of locations.

From field,


to forest,


to wasteland.

There are (I believe) 15 different areas total, each with their own unique feel. And each is filled with secrets to explore. Expansive cave systems, hidden dungeons, secret items, all waiting for the adventurous soul to find.

Of course, the overworld's only half of the equation, so let's move onto the dungeons. As with the overworld, calling them big would be a massive understatement. They are massive. And each one has a unique feel that I haven't seen any other quest, before or since, pull off.

What are you talking about, every quest has floating two-sided gardens levitating above lava flows nowadays.

They truly are works of art. There are five main dungeons you're required to beat to complete the game. But by no means does that mean there are only five dungeons. An avid explorer will find a grand total of eight full-size dungeons and seven mini-dungeons. You won't be lacking in dungeons by any means.

I feel I oughta spend a bit of time talking about the game's biggest sidequest. Scattered across the island are six Triforce dungeons, carefully hidden mini-dungeons with the same basic theme, but unique ways of murdering you.

What's beyond that door? Anybody's guess.

Completing each of these dungeons nabs you a triforce piece (Wow, who would have guessed?), completely optional collectibles in this game. So what are they good for? They let you into the Catacombs, and oh-so incredibly cheerful, happy place.

Pictured: The ESRB having a heart attack.

While I won't spoil the prize you get for beating this place, it's very helpful. And it's only one of many. There are several other optional dungeons scattered around for you to find, each with their own special rewards and challenges.

Next, I want to talk about the story. When you arrive on the island, it's evident that there was once a civilization here. But no more. All that greets you on the island is the ruin of the civilization... and the tortured souls that once made their home there.

Not at all creepy in the slightest.

Being an exploration-driven quest, there are plenty of clues left behind for you to figure out what happened, most of them taking the form of statues with cryptic messages about the past.

That sunset is amazing... oh right the story.

Of course, for those of you who don't like solving riddles, there's also a much more immediate story, dealing with a certain mysterious character who seems to be troubled by Link's arrival and exploration of the island.

I dunno about you, but I wouldn't feel safe just hiding behind that machine.

It's everything a story should be. It's captivating and well-paced, it doesn't interfere with the gameplay, and it lets you immerse yourself in the details of it at your own pace.

The story is very dark though, and the quest reflects that. Everything, the graphics, the palettes, the general feel of the quest, seems very dark. The music in particular is a very nice touch. You'll find no upbeat tunes here. The songs all really contribute to the feel of the game, without sounding stale or repetitive, if that makes any sense at all.

Finally, I want to talk about the gameplay a bit. While Lost Isle uses no scripts, it uses several 2.5 features in very creative ways. I won't get into too much detail on that (I don't want to ruin the surprises for you), but I do feel inclined to mention one specific but. The enemy editor has really been used well here. Nothing major, but the minor little twists on enemies are perfect. For example, the Deathbo.

Look ye upon the face of Satan.

The Deathbo is a very slow moving Gibdo that kills you in one hit. That's right, one hit. It instantly strikes fear into you when you spot it, which aside from lending to the feel of the game, makes for some very interesting gameplay.

Overall, Lost Isle is one of the best quests out there. A gigantic overworld to explore, convoluted dungeons to get lost in, an enigmatic story to get engrossed in... this game has it all. If you haven't played it yet, go download it, right now. You won't be disappointed.

[Octorockoncrack]

Awesome review of an awesome quest, Russ! I think the reason I like this quest so much was because it always had a very serious tone/mood to it.

ESRB having a heart attack

I died. This is too funny.

Out of curiosity, what do you think about doing some commentary or something for Somewhere In Between (Developer's Review?)? I'd like to hear about how you came up with the story/what inspired you.