Reviews
bigboylink
Edited 12 September 2014 - 04:26 PM
Wow, this is surely one of the best quests to be released this year. As the author (and others) point out, playing this quest will offer a unique experience - there's a karma system, new items, lots of interesting NPCs, branching paths such that you can't grab every item ... just great stuff all around.
The quest has a Metroidvania feel to it. The overworld isn't huge, and there are a small number of other medium-sized areas, but you'll be exploring many of them more than once.
The first two dungeons are expertly designed (and have great soundtracks); I was really impressed and really enjoyed playing them. You'll likely be amazed at the simultaneous simplicity + brilliance of the second dungeon's item.
I finished my first play-through in about 8 hours. Since there are multiple endings (and since you can't get every item in a single playthrough), I'll obviously be giving this quest another run.
A few cons to point out - I'd like to think I would have finished the quest in fewer than 8 hours, but some of the secrets were really hard to crack (even during the main storyline...I haven't even cracked all of the optional/post-game secrets, and there seem to be a LOT of them). That's not to say that the secrets were poorly implemented (there are indeed some flashes of genius in this quest), but not everything is intuitive to deduce. I didn't care much for the final "main storyline" dungeon - while the new item was fun to use, I'm kinda sick of the (overused, imo) gimmick where leaving a screen doesn't take you back to the previous screen from where you came. I found myself referring to the help thread and others' LPs a few times.
If this quest is indeed "a prequel to my main project", as the author says, then I cannot wait to see what the main project will be.
(btw, wtf @ the clown below my review giving 1 star without much of an explanation)
Final scores:
Gameplay (30%): 9.7/10
Graphics (15%): 9.0/10
Dungeons (25%): 9.5/10
Overworld (15%): 8.5/10
Soundtrack (15%): 9.0/10
Overall / Weighted-Average: 9.3/10
The quest has a Metroidvania feel to it. The overworld isn't huge, and there are a small number of other medium-sized areas, but you'll be exploring many of them more than once.
The first two dungeons are expertly designed (and have great soundtracks); I was really impressed and really enjoyed playing them. You'll likely be amazed at the simultaneous simplicity + brilliance of the second dungeon's item.
I finished my first play-through in about 8 hours. Since there are multiple endings (and since you can't get every item in a single playthrough), I'll obviously be giving this quest another run.
A few cons to point out - I'd like to think I would have finished the quest in fewer than 8 hours, but some of the secrets were really hard to crack (even during the main storyline...I haven't even cracked all of the optional/post-game secrets, and there seem to be a LOT of them). That's not to say that the secrets were poorly implemented (there are indeed some flashes of genius in this quest), but not everything is intuitive to deduce. I didn't care much for the final "main storyline" dungeon - while the new item was fun to use, I'm kinda sick of the (overused, imo) gimmick where leaving a screen doesn't take you back to the previous screen from where you came. I found myself referring to the help thread and others' LPs a few times.
If this quest is indeed "a prequel to my main project", as the author says, then I cannot wait to see what the main project will be.
(btw, wtf @ the clown below my review giving 1 star without much of an explanation)
Final scores:
Gameplay (30%): 9.7/10
Graphics (15%): 9.0/10
Dungeons (25%): 9.5/10
Overworld (15%): 8.5/10
Soundtrack (15%): 9.0/10
Overall / Weighted-Average: 9.3/10
- Shane likes this
Zolias
Posted 13 August 2014 - 02:42 AM
I loved the quest, personally, and I usually don't like the short quests. There's a lot to enjoy about a quest this engrossing, especially about the Karma system (though I have heard it got an eventual overhaul). I personally would recommend this quest. Now for the reason for my rating (it's separated into a few key points)
Story: 5/5
Despite the quest itself being so short, it had one of the most engrossing storylines I've seen so far. Though the base of the story is the same,
depending on what you do (or what you don't do), the story will change, albeit in minor ways, and you may get rewarded or punished accordingly.
Playability: 10/10 To clarify, playability is seperated into two sections: Gameplay, and replay value.
Gameplay: 5/5
This has to be the most ingenious game I have seen to date. The Wand being the main weapon definitely threw me for a loop, but it wasn't a bad surprise; in fact, it made things a lot better this way that would pretty much only work for this game. The use of the EX buttons also was amazing; it meshed so perfectly in my opinion (though that may be because I set it up to do so for my keyboard). The bosses were pretty fun, and the puzzles were difficult, yet simple. This includes the mega-tier secrets, which were hard to discover, yet simple enough in nature; sort of like hiding a tree in a forest, or trying to find a specific needle in an entire pile of needles (though in this case, a Maple tree in a forest of Pine trees, and a black needle in a pile of silver needles; neither glaringly obvious at first, but definitely doable, even by accident).
Replay Value: 5/5
Karma and multiple endings: Need I say more?
Difficulty curve: 2/5
This is where the ball comes into the enemy's court, in a way. Early game, nothing hard to deal with, maybe surprised with some Delta Moblins (ones that shoort 3 arrows at once), or some of the Bomblins (ones that launch bombs). Easy stuff. Go a little out of the way and what do you get? Parallel Crows, Blastoroks (rapid bomb-firing octorok), Cursed Armos, Ghinis, and why not throw in some Lynels for added measure. Of course if you follow the original path, you're mostly safe, but isn't exploration what makes some of this fun?
Okay, then let's say we do what we need to do, get the mask, and then enter Truth; what then? Only the most frustratingly difficult area in the game. We've got Fire Robes, magic-shooting pillars, Tracker Keese, and let's throw in some Blue Wizzrobes. If that wasn't hard enough, we get Snake Magic Shooters along with block puzzles over pits with the slippery-as-hell Paradox Hover Boots, and MORE Tracker Keese. Granted, this is supposed to be the final dungeon, so a bit of difficulty is expected, but imagine facing all of these terrors with only a GREEN TUNIC. I can tell you now my death count rapidly rose just from this dungeon alone. Oh well, we persevere, move on, and maybe get an ending (most likely ending 2).
Now we get into Soltis. I swear, I'm still not sure if that was the most horrifyingly annoying or laughable, good challenge dungeon, though personally, it WOULD be the latter IF EVERYTHING WOULDN'T KILL IN AT LEAST 4 - 5 HITS. I won't even get started on the Aquamentus, either. It wasn't a bad idea; just overly tedious and stuck with too many spike traps. Taking a phrase from one in the Soul Game: Colors and Mirrors... Doesn't necessarily help when a player is colorblind, but I can let that slide. Then again, this is just my experience with it, and I WILL say I'm not the most experienced ZC player, nor have I made any quests, so I can't really say how to properly set enemy type and trap location.
I give a bonus point, though, for a simple matter: The Eppy Feather! I also saw a similar thing in Quest 744 (though I saw it in this first), so it's obviously going to be a lasting gag (still don't know how you put up with this, Eppy.)
Overall Rating: 4.25/5
Recommend: Absolutely
Replay: Definitely, with some changes from my first file
Story: 5/5
Despite the quest itself being so short, it had one of the most engrossing storylines I've seen so far. Though the base of the story is the same,
depending on what you do (or what you don't do), the story will change, albeit in minor ways, and you may get rewarded or punished accordingly.
Playability: 10/10 To clarify, playability is seperated into two sections: Gameplay, and replay value.
Gameplay: 5/5
This has to be the most ingenious game I have seen to date. The Wand being the main weapon definitely threw me for a loop, but it wasn't a bad surprise; in fact, it made things a lot better this way that would pretty much only work for this game. The use of the EX buttons also was amazing; it meshed so perfectly in my opinion (though that may be because I set it up to do so for my keyboard). The bosses were pretty fun, and the puzzles were difficult, yet simple. This includes the mega-tier secrets, which were hard to discover, yet simple enough in nature; sort of like hiding a tree in a forest, or trying to find a specific needle in an entire pile of needles (though in this case, a Maple tree in a forest of Pine trees, and a black needle in a pile of silver needles; neither glaringly obvious at first, but definitely doable, even by accident).
Replay Value: 5/5
Karma and multiple endings: Need I say more?
Difficulty curve: 2/5
This is where the ball comes into the enemy's court, in a way. Early game, nothing hard to deal with, maybe surprised with some Delta Moblins (ones that shoort 3 arrows at once), or some of the Bomblins (ones that launch bombs). Easy stuff. Go a little out of the way and what do you get? Parallel Crows, Blastoroks (rapid bomb-firing octorok), Cursed Armos, Ghinis, and why not throw in some Lynels for added measure. Of course if you follow the original path, you're mostly safe, but isn't exploration what makes some of this fun?
Okay, then let's say we do what we need to do, get the mask, and then enter Truth; what then? Only the most frustratingly difficult area in the game. We've got Fire Robes, magic-shooting pillars, Tracker Keese, and let's throw in some Blue Wizzrobes. If that wasn't hard enough, we get Snake Magic Shooters along with block puzzles over pits with the slippery-as-hell Paradox Hover Boots, and MORE Tracker Keese. Granted, this is supposed to be the final dungeon, so a bit of difficulty is expected, but imagine facing all of these terrors with only a GREEN TUNIC. I can tell you now my death count rapidly rose just from this dungeon alone. Oh well, we persevere, move on, and maybe get an ending (most likely ending 2).
Now we get into Soltis. I swear, I'm still not sure if that was the most horrifyingly annoying or laughable, good challenge dungeon, though personally, it WOULD be the latter IF EVERYTHING WOULDN'T KILL IN AT LEAST 4 - 5 HITS. I won't even get started on the Aquamentus, either. It wasn't a bad idea; just overly tedious and stuck with too many spike traps. Taking a phrase from one in the Soul Game: Colors and Mirrors... Doesn't necessarily help when a player is colorblind, but I can let that slide. Then again, this is just my experience with it, and I WILL say I'm not the most experienced ZC player, nor have I made any quests, so I can't really say how to properly set enemy type and trap location.
I give a bonus point, though, for a simple matter: The Eppy Feather! I also saw a similar thing in Quest 744 (though I saw it in this first), so it's obviously going to be a lasting gag (still don't know how you put up with this, Eppy.)
Overall Rating: 4.25/5
Recommend: Absolutely
Replay: Definitely, with some changes from my first file
- bigboylink likes this
Useless Old Man Wisdom
Posted 08 August 2014 - 05:10 PM
Short, but engrossing quest that is both wildly unconventional for a ZC game, yet incredibly satisfying for a ZC game all the same. I felt doggedly determined to 100% this quest, which was a challenge due to the abundance and obscurity of secrets on the deceptively small maps. I really like the multi-staging of the dungeons and lack of a big-bad final boss.
I'd say the challenge is a good 7-8, especially in the early stages of the game, and I found myself dying quite a bit early on. The game does get substantially easier if you gain some offensive power (hammer).
Importantly, this game has replay value due to missable secrets and items in regards to the karma system. Highly recommended.
I'd say the challenge is a good 7-8, especially in the early stages of the game, and I found myself dying quite a bit early on. The game does get substantially easier if you gain some offensive power (hammer).
Importantly, this game has replay value due to missable secrets and items in regards to the karma system. Highly recommended.
AtrusW0nder
Posted 31 July 2014 - 11:28 AM
Total 5 star! Very well thought out and enjoyable at all times. I don't think I ever found myself to enraged or bored at all. A very comfortable challenge. And props to all who were involved with scripting and assisting Team with ideas. I eagerly await Lost Lineage.
SyrianBallaS
Posted 23 July 2014 - 01:10 AM
Didn't want to review this until I at least got one ending, and this game is extremly short. Not complaining though, this quest did come out of nowhere and the description says this quest was supposed to be experimental for your major quest. I played multiple runs because I wanted to see what the good karma items were. It's a bit ironic that even with all good karma items (mask?) you still have to fight Kaoru, his patteren doesn't seem too complex but damn is he powerful, even with potions, hammer, and cane of bryna. I couldnt beat him. Well I'm probably going to do several other playthroughs to see what I can do.
This quest is frustrating at times, but a good game needs to be or else it'll be boring. The slighly high difficulty is necessary because it's a little too short, for people who know what to do, It would probably take some just a few hours but that's ok. Overall this quest is great, the replay value of this game is also great.
I'm sure your main project will be a great sucess
This quest is frustrating at times, but a good game needs to be or else it'll be boring. The slighly high difficulty is necessary because it's a little too short, for people who know what to do, It would probably take some just a few hours but that's ok. Overall this quest is great, the replay value of this game is also great.
I'm sure your main project will be a great sucess
Russ
Posted 22 July 2014 - 07:16 PM
After having played through the quest and obtained all the major endings, I can say without a doubt that this is one of my favorite quests. Eiyuu goes out on a limb to try something different, and it works very well. The quest is centered around and interesting and unique story, with branching paths that can lead to a variety of different events. And if that's not enough, the karma system around the items also keeps you thinking. The dungeons are all very well designed, making the most out of their small number of screens, and while the bosses aren't the best things to ever grace ZC, they generally work pretty well.
It's not without its flaws, however. A constant gripe of mine is the unmarked push blocks than arbitrarily move in only certain directions. On top of that, the logic behind one or two of the puzzles seems... perhaps a bit esoteric. However, these are really only minor complaints.
All in all, it's nearly perfect. A compact overworld with plenty of secrets, very well designed dungeons, an interesting story full of branching paths, new and novel ideas, items that are tons of fun to play with, and a playtime that's just right (clocking in at ten hours for me to complete all main endings + the bonus dungeon and some (but not all) of the sidequests).
It's not without its flaws, however. A constant gripe of mine is the unmarked push blocks than arbitrarily move in only certain directions. On top of that, the logic behind one or two of the puzzles seems... perhaps a bit esoteric. However, these are really only minor complaints.
All in all, it's nearly perfect. A compact overworld with plenty of secrets, very well designed dungeons, an interesting story full of branching paths, new and novel ideas, items that are tons of fun to play with, and a playtime that's just right (clocking in at ten hours for me to complete all main endings + the bonus dungeon and some (but not all) of the sidequests).
Air Luigi
Posted 19 July 2014 - 08:20 PM
It's always nice when a quest appears from nowhere and it has a great quality.
Eiyuu has a little mountain to explore, full of secrets. Clues are everywhere and you need to put attention. Placement of secrets and discover all the mysteries is really the quest's highlight.
The dungeons are small, but they are more intrincated than you can think at first. This is caused by the new items (Timeshift wand ftw), mechanics and puzzles. It feels fresh. I found Sanskrit floor B1 a bit annoying though.
The True Champion sidequest is genius, and I had a great time figuring that. Only the best explorers can complete that. It's obscure, but you have all the tools.
In the shortcomings zone (nothing major), I found that the quest lacks a bit of variety of enemies and bosses. The world is also very small, and you will desire that the quest last a bit more. Ending the quest with a cliffhanger, it's soooo cruel. Waiting for Lost Lineage in any case.
Eiyuu has a little mountain to explore, full of secrets. Clues are everywhere and you need to put attention. Placement of secrets and discover all the mysteries is really the quest's highlight.
The dungeons are small, but they are more intrincated than you can think at first. This is caused by the new items (Timeshift wand ftw), mechanics and puzzles. It feels fresh. I found Sanskrit floor B1 a bit annoying though.
The True Champion sidequest is genius, and I had a great time figuring that. Only the best explorers can complete that. It's obscure, but you have all the tools.
In the shortcomings zone (nothing major), I found that the quest lacks a bit of variety of enemies and bosses. The world is also very small, and you will desire that the quest last a bit more. Ending the quest with a cliffhanger, it's soooo cruel. Waiting for Lost Lineage in any case.
