"Love it, hate it... A curiously enthralling, epic quest..."

Quest 64... What to say about the Nintendo 64's first, and only true traditonal RPG? While the PlayStation was receiving massive amounts of RPG wonders, THQ released Quest, also called Eltale Monsters and Holy Magic Century in Japan and Europe, respectively. For being the only RPG of the system, Quest attracted masses. Those masses quickly scattered. Quest 64 was a disappointment, but it sold decently enough that a sequel was in the works, although it later got scrapped. Even today, Quest 64 still draws people's curiosity, wanting to see what the big deal with this game is about. Is it bad? Is it good? The opinions are mixed. I, for one, will admit it's a very crappy game, yet for some reason, I love it. This, is what fascinates about Quest.

What casual RPG gamers usually like about the genre is the heavy storyline, tweakened with complicated character developements and twists that strike you deep inside. Well, Quest 64 has nothing of that. Your quest is kept to the bare minimum, just enough to give you a reason to even start the game, but no reason to keep playing it. Here goes... take a deep breath..: you, as Brian (or Jean-Jacques in the japanese version) are on a quest to find a book that disappeared with your father. Yup, that is all. You're told to traverse the whole land to find a book, then at the end of the game you find the book and nothing else happens in-between. I can imagine what went on in the developers' office; "Uh-hu, guys we forgot about the story. Hurry everyone, we have 5 minutes to come up with an idea!" and that's it. But Quest 64 doesn't need a good storyline to be so mesmerizing, right?

Like in most traditonal RPGs, your task is to walk from a town to another, fighting enemies along the way. The difference is that usually cutscenes take place in the villages, the story expands and the characters grow. In Quest 64, it's everything but that. All you do is walking, then resting at the inn, and continue your walk until the next village. In this regards, Quest is just like any other RPG, minus the storyline elements. For people who don't really care about story in RPGs, usually skip the dialogues, and just like to play through the adventure, then Quest 64 is perfect. In fact, Quest 64 is the perfect RPG for beginners. Brian, or Jean-Jacques-ah, is a loner. He has no companions for the whole quest. You're alone, on your own. Who needs party members anyway, uh? And scrap money and equipment. There is no money in Quest 64, people on the streets give you free bread. No need for shields and weapons either, Brian keeps the same clothes on the whole time, and all he needs to defend himself is his magical staff.

Also, Brian doesn't gain levels. However, he does get stronger as the adventure unfolds, and that's where Quest 64, although simplistic at best, steps apart and gets original. The more hits you receive from enemies, the better your defense will be. The more you avoid enemy attacks, the more your agility will increase. The more you place hits, the higher your attack will be. You do gain experience points, but in Quest 64, EXP is used to level-up your spells. Brian being a magic user, his speciality is knocking out enemies with a hit of his wooden staff, or magic spells. The magic system plays out pretty uniquely as well, as you can choose which element (fire, water, wind, earth) to level-up, then within each element select various different spells assigned to the C buttons. The only thing that makes no sense and makes the spells almost useless is that a direct physical hit from the staff almost does as much damage as a powerful spell, so better keep MP for healing and not waste it on attack magic.

Quest's battle system is what it's best known for, and with reason, as it's one of the only RPGs (to my knowledge) using a system of that kind, and it's done very nicely. When you encounter an enemy (which happens more often that it should, thanks to random battles), a small barrier will surround you and the enemy, inside a bigger barrier surrounding the area. You can only move inside the barrier, so you might need a few turns to first approach the enemy. Once you're close enough, a symbol will appear above the enemy's head if you can hit it. Since it's a mix of real-time and turn-based, you and the enemy (or enemies) will each take turns to attack, but you can actually avoid the attacks by moving around within the barrier. To escape battles, simply walk out of the large barrier. Even though you have no party member, the fact that you can move the character around yet still the fights remain turn-based makes it very enjoyable.

If you're still wondering what's so great about Quest 64, well it's exactly that. Its simplicity. Of course it would have been nice to be able to buy items and equip gear, but Quest doesn't need it. In Quest you don't have to worry about anything. It's an RPG for people who enjoy the simple fact of exploring a big open world, living an adventure, and being immersed in it without all the excessive customization. Because the only thing Quest 64 really suceeds in besides the battle system is providing an epic quest through huge landscapes. Quest has some of the best 3D town designs (of the time) and some very pleasant outside areas that really make you feel like you're on a journey, exploring a fantasy world. And there's exploration to be made, as spirits are hidden within each areas, often in faraway corners that will make you stray from the main path.

Unfortunately, although exploring the kingdom of Celtland is engrossing and fun, it's just too easy to get lost. The map isn't very helpful with directions, and although you have a compass, it's of no use. During battles, the camera moves around a lot, and once the fight is over, you're often not sure what direction you were heading for prior to the fight. The camera does point back in the right direction after battles, but sometimes it's hard to tell. I can't even count how many times I started heading back in the wrong direction and ended up back at my starting point. It's always frustrating to find out you've been going back on your steps this whole time, especially in the dungeons, which are long, tedious, and without any landmarks.

Another thing that Quest had going for it at the time was its graphics. They're bright, colorful and vibrant, just like those of Super Mario 64, but slightly better. Rareware showed at the time that they could really push graphics, and THQ's Quest 64 doesn't quite rival with other games on the system, it really lacks details and textures, but what was good about the graphics was moreso the fact that the open areas were very big, yet the draw-distance remained clean. The towns and enemies have excellent designs, and the whole overall experience's look is impressive the first time. Plus, it has a day-to-night system that not many games, especially RPGs, had back then. On the musical side, Quest 64 has a mixed soundtrack of irritating instrumental pieces that hurt your soul and haunting, epic melodies that give chills.

So there, you have many reasons to hate or love Quest 64. The thing with that game is that people who like big plots and complicated gameplay in their RPGs will hate Quest, but people who like exploration-based RPGs with simple designs will love it. It's a very mediocre game, in all honesty, but somehow also strangely very enthralling. Sure all you do is walk through dull areas, stop at an empty village where nobody has anything interesting to say, then walk some more, open a treasure chest, and so on, but there is something about the game that makes it stand apart. With its immense world to explore, and a no-storyline journey that you can make your own, Quest 64 has a little special touch that appeals to some RPG fans, myself included, may it be good or bad...

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/28/03, Updated 06/18/08

Game Release: Quest 64 (US, 06/01/98)