"I Almost Ignored This Top-Notch Finale... For Shame"

When 'Quest For Glory V' was released, I was immensely excited, since it seemed that Sierra was going to give the series the axe. Loyal fans determinedly wrote and begged Sierra to let the series live one last time, and so it came to pass. But alas, all did not go as well as one might have hoped. The game was notoriously buggy upon its release, and it did not feature the multiplayer mode that was touted during the game's development. This, needless to say, displeased a lot of people, especially long-time fans of the series who were eager to play a 'Quest For Glory' game with a friend or two. Upon hearing all of this, I began to speculate that because Sierra had cancelled the series earlier, the designers were not quite ready to make a new game just yet, and that they had thrown together an incomplete product and stuck it on the shelves. I then ignored the game (despite my great love for the series) and forgot about it.
Recently, I found the game sitting on the 'used games' shelf at a local computer game store. I figured that there had to be patches out by now for all of the bugs I had heard about, and besides, it was only ten bucks. A rather small investment for a game in a series I really loved. Taking a minor chance, I bought the game and brought it home.
So, without further ado, let me be the first to admit that I made a mistake. I didn't buy the game because I had heard it was flawed... my bad. I admit it. I screwed up. Let this be a lesson, my friends: if you think you might like a game, give it a try before passing on it. Because 'Quest For Glory V' is a wonderful game and a worthy additon to the series.
As in all of the previous games, you are a Hero, forever journeying to lands which need your help. (You can import your character from previous 'Quest For Glory' adventures; although I believe that the patch from the game's web site is required to do so.) You can play as a fighter, thief, wizard, or a paladin. The paladin must be imported from other games, however; he is not a selectable character type. The puzzles are solved differently for each class, of course. Fighters use force and strength, wizards use magic and brains, thieves use cunning and stealth, and paladins use honor and might. In earlier 'Quest For Glory' games, paladins were just fighters with a few mediocre powers tacked on. But in 'Quest For Glory IV' and this game, the paladin has really come into his own as a warrior of virtue, and he makes for an interesting Hero to guide. (Some honor-related quests can only be solved by the paladin.)
The story is the usual 'Quest For Glory' fare. Erasmus and Fenris have summoned you to save the town of Silmaria from all manners of danger, which include an ancient dragon, foreign invaders, an assassin, and whatever else the designers can pull out of their hat. All of this is tied into the murder of the king of Silmaria, and the ritual rites that are enacted to replace him. (Needless to say, you will enter those rites, and there the plot will thicken.)
As is the trend in later Sierra adventure games, 'Quest For Glory V' has puzzles that are less item-oriented and more conversation-oriented. This is probably due to the fact that the there is so much on the screen at one time in this game, and spotting individual items would have been a nightmare. If the game has any weakness, it is the relatively low number of quality puzzles. Most of the rites to become king can be accomplished by combat alone, with little subtlety or cunning. Playing as a wizard, I practically finished the game with only the 'Flame Dart' and 'Frostbite' spells, and only brought out the 'utility magic' (like 'Trigger' and 'Open') on singular occasions.
Not that the combat is bad, mind you. It can be a little chaotic, however, especially since you are almost always outnumbered and surrounded. You can usually run away from the action to a corner of the fighting area to pop some healing pills, though. As for my fellow wizard fans, well, magic is just a little too powerful in this game. 'Frostbite' is simply devastating; it shoots a spray of ice out against your enemies, but even as the spell is in effect, you can play normally. Therefore, you can hack an enemy with a dagger while the spell ices him mercilessly. And 'Dazzle,' a spell that was all but useless in 'Quest For Glory IV,' has apparently come back with a vengeance. It blinds enemies in a pretty wide radius, allowing you to hack them for a while as they stand there stunned. And even when they do recover, they are often confused and stumble around helplessly as you finish them off. 'Zap,' 'Flame Dart,' and pretty much any offensive spell are all a little too mighty. (I won't even get into the 'Dragon Fire' spell.) Use magic sparingly if you want a challenge.
The graphics are beautiful in this game, and very rich and elegant. It's a shame that Sierra has closed down their adventure gaming department, since they were making such great progress in the art and effects in their adventure titles. (Of course, the closure of their legendary adventure gaming department is a shame for so many reasons.)
The music is also wonderful; very classical with a touch of folk. There is a CD available of the game's music, and it seems like a worthy enough purchase for the right price. Unfortunately, though, the voice acting is a mixed bag. Some of the characters, such as Logos or Ann, are played well and with character. But the majority of the voices are mediocre or just plain awful. Fenris, my favorite 'Quest For Glory' character, is downright annoying in this game. (And his insult humor is off, too... poor Fenris needed to read the script before he signed on to this game.) Rakeesh sounds rather goofy, too... none of the majesty that his character would seem to command. It's a small nuisance for me, but if you're picky about voice acting, you have been warned.
Since this is, in all likelihood, the final game of the series, the designers have pulled out all the stops in terms of plot and storyline. Just about every major character from the earlier 'Quest For Glory' games is here. This is a lot of fun for fans of the series, although all logic is thrown out of the window. (Really, would EVERYONE move to Silmaria, a relatively small and innocuous kingdom plagued with raiders and dragon-related curses?) You even meet Famous Adventurer, the guy behind all of those amusing and informative game manuals in the series.
Also, besides attempting to become king, you can also get married. This aspect of the game is somewhat disappointing; you can marry a variety of women from the game, but the courtship is pretty stale. You just sort of talk to the woman you like every day and give her a grocery list of items that you think she'd want. I ended up marrying Elsa, but neither of us ever said anything emotional or truly romantic. I just gave her a bunch of gifts, told her I loved her, and handed her the wedding ring. Her response was positive but rather confusing. Our marriage was never mentioned again until the ending, and then only for a brief moment (no ceremony or anything). It's especially bizarre, considering that many of the game's characters harp on the importance of love, and yet the game is so weak in the implementation of it. The game should have at least given you and your bride-to-be a scene alone after she agrees to marry you, so you could have some emotional connection with your future wife. (After Elsa and I were engaged, she just left and I went back to bed.)
But otherwise, the game is very, very good. Any of the bugs that the game had were fully eradicated with the patch I downloaded, and this game has never crashed a single time on me. The storyline flows nicely, and I found myself wanting to see what would happen next as I tried to become king with assassinations and dilemmas all around. And most of the returning characters, especially Ferrari and Erasmus, are good to see again for old-time fans like me. (I could have lived without ever seeing Salim again, but hey, that's just me.) A few scenes are even worthy of being considered classic 'Quest For Glory,' including a raid on a general's fort that is downright exciting.
I have properly spent too much time going over the minor flaws of this game, so take those with a grain of salt. This is a great adventure game, and if it truly is the last 'Quest For Glory' title, it is not a bad way to go. The series shall be missed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/23/00, Updated 02/23/00