Lock's Quest

"The 100 Days War"

The first time I even glanced at this game, I didn't even think about buying it. To me, it just seemed like some hashed up tower defense game that was thrown together to make money for Nintendo's DS. I was horribly wrong.

If you spend the time to actually play this game, you'll find that this is not too different from your traditional Tower Defense game, but it also seems far from the traditional, too. Allow me to explain...

Plot

Welcome to the world of the Archineers! Things aren't as happy as you might think, though. You see, not too long ago, there was a great war. A grand Archineer named Agony created an army of living robots by using a mysterious power called source. This war nearly wiped out the Archineers, until they were able to completely wipe out Lord Agony and his Clockworks at the Battle of Dark Ridge...or so they thought...

You start off as Lock, a young boy who lives in a somewhat small village near the beach. Your first sent to build a retaining well somewhere to the South of your village as, "Practice for your newly obtained skills." Soon, you're met by another boy who's an Archineer. He, along with his now deceased group, was attacked by a group of hostile enemies called "Clockworks". These Clockworks are lead by Lord Agony, who's one of the most refined Archineers in the land.

As the game progresses, you'll find that this storyline includes several twists and turns that will make you think twice about what you've been doing. Seriously, if you don't pay close attention, you'll be thrown off completely.

As such, it's easy to conclude that the plot for this game is pretty much above moderate when it comes to gaming storylines these days. That being said, you're still sure to be completely taken away by the storyline.

Gameplay

Have you played a Tower Defense game before? You place a few towers here, you watch them destroy the enemies that come across them, you gain some amount of cash, and then you upgrade your towers and buy new ones. That's basically how most Tower Defense games go. That's also how Lock's Quest goes...barely.

Lock's Quest has you in control of the main protagonist during the story, Lock. Lock is a beginning Archineer who shows spectacular skills, even though he's still new. He's even able to hold back entire armies, provided he has the right materials and some Royal Guard backing him up.

Battling takes place in basically two stages-Battle and Build. I'll describe both of them:

-Battling

Battling in Lock's Quest seems a bit unpolished, in my opinion. You basically just hit the opponent, pray for the best, then run away when you're low on health. Now, don't think that that's how you battle in Lock's Quest, since it's not.

Throughout the course of the game, you'll receive normal abilities and Super abilities. Normal abilities, such as Ratcheting,can be performed anytime, provided that you're selecting the right item to use it. Super Abilities, such as Lightning, require to have your Special meter filled up to at least half until you use them. Once you activate them, an action button will appear in the bottom of the touch screen. The faster you tap the button, the stronger the effect will be. If you don't tap the button at all, your Special meter will still deplete, even though you're not doing a thing.

The enemy Clockworks will drop Source, your "cash" if you'd like to put it that way, and sometimes Scrap. Source can be spent on repairing and building structures, while Scrap can be used to build new kinds of Turrets and traps. It's important to try to collect as many of these as possible. Just remember what your main goal is, so you won't get distracted.

-Building

As I told you before, Lock's Quest is somewhat like a Tower Defense game. In that effect, you can use the source you have collected in order to create or repair Turrets, Walls, and other such things.

All levels have square grids on the floor. These help you find out where to put your Walls, but they're usually of not much use. If you try putting a Wall in a certain square, you might accidentally place it in another row, thus throwing your defenses off completely.

Despite the poor "blueprints", the one thing that sets this aside from a Tower Defense game is almost unlimited field customization. You can either place Turrets everywhere you can so your enemies won't have a chance to breath, or your can strategically place your Walls and Turrets so that your enemies will have a hard time knocking anything down.

One other notable thing about the Build stage is that you can also build new Turrets, Walls, Helpers, etc. These can be created with the Scrap you've collected from battle, if you've collected any at all that is. Besides that, the Build stage of Lock's Quest isn't too different from most other Tower Defense games.

Sounds/Music

-Sounds

The sound in this game isn't entirely impressive. Don't get me wrong, though, everything sounds as it should be. When you repair a Wall it, somewhat, sounds like you're actually repairing it. It's just that that's about it. It's just normal. Nothing too impressive at all, so that pretty kills it.

-Music

Coming in right after the Sounds, is the Music, which was almost the opposite of Sounds. The Music in this game was highly refined and usually suited the situation. Are you protecting your sister? No problem, they have a track for that. Are you stuck in a Cemetery? Don't worry, they have that covered.

There's still just one problem I have with the music. As different as all of the songs are, they can sometimes get repetitive. This happens frequently when you have to be in the same area for around 5-8 days. It sorta makes you want to tear your hair out.

Final Thoughts

Lock's Quest is a game you have to think about first before you actually buy it. At times, the gameplay can get REALLY repetitive. First you battle, then you build. Lather, rinse, and repeat for about 100 Days and you beat the game. Wow.

Still, it can get you quite hooked, especially if you're a Tower Defense-loving fan, such as myself. If you want some of the Tower fun on-the-go, then Lock's quest is just the game for you.

All-in-all, it comes down to you, the buyer of the product, to determine whether you're the type for this game. There are always people that hate, then there are always people that love. You never know until you try.

Overall

Overall, this game would've achieved a "9", but it had two main points that killed it: the sounds were pretty plaid and the gameplay got entirely TOO repetitive. In that way, it got an "8" instead of it's "9".

This little treasure shouldn't be completely overlooked, though. It does what a good game does best, captivate you for several days. It does just that, so that's one of the main points that saved it from getting a "7".

There's just one thing everyone needs to know about this game; from the sandy beaches to the darkened forests and caves, this game will definitely captivate you from the beginning until the end.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/02/09

Game Release: Lock's Quest (US, 09/08/08)