The Quest for the Bone A Review by Pepsi Ranger Download Here
I’ll be one to admit that games that begin with “The
Adventures of” or “Quest for” or some derivative in
the title often suck. I suppose it comes down to originality. If the
author can’t be bothered to create a unique title, then he
probably can’t be bothered to create a unique game. Seems unfair
to the player.
Retribution comes in several forms, though, the first being in the decision not to play the game.
Well, sometimes it’s the creator who gets the last laugh.
Sometimes the game that starts with “The Adventures of” or
“Quest for” doesn’t suck, despite the general
misconception. And while technically the player still enacts his
revenge by not playing the game, which might turn that last laugh of
the creator into a fit, it’s ultimately the player who loses when
the game is actually fun.
This, of course, is how I perceive the community will interpret The Quest for the Bone.
So let me set the record straight: This was a fun game.
Seriously.
Now, I suppose it’s easy to think otherwise judging by
screenshots. The graphic presentation is—how shall I put
it?—blocky. Towns are discernable, but they don’t offer
much variety in cosmetics. Typically, the hero will wander in from one
of four corners of the map (a nice design touch in my opinion), walk
down a muddy looking path to a rectangular building with plain
rooftops. Sometimes he’ll pass over a flattened well. Sometimes
he’ll sneak inside a building through a gap between two bushes
along the side or back of the building. And rarely will he encounter
anything else but the basics in these given towns.
And don’t get me wrong—that is a setback.
But some towns try to be different anyway. Some offer large university
type buildings to explore. Others present city halls. One town in
particular gives us a neat “plus-shaped” road with farms
growing in the corners. Even the opening town gives the player a chance
to run around on a football field. But most will come standard. And
some won’t come with anything to interact with (as this is still
technically a demo and some areas just don’t have NPCs yet).
Does this make The Quest for the Bone skippable?
Hardly the case.
This game employs some clever design mechanics and still manages to
cram in about three hours’ worth of gameplay (well, maybe
less—I explored every nook the game offered so far, and that
takes awhile). So it’s definitely worth the look.
Not convinced?
Okay, let me break some things down here:
First off, the intro is moody, gives us a strong hook into the story,
and the music is awesome. That alone had me interested. So the game
gets past the first major obstacle pretty well.
Secondly, there are a lot of towns to explore. Yes, as I said earlier,
there is not much variety in the given towns, yet, but the whole fun of
finding them and exploring the region is not lost here. Look long
enough and you’ll find some pretty interesting places (or places
that’ll become interesting once the author finishes the game).
There are also refuges all throughout the field that will allow your
hero to rest.
Thirdly, the game gives the player an open track for advancement. Where
most games are fully linear, this one is only partly linear. This means
that to advance through the game, you have to complete a set number of
missions for whichever mayor you’re currently working for, but
you can choose the order in which you fulfill each one. And because
there are no boundaries from town to town, you can go wherever you want
whenever you want and still advance the game at its proper time. This
doesn’t mean that every location is ready for visitation, or
course. Some places will require a ship to reach, and the ship
isn’t implemented yet. And there are some inaccessible townships
in the mountains at this time. But of the low-lying areas, there are no
limits.
Next comes the various gameplay mechanics.
The Quest for the Bone uses a
day / night system that runs on a timer. And it fades almost
realistically. Granted, the effect itself is nothing to scream about,
but it does help that some missions can only be completed at night.
Likewise, some shops can only be visited during the day.
It also makes use of torches, which can light the path in front of you
when the path is too dark. It doesn’t work too well outdoors
right now, but it works like a charm in the caves. You have to buy them
at the magic shop in Eastborough and light them by activating the wall
torches in the caves.
Battles are an interesting lot. There are three levels of enemies:
small, medium, and large. Small enemies hit hard, but generally die
after a couple hits (depending on the enemy). Medium enemies hit a
little harder than their small counterparts, but their defense is
crazy. And when they die, they split into several of the smaller
versions of themselves. Then the large ones are designed for the
foolish travelers who don’t know the meaning of “run”
when it hits them upside the head.
Also, you don’t really die in this game. If you fall in battle,
you’re automatically resurrected in either the city hall or
morgue in Eastborough. The catch is that you return to life one level
lower than you were when you fell. This makes the return to a higher
level more cumbersome (which I guess is cool), but also encourages you
to save often and hit “Quit” and “Reload” when
you do die.
Another aspect of The Quest for the Bone
is its unique environmental design. While the flatlands are generally
safe to travel (on or off the road), there are places that are less
forgiving. Particularly, traveling through the dense forest (which
makes up half the region) is a bad idea. While battles in the fields
are modest, battles in the forest are nasty. The creatures of the
forest will travel in large packs and hit hard. Pressing any other
button than escape at any time during the forest is a recipe for
suicide. And even then you’ll want some first aid kits in case
someone lands a hit. There is also a land barrier that looks like a
desert (it’s part of the story line; you’ll have to play
the game to discover it), which will kill you quickly if you walk onto
it. To me it gives the region some personality. Once the towns employ
the same level of personality, this game will really fly.
Some Early Tips:
If you choose to play this, let me give you some early tips. First off,
when you leave the town of Orob (the Niak territory you’re trying
to escape), do not stop to fight anything in the field. You won’t
be able to buy any weapons or armor until you reach the next town, so
you’ll be running across the field with a target on your back.
Save yourself the headache of leveling down and just keep escaping
until you’re able to buy some armor and a good weapon.
When you do start fighting, make sure you run from just about anything
you encounter. Most enemies are too strong for novices, so you’ll
only want to concentrate on a handful of enemy types. Your best bet is
to fight the “Wicked Flutes,” these police-looking flutists
who can’t lick the chocolate off an ice cream cone, because they
yield high rewards and can offer you a quicker road to advancement.
Their encounter rate is a bit low, however, so if you can’t
tangle with them, then your next bet is to fight the “Small Grass
Clods.” Make sure you pay attention to the enemy names. The
larger grass enemies will slaughter you. (Yes, you fight grass in this
game, among some other weird things.) However, if you want a real
non-challenge, return to Orob, but go a couple tiles south to a sister
camp called “Big River Camp” and walk along the football
field. The “Yard Markers” are like training dummies that
yield good experience and money without launching a single attack.
Regardless of how you handle battles, be sure to buy a
“bone” before you start messing with them. Bones offer some
large jumps in all the major stats and will permit the hero to become a
decent fighter instead of a rack of meat for the vultures.
Also, using Inns is fine, but it’s cheaper to use the Bone
Sanctuaries out in the field. Just remember that time passes whenever
you rest and that sometimes day will turn to night and vice versa if
you’re close enough to the transition points.
Setting out at night isn’t a bad thing, just to let you know. But
night in Bone Territory is so freakin’ dark that it’s near
impossible to find your way, so you’re better off sleeping and
sleeping some more until the sun rises again (unless you’re going
after a specific quest item that only shows up at night).
And that should get you started.
So that covers the essentials of this review. The game’s not
pretty, but it’s fun. And if you like open-ended exploration even
remotely as much as I do, then you’ll enjoy it, I’m sure.
And the music is pleasant. If nothing else, you’ll find it
soothing in places. NPCs are dull and some towns are empty. But
I’m certain the author will beef them up in time. So even if you
skip the play-through this round, be sure to play it whenever he deems
it finished. But then, if your alternative is the usual foray into OHR
misery, there’s no reason to skip this now. It’s a good
time. And with the exception of a broken wall map near the northern
river and a lackluster revolving dialogue script among certain NPCs,
it’s pretty bug-free.
