DLC Quest (PC) Review
System PC
Developer Going Loud Studios Publisher Going Loud Studios Genre Platformer # of Players 1 Release Date March 18th, 2013 (PC) |
Pros
Responsive controls Comical presentation Cons No challenge Play once and done game |
Review
by Thonos
6/25/2015
Every so often I find a game that has such a ridiculous premise that I just have to try it out. DLC Quest is one of those games. This is a game that mocks the current practice of games releasing downloadable content (DLC) instead of including the content in the retail game. The developers present this in a comical manner which helps push this fact home. While a small game, DLC Quest does have some highlights.
The game is broken into two playable campaigns. The first one has you rescuing a kidnapped princess while the second campaign has you investigating a string of recent deaths in a village. While neither story is memorable, it at least gives the player a reason to move forward. Signs and talking to NPCs guides you in the right direction while when you hit certain sections in the game a message pops up saying you have to go and buy DLC to advance. I found the developers use of comedy in its DLC descriptions and in its dialog to be enjoyable and made me want to continue the story.
The games big feature is that you have to buy DLC to do pretty much anything in the game with in game currency. Basic features like moving left, audio and a pause menu all have to be purchased. You can't access certain areas of the game unless you buy DLC. You even have to buy DLC to get the true ending of the game. While the game might over due it with the constant DLC purchasing, it does get its point across.
Along with the comedic presentation, the game handles very well. While I'm not a great fan of platformers, I found the controls here to be responsive and easy to get a grasp of. Both of the campaigns maps have you exploring looking for hidden areas to get more coins and DLC boxes. While the game is not hard by no means, the second campaign at least added the concept of dying and restarting at checkpoints. The hardest part of the game is the amount of backtracking you have to do to buy more DLC from the shopkeeper NPC.
The game uses a very basic color scheme for its levels and characters. I did not have a problem with this, I felt the graphics worked well for the game. Audio is also pretty bare bones, but that is all this game needed. I found the music transitions between areas was a nice subtle touch. While not the games strong point, graphics and audio fit the mood of the game.
One drawback to the game could be its length. Between both of the games campaigns you will get about an hour of gameplay. If you try to go for all the achievements this game might take you two hours. Replay-ability is also nonexistent, once you beat the two campaigns there is nothing left to do in the game. This is important, the game is a play once and done game.
DLC Quest is a game that had a purpose in mind, to show how reliant DLC has become to get the full game experience. It presents this in a simple, comical manner that combined with responsive controls made me enjoy the game. Its only faults is that it is short and a once and done game. If you want to kill a hour or two of your time this is absolutely worth it.
by Thonos
6/25/2015
Every so often I find a game that has such a ridiculous premise that I just have to try it out. DLC Quest is one of those games. This is a game that mocks the current practice of games releasing downloadable content (DLC) instead of including the content in the retail game. The developers present this in a comical manner which helps push this fact home. While a small game, DLC Quest does have some highlights.
The game is broken into two playable campaigns. The first one has you rescuing a kidnapped princess while the second campaign has you investigating a string of recent deaths in a village. While neither story is memorable, it at least gives the player a reason to move forward. Signs and talking to NPCs guides you in the right direction while when you hit certain sections in the game a message pops up saying you have to go and buy DLC to advance. I found the developers use of comedy in its DLC descriptions and in its dialog to be enjoyable and made me want to continue the story.
The games big feature is that you have to buy DLC to do pretty much anything in the game with in game currency. Basic features like moving left, audio and a pause menu all have to be purchased. You can't access certain areas of the game unless you buy DLC. You even have to buy DLC to get the true ending of the game. While the game might over due it with the constant DLC purchasing, it does get its point across.
Along with the comedic presentation, the game handles very well. While I'm not a great fan of platformers, I found the controls here to be responsive and easy to get a grasp of. Both of the campaigns maps have you exploring looking for hidden areas to get more coins and DLC boxes. While the game is not hard by no means, the second campaign at least added the concept of dying and restarting at checkpoints. The hardest part of the game is the amount of backtracking you have to do to buy more DLC from the shopkeeper NPC.
The game uses a very basic color scheme for its levels and characters. I did not have a problem with this, I felt the graphics worked well for the game. Audio is also pretty bare bones, but that is all this game needed. I found the music transitions between areas was a nice subtle touch. While not the games strong point, graphics and audio fit the mood of the game.
One drawback to the game could be its length. Between both of the games campaigns you will get about an hour of gameplay. If you try to go for all the achievements this game might take you two hours. Replay-ability is also nonexistent, once you beat the two campaigns there is nothing left to do in the game. This is important, the game is a play once and done game.
DLC Quest is a game that had a purpose in mind, to show how reliant DLC has become to get the full game experience. It presents this in a simple, comical manner that combined with responsive controls made me enjoy the game. Its only faults is that it is short and a once and done game. If you want to kill a hour or two of your time this is absolutely worth it.