I finished Quest for Infamy last week and although the game was somewhat shorter than contemporaries like Heroine's Quest, I still feel it was a solid game that should have done better than it did. Normally I avoid games that are rated 4-stars or less on GOG.com, but this one was better than expected. Combat is nothing complex or interesting, but neither was it in the old Quest for Glory games. I ended up playing a warrior and muddled my way through with guile and brute force. We had a few threads here talking about its release, but nothing dedicated specifically to the gameplay. So here is a new thread and a quick mini-review.
Positives:
+ The game weaves several different plot threads together well. There are several important characters with their own agendas that aid or interfere with one another.
+ The villains were also well done. They are just slimy enough that you want to make bad things happen to them by the game's conclusion.
+ There is a decent sense of greater mystery to the game. It gives you just enough information to be curious about alluded to past events.
+ The puzzles are not ridiculous. For instance, you might talk to one lady who tells you how to handle wasps. Later you get stung by some wasps while exploring, prompting you to follow her directions if you were smart enough to take notes.
+ Your character is more villain than hero, giving the game a unique niche for the genre. Your motivation is to escape imprisonment and pocket some cash along the way. You aren't playing an over-the-top and crazy character, but neither are you someone who would shy from knocking out a drunk and robbing him if there is a need.
Negatives:
- The cute graphical aesthetic of the Quest for Glory games works well for them because they give a sense of whimsy. There are similar moments here in which the graphics work well. However here there are moments such as a public beheading that should have greater gravity, but the cutesy graphics do not make for a good fit.
- Although the game is good, it also doesn't bring anything new to this subgenre. Maybe that's a good thing. Before this game and Heroine's Quest, we had long years without a Quest for Glory type game.
- The game is short and dialogue limited, with some side characters saying the same things throughout the game as they did the first time you met them. I can understand someone being upset if they paid a lot of money for the game, but I got it at a discount and have no further gripes here.
Positives:
+ The game weaves several different plot threads together well. There are several important characters with their own agendas that aid or interfere with one another.
+ The villains were also well done. They are just slimy enough that you want to make bad things happen to them by the game's conclusion.
+ There is a decent sense of greater mystery to the game. It gives you just enough information to be curious about alluded to past events.
+ The puzzles are not ridiculous. For instance, you might talk to one lady who tells you how to handle wasps. Later you get stung by some wasps while exploring, prompting you to follow her directions if you were smart enough to take notes.
+ Your character is more villain than hero, giving the game a unique niche for the genre. Your motivation is to escape imprisonment and pocket some cash along the way. You aren't playing an over-the-top and crazy character, but neither are you someone who would shy from knocking out a drunk and robbing him if there is a need.
Negatives:
- The cute graphical aesthetic of the Quest for Glory games works well for them because they give a sense of whimsy. There are similar moments here in which the graphics work well. However here there are moments such as a public beheading that should have greater gravity, but the cutesy graphics do not make for a good fit.
- Although the game is good, it also doesn't bring anything new to this subgenre. Maybe that's a good thing. Before this game and Heroine's Quest, we had long years without a Quest for Glory type game.
- The game is short and dialogue limited, with some side characters saying the same things throughout the game as they did the first time you met them. I can understand someone being upset if they paid a lot of money for the game, but I got it at a discount and have no further gripes here.
