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Lock’s Quest Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

Lock’s Quest Review for the Nintendo DS (NDS)

A Smarter Strategy

A lot of gamers have been keeping an eye on 5th Cell’s newest project, Lock’s Quest, and I was certainly one of them. It presented an interesting concept, a hybrid between combat and strategy, and it’s one that appealed to me and many others. Despite some trepidation along the way to release, Lock’s Quest is finally here and I’m happy to say that it’s a solid game. It’s just what I hoped it would be and no DS strategy fan should pass this title up.

Lock's Quest screenshot

The setup of Lock’s Quest is quite simple, but it hides a surprisingly deep gameplay system. You play as Lock, a budding archineer (a mix of an architect and engineer, apparently) as he defends his homeland against the aptly named King Agony and his invasive army of Clockworks. It’s a simple story and feels more in the vein of 5th Cell’s previous game, Drawn to Life. There are a few twists and turns throughout, but it’s not much of a reason to keep playing (luckily, the gameplay provides that motivation). However, the plot does have a presence and despite its simplicity, it is fairly well-done.

The real fun to be had with Lock’s Quest is the lengthy 100-day campaign, as you take the role of Lock and fight the army of Clockworks. The plot doesn’t even really kick in until several hours in, but luckily the gameplay is addictive and engaging enough to keep you going. Lock’s Quest stands out because despite featuring 100 days of the same core gameplay mechanic, it successfully mixes things up and, as a result, the title stays quite varied and interesting all the way to the end.

Lock's Quest screenshot

But before I get ahead of myself, it’s worth it to explain the unique way in which Lock’s Quest actually plays out. The game is divided into two main phases: build mode and battle mode. Build mode has you constructing your defenses against the enemy by building walls, turrets, traps, and a variety of other structures to repel the foe. The interface can get a bit clunky (not being able to move the camera can be a bit annoying at times) but overall it’s simple enough to use and generally well-implemented.

That said, there’s a lot of depth while building and despite there being a few issues, it’s the more enjoyable aspect of the game. You’ve got a handful of different types of building materials (a la Harvest Moon), several cannons, bots, and traps. Helper bots work together with the cannons, and traps generally inflict foes with status ailments that work to your advantage. There’s a lot of customization and constructing your ideal defenses is the most engrossing part of this package.

Lock's Quest screenshot

While this “role-playing” aspect of the game is nicely fleshed-out, actual character customization is a bit lacking. You can’t upgrade Lock himself much at all, which is a bit of a disappointment. Considering the game is constantly throwing new content at you, it’s surprising you’re not given many options to upgrade your fighter. That said, the actual combat sections aren’t quite as impressive as the building segments, and fighting feels quite repetitive. Still, the mission types are varied enough to keep things interesting and watching your defensive strategies play out in battle is quite satisfying.

By far my biggest fear going into Lock’s Quest was that it would feel like a DS version of Defend Your Castle. I saw the potential for the game to go down that path; I even played the flash version on the official website and was more worried than ever that Lock’s Quest was going to flop. But luckily, the development team did things right and, as a result, Lock’s Quest is a smart, intuitive strategy title. It does have a handful of flaws, but even outside of the solid gameplay mechanic most aspects of this game are down correctly.

For example, everything about this game feels very polished; you can tell that a lot of work went into getting everything just right. The graphics are colorful and nice to look at, and the animation, in particular, is really impressive. What’s really cool is that levels get very hectic towards the end of the game, with dozens of enemies on the field at once encountering walls, turrets, and traps. Just being able to keep track of everything is quite an accomplishment, but the game suffers no slowdown at all throughout these action-packed sequences.

Lock's Quest screenshot

That sense of polish also extends to the music of the game. It feels nearly on par with a Final Fantasy game, and, while it gets a bit repetitive at times, the music has this epic feel that meshes really well with the overall tone of the game. Also, the pacing throughout the title is excellent; the switching between slower-paced strategy segments and frantic combat feels really great and keeps things moving very nicely.

To add to everything, Lock’s Quest also offers a substantial amount of gameplay, offering a solid 15 to 20 hours for anybody who picks it up. You’ll likely work all the way through the game rather than give up somewhere in the middle, thanks to the addictive and constantly-evolving gameplay. To even further extend the life of the game, you’ve got some 1-on-1 multiplayer scenarios thrown in to allow you to play with a friend.

Lock’s Quest is certainly one of the better DS games to hit the platform this year. If you’re a fan of past DS strategy titles – LostMagic or Revenant Wings, for example – picking up Lock’s Quest is a no-brainer. Even if you’ve not yet gotten into RTS games, Lock’s Quest is a good place to start. It’s got an even learning curve and provides ultimately satisfying gameplay regardless of your experience with the genre.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.2 Graphics
Great-looking sprites, colorful environments, and superb animation. 3.9 Control
A few camera-related control problems during the building areas manifest, and, during combat, things can feel a bit button-mashy. But, the controls are functional nonetheless. 4.3 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Truly epic-sounding music, and though it gets a bit repetitive as you continue to play, it never reaches the point of feeling grating or annoying. 4.2

Play Value
A hundred-day campaign lasts about 20 hours, and gameplay is fun and varied. Multiplayer adds even more life to this game.

4.1 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Accrue new tools to keep the evil Clockwork army at bay.
  • Divide your time fighting the Clockworks and building up your defenses to defeat the foe.
  • Immersive visuals and an epic soundtrack set the stage for the game.
  • Go head-to-head against a friend in Lock’s Quest addictive multiplayer mode.

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