Quest for Camelot Game by Titus Reviewed by Artisan33 Artisan33@aol.com Released : 1998 Size: 8 Megabits Use with: Any version of Gameboy. Opening Snide Remarks: Based on the animated motion picture, Quest for Camelot (QFC) is about Kayley, a teenage heroine who is determined to save Camelot in the name of chivalry and honor from the schemes of the diabolical Sir Ruber. Ultimately, she wants to save the legendary sword, Excalibur, and become a knight in King Arthur’s court. However, Kayley must first gather 8 pieces of sacred parchment in order to stand a chance against Ruber. Several characters from the movie appear to assist Kayley in her quest: Garret, the blind woodsman; Devon and Cornwall, the two-headed dragon and Merlin the wizard. At first glance, QFC looks like a rip-off of the ever-popular Zelda action/ RPG. Will Kayley’s quest be enough to surpass video game standards or will it become just another movie-to-video game flop? Gameplay: An action RPG, QFC plays like a meld of Zelda and Secret of Mana. As Kayley, you explore villages and forests and defeat beastly opponents. The general gameplay is mostly based on sword swinging and fighting, but you will frequently encounter puzzles, subgames and maze-like labyrinths and castles. QFC will definitely keep even the most experienced of players on their toes. Kayley will have to navigate flying dragons, move sequentially placed boulders and carefully trap enemies, but don’t expect the myriad of puzzles and secrets found in Zelda. Kayley’s main weapon is a sword with which she can learn three different attack techniques. She can also gain levels of strength on the sword the higher the level, the less hits it takes to beat an opponent. Though you will collect lots of gems (QFC’s form of money) throughout the quest, there are only one or two instances in the entire game when you can actually buy something with them. Instead, gems are mostly used as slingshot ammo and for saving (Yes, it takes money to save). The villages in QFC add no depth to the game - they might as well be treated as ordinary battlegrounds. There aren’t any inns or shops in the game at all. Most houses are inaccessible, and instead of finding villagers roaming the streets, you find enemies to fight. ** Along the quest, Kayley finds and employs a number of items, including a slingshot, a shovel, and a shield. Unfortunately, most of the items, such as the grappling hook and the lead bracelet, are only used once or twice in th game and are useless thereafter. Whereas Link could use boomerangs, magic wands and bows, Kayley’s main weapons throughout the game are the sword and the slingshot. A larger arsenal of usable items and weapons would have definitely enhanced the QFC’sgameplay. Another fault in CFQ is its linear gameplay. The game operates on stages like an adventure game instead of on a map like Zelda. This means you can’t go back and explore earlier stages for secret items or gain additional experience and money after you’ve completed them, which really stinks because you could easily miss a heart container or even a new sword technique. Graphics: QFC presents lush and boldly colored graphics and enhanced cinematic scenes when played on Gameboy Color. Yet, it relies too much on color to enhance its graphics rather than detail or definition. The background graphics (trees, bushes, stones, castle walls) may be full and lush, but they are seldom fully rendered. Some graphics are muffled and hard to recognize while others don’t stand out at all. Castle courts look more like sparsely decorated prisons and battlefields stretch on and on as plains of boring green grass. If you don’t have Gameboy color, do not get this game! QFC sports a cartoonish look. The sprites move and act smoothly overall, but they are all monochromatic and either move steadily or abruptly. Kayley is drawn with a ridiculously oversized head, which sometimes hinders the accuracy of a sword attack. Generally, QFC’ graphics lack the qualities of detail and sharpness. Few graphics are crisply sharply outlined and are therefore hard to recognize against a colored background. Sound: For the most part, Kayley’s sword strokes sound genuine and recognizable, but other sounds such as the slingshot and the charging of the sword are either muffled or somewhat hard to recognize. QFC is hurt by its lack of sound effects. Rarely (and I mean RARELY) do Kayley’s enemies or bosses make a single noise throughout the entire game, even when firing magic bubbles or flailing vines. Kayley is the only thing that does make noise throughout the game; her enemies as silent as ghosts. Most of the time, you hear a victory tune when Kayley acquires an item. Other times, you won’t even hear a single chime, which led me to think that I wasn’t supposed to collect those items. Furthermore, sound effects are absent when there should be some. ** like when a new secret passageway has appeared or when stone barriers are broken. Music: QFC has a very small collection of tunes, each having a medieval tone and style. The music is solid, but sounds amateurish and as stale as medieval cheese. Most of the songs follow the same exact beat and rhythm, therefore sounding almost identical to each other. There isn’t even a special battle theme for fighting bosses, and the music resets whenever you use your sub-screen menu. QFC’s music is anything but catchy, rousing, or heart pounding. It’s almost as if the music was composed for the game just because there had to be music. Play Control: Overall, Kayley is easy to control and move around. The fighting is fluid and simple to pull off, but it’s easy to accidentally execute a sword technique when tapping the control pad and the sword button at the same time. Another flaw in the fighting control is the short range of Kayley’s sword (she might as well be using fists), which forces you to move in real close to your enemy and risk getting hurt. The jumping action is also annoying- the slightest mistake will send you hurling into a pit, from where you’ll have to start again at the very beginning (and I mean VERY beginning!). Some bosses are frustrating because they can just abruptly pounce on you and keep you from moving while draining your life. Otherwise, the control is excellent and very clean. One feature I like is that you can configure the buttons to do whatever you want. You can choose this button to control the shovel and the other to control the bracelet; you don’t always have to equip the sword or shield. Final Analysis: Quest for Camelot is overall, one of the best gameboy games I’ve ever played. It obviously tries very much to be like Zelda, and does a fairly good job at it, too. The "not-so-hot" sounds and graphics do very little to hinder from the exciting gameplay and overall fun factor. Titus has really gone above expectations with Quest for Camelot. Instead of making a boring side-scroller like most companies would do with a movie video game, they’ve created an involving and extremely fun-to-play action RPG. Getting bored of Final Fantasy Adventure and Zelda? Try out Quest for Camelot! Score Gameplay: ***** Graphics: *** Sound: ** Music: *** Play Control: **** Total: 17 out of 25 Rating: 68% (Honestly, this game would get a higher score when not tabulated out this way.) My real rating: 75% Strategy- *During the beginning stages of the game, use a hit-and-run tactic to defeat your enemies. *When fighting the Monster plant attack the vine that sticks out of the ground so that its mouth opens. Place the magic stick inside its mouth so that it stays open and then slash away at it. *Dig up as many gems as you can with the shovel. Later on, there will be few places where you can do so. *Use the spinning sword technique sparingly when fighting normal enemies, for it leaves you open to attack. When charging, point the sword toward the bottom of the screen so that your hit will be accurate and safe, for most enemies will approach from the left or right. When fighting the last few bosses of the game like the minions or Sir Ruber, this technique proves very useful. *When riding the dragon, use the slingshot to shoot gems at your enemies. *Explore each stage thoroughly for items and secrets, for you won’t be able to go back later.