Quest RPG: Brian’s Journey
Developer : Atelier Double
Publisher : Sunsoft (NA), Imagineer (JP)
Platform : GBC
Release Year : 2000
A Portable Port
Quest 64 is a game that is never going to top any top ten list of RPGs, and for good reason. While it’s not the worst game ever made, it is definitely lacking in so many ways that the RPG genera had refined by the time it came out. Following the Super Nintendo and its legendary collection of RPGs, the lack of quality roleplaying games on the Nintendo 64 was one of the many reasons why the PlayStation absolutely dominated the fifth generation of home consoles, and Quest 64 was not the title to change that. So, when I saw that there was a remake/demake/port of Quest for the Game Boy Color, I went in with rock bottom expectations, but by the time the credits rolled I was pleasantly surprised by Quest RPG: Brian’s Journey. While it’s not the best RPG on the GBC, it was a fun little game to play during my work breaks (and on the crapper) and it even surprised me here and there, which I think says a lot.
A Bite Sized Adventure
Right out of the gate you’re not going be blown away by Quest RPG’s presentation. The graphics are pretty basic and look like they’re channeling the classic RPGs from the NES era, which is something you are either going to find charming or bland. I am in the middle of those two extremes; at times I found myself really enjoying the look of Brian’s Journey, while at others I found it to be rather uninspired. The battle effects are also okay, and there is a good variety of spell effects to watch while you’re questing about the world (see what I did there? I’m so cleaver!). Those spells are not great by any stretch of the imagination, but they are also not game breaking terrible either. Quest RPG was never going to win any awards for its graphics, but I never felt like it was making my eyes bleed. Everything about Quest RPG’s visual presentation is just okay. Nothing amazing or terrible, but just okay.
The music and sound effects on the other hand are kind of shit. The soundtrack is the music from the N64 game but done in a very uninspired Game Boy style, which is not saying much. Quest 64 was never known for its music, and here on the GBC, they sound pretty bad. If this had been released near the launch of the original Game Boy back in the late ‘80s or early ‘90s, I think we would be singing the soundtracks praises, but here on the GBC in the year 2000, it is just so bland. I do like that they are remixed and Game Boy renditions of the 64 game, but they could have done so much better.
Just like Quest 64, Brian’s Journey also lacks so many of the aspects of the RPG that we all know and love: there is no equipment to get and equip, and no real stat points to increase. This lack of ‘numbers going up’ makes leveling up and getting ‘stronger’ feel so underwhelming. A new staff and cape here and there would have been nice, but instead we get nothing. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy the nitty gritty of comparing weapons and armour, and I really felt its absence here.
It’s Not All Bad
I don’t want it to come across like this game is absolutely terrible, and that there is not a single redeeming quality here, because that is definitely not the case. The highlight for me during my playtime is the combat system. Mixing and matching the elements to cast your spells is really cool, and I had a lot of fun experimenting and playing around with it to see what I could do. After a bit, I did find I was using the same combos and spells over and over, but I think that is to be expected with a system like this. All in all, this is what made me keep playing, because combat is mindlessly fun.
The storytelling here is so much better than in Quest 64, even if the translation leaves something to be desired. I actually had an idea of what I was doing, and why I was doing it, which is more than I can say when you are playing the 64 game. It’s not a groundbreaking narrative by any stretch of the imagination, but for a handheld game, it was good enough. It’s your typical story of chosen ones, and good versus evil; like I said, it’s not going to blow you away, or change your life, but it did keep me going. It did remind me of those old NES, and early SNES era, RPGs, and going into the game with that in mind will help a lot.
Another aspect of Brian’s Journey I really like is the globe trotting nature of the story. It helped to make not only the game world feel huge but also to make the scope of the story feel so much bigger than it really is. It actually felt like I was on a quest, ya know? Like the title of the game! Funny how that works, eh? Making the game titled Quest feel like a world spanning quest, crazy stuff.
A Good Way to Kill Time
Honestly, Quest RPG: Brian’s Journey is an average game in almost every way. The graphics and music are nothing to write home about, and the story is fine for what it is, with the globe trotting helping to make the game feel that much bigger. Mixing and matching your elements to cast a variety of spells in combat is a really cool idea, and even if I found myself casting the same spells over and over by the end of the game, I still had a lot of fun with it.
Now, would I recommend this title? I really don’t know. I had fun with it, but I think that’s because I only really played it when I was chillin’ in my car before work (early morning shifts are something else), and during my breaks as a way to kill some time; it’s not like I was spending hours and hours playing it and getting engrossed in its world and story. I would say if you’re looking for a quick little RPG to play here and there (during work breaks or on the toilet), you could probably due a lot worse than Quest RPG.
A quick look for a small game. Nothing more than that.
