A while back I posted an article wondering if anyone remembered Quest for Glory and noted that I would be putting together a small write-up of each game. Well, here we go, but before we do just a quick recap on what Quest for Glory is. Developed by Sierra On-Line the series blends point-and-click adventure systems with RPG mechanics. This means that challenges in the world could be overcome through combat, magic, or stealth based mechanics depending on your character class, along with the traditional inventory-based puzzles. There is also a day-to-night system that affects when certain activities may be available to the player, with key events taking place after certain days in the game. A hero character would gain experience that could be assigned to a variety of skills allowing for more customization and unique player progression, and players would then also be able to take their character and any experience / skills earned over to sequels in the series.
a lot to do for a wannabe hero
The Quest for Glory series begins with So You Want to Be a Hero, which opens with our character arriving in the town of Spielburg looking to prove themselves a hero. The town is located in a forested valley, and access to it had recently been hindered due to snowfall. Players are able explore the wooded area and several key locations around the town, as well as Spielburg itself, but not leave the valley. A job board in the local Hero’s Guild informs that the evil Baba Yaga has cursed the valley, the baron’s son and daughter are missing, and that brigands roam the local forests. This, with a few small requests by locals, is a lot to do for a wannabe hero and sneaky players could also partake in activities for the Thieves Guild. Through their adventure our hero will meet inn owners Shameen and Shema, the helpful wizard Erasmus and his familiar Fenrus (who can provide some extra content for heroes with magical abilities), learn of the mage Erana who would become an important character in later games, as well as complete quests posted on the board. This would lead the hero to free the baron’s son from an enchantment and rescue his daughter Elsa von Spielburg. Elsa, who had been cursed and transformed into the brigand leader, would provide the hero with the means to defeat Baba Yaga, which would see them completing their quest and being named the Hero of Spielburg. At this point the merchant Abdulla Doo, whose wares had been stolen by the now disbanded brigands, would take the hero and inn owners on a magic carpet to the desert land of Shapier for their next adventure.
Quest for Glory was first released in 1989 as Hero’s Quest but due to licensing conflicts was renamed. It was originally built using the Sierra Creative Interpreter, which relied on text-based commands with minimal mouse interaction to control the game, and featured EGA 16 colour graphics. A remake featuring updated VGA graphics and full mouse control was launched in 1992. Game designers Corey and Lori Ann Cole had built the series with the idea that there would be four games in total and each would feature not only a season, but an alchemic element and cardinal direction too, meant to represent the hero’s journey and growth. However, during development, the need for another game became apparent so this concept fell away. If this were the case the first title would represent north on a compass and spring season.
There is plenty to say about the game, and the series as a whole, but this is two-minute ramble and I wanted to keep these overviews as brief as possible. Be sure to check back for more posts about one of my all-time favourite game series, Quest for Glory.
