So… What Kind of Hero Robs an Old Lady? A review of Quest for Glory

Quest for Glory, the first part of a series of five games, follows the adventures not of King Graham nor Larry Laffer, but this time it’s you! Yes, you are the Hero! You have the choice of three classes, will you be a menacing fighter, a sneaky rogue or will spells solve all your problems as the magic user?

The three different classes have slightly differing paths they can take to proceed in the game. The warrior’s path will encourage combat with the local monsters and brigands, building your riches and skills through conquest. The thief has a less straightforward approach; breaking into houses to steal grandma’s pearls and fencing them for money, while throwing daggers to whittle down your foes. The magic user on the other hand uses an array of spells to zap enemies and challenge the local wizard to a game of wit.

man standing next to centaur creature, centaur's face shown as a close up to the left, centaurs dialog is shown in a dialog box underneath

Spielburg’s citizens have a distinct Germanic naming convention.

As the not-yet-crowned Hero, you start by arriving at the town of Spielburg unbeknownst to you that you are part of a local prophecy: from the East will arrive a Hero, who will save the Baron’s daughter and son from their curses, while also driving away said curse-givers. Since the way out of the valley is blocked by an avalanche, and a traveling merchant just happened to lose a magic carpet to the local brigands, the direction is clear, and the brigands need to be dealt with.

Most adventure games from this era tease the player with tiresome pixel hunting and incredulous item combinations, but Quest for Glory has replaced this padding with combat and skills. The forest is filled with danger, and when attacked, you can conquer your foes by slashing, stabbing, dodging, or casting spells.

character at a forest road swinging a dagger at a goblin reeling backwards, two other goblins stand behind the first goblin, combat ui elements shown in the top left, top right and bottom right

Combat against goblins using a dagger-wielding Thief character. The on-screen combat actions can be used if the keyboard’s numeric keypad proves difficult to use.

Your starting class equips you with certain equipment and allocates some skills, you can also add different skills to enable scaling walls or casting spells outside their favored classes. Skills gain levels from usage, so spending five minutes climbing a tree will teach you a lot about climbing, just like how stabbing dozens of goblins will teach you the fine art of weapon use.

While Quest for Glory does not follow the developers’ naming convention due to unlucky trademarking issues, it shares the same type of humor as the developer’s Quest games. Dying is normal and sometimes quite enjoyable since the death screens are usually accompanied by unique art and a little verbal jab at your actions. Multiple save files are a must, especially since some actions can have surprising consequences, such as one point where the game became unbeatable due to me being a thieving dirtbag.

player character standing in a forest, forest area has rocks and bushes, eight goblin corpses are positioned around the area

Hero or Goblin Slayer?

Quest for Glory exists in two different versions; the original CGA version wears a glaring color palette and a text prompt approach relying on you to write down actions you want to take, and the remade VGA version has more enjoyable visuals and an easier point-and-click interface. The VGA version also includes an easy-to-use dialogue tree, helping you glean the more important information from the various characters found in and around Spielburg. Beating the game not only makes you a hero but also gives you a completed save file. This file enables you to continue your journey into the sequel, allowing you to truly experience a personal Quest for Glory by completing all five games!

Publisher: Sierra On-Line
Developer: Sierra On-Line
Platforms: MS-DOS, Windows
Release Date: 1992 (VGA remake)
Genres: Adventure, Role-playing, Fantasy
PEGI: Not rated (12 recommended by the author)

Photos: Screenshots from Quest for Glory: So You Want To Be a Hero (Sierra On-Line 1992), taken by the author

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Nicolas Boucht

A game enjoyer interested in the educational potential of games, enthralled by simulations, adventure, and role-playing games. Aiming to figure out what makes them tick all the right boxes and painting a cohesive picture on the allure of games.

#Adventure #retro #Point-and-click #role-playing