So I was going to do a little review round-up for Lock's Quest, which finally streeted this week. The game's been in my hands for a few days at least, and... nobody's covered it but IGN. Guess you guys have to settle for reading my opinion about it, then.
Lock's Quest is an SNES game, and I mean that in an entirely positive way. The RPGs of the SNES had a certain distinct feel to them. They were ambitious, but still constrained by simple presentation technology. Storylines grew more mature, but still mostly targeted at a younger audience. You could take the results with a straight face, or enjoy on a mostly ironic level. There was world-shattering drama, but it was conveyed entirely with cute super-deformed sprites.
This is not an easy writing style to emulate, and most Western games that try fail. Lock's Quest does not. I get the feeling that about fifteen years from now, this game is going to drive a massive explosion of internet nostalgia. It is the perfect title to put into the hands of a ten-to-twelve-year-old with an active imagination. It is also a perfect title to put in the hands of a 16-bit nostalgic, like me.
Of course, catering to mere nostalgia does not make a good game, and Lock's Quest does not fall into that trap. For one, the entire genre it's emulating here - Tower Defense-style RTS - would be pretty much impossible on a retro controller. The interface is DS touchscreen use at its finest, intuitive and simple. The combat system is actually very balanced in a way that SNES games very rarely were. It encourages both aggressive and defensive play, rewarding you as much for repairing walls as you are for fighting. There's genuine off-the-rails freedom in how you solve problems.
Perhaps best of all, Lock's Quest is great because it was made in America, and that means black people exist. Seriously, your first major NPC is a black archineer named Isaiah. As a result of virtually every major SNES RPG coming out of culturally homogenous Japan... well, are there any major 16-bit RPGs where black people exist? Earthbound has Mr. T, but no other black people. Secret of Evermore had black people, but... was also developed in the US.
There are other little things distinctly American about Lock's Quest that are wonderful besides the presence of varying levels of melanin in the characters. Lock gets to have more personality than his Japanese counterpart ever would, and some particularly hilarious expressions in his portrait art. The dialogue is largely sharp and witty, self-aware in a way that hidebound Japanese RPGs won't let themselves be. It doesn't descend into snark, though, which keeps it from becoming something only an old nostalgic like me could enjoy.
There are lots of mini-games that break up the main action of building and fighting, but they are generally streamlined and integrated into the overall goals you're pursing, rather than being extraneous things like snowboarding or chocobo breeding. You play little mini-games to research new technology and to speed up the rate of repair on walls. You play a little tapping game to use combo attacks, and to use Locke's super moves. Individual battles are short but deep, perfect for a mobile distraction.
I'm not too far into the main game due to competing deadlines, more's the pity, but already I can tell I'm playing something extraordinary. A season of big games is coming up on us, but don't overlook a little gem like Lock's Quest in the rush to play your Rock Band 2s and Force Unleasheds. This is a game that is obviously well-designed, and was so obviously made by people who really cared about the quality of the final product. There aren't many games at all, from anywhere, that you can say that about.
