Repetition. Has it ever been hidden so very well?
Simplicity at its best?
I don't quite know what impulse moved me to the counter with this game in my hand, but for once im pleased I went with my instincts!
The game play is nice and easy, the learning curve is explained well and easy to understand, the visuals are fun and charming, and the greatest achievement is the excellent utilization of the touch screen! Something which is missing in far too many DS releases…
The fortress building schema is something well known to anyone who knows anything about internet flash games. Locks Quest plays on these forms of games and ultimately is a tribute to the excellent design. However, it goes further than any freebies on the interwebs can. The advantage of releasing it on the DS is of course the touch screen, which offers the player a more interactive and subsequently stimulating and more invigorating gaming experience.
This is furthered during the 'battle mode' in which you gain control over Lock and have to manage the battlefield. You normally have a choice between defensive and offensive strategies, or a combination of both. Considering the offensive, you can confront your enemies directly, engaging with special attacks all of which are activated via quick touch screen commands. Or in the defensive perspective, you can work towards maintaining your structures and repairing the damage cause by the ever evil and numerous 'clockworks'. And of course, depending on the objective of the current 'day' you will have to be juggling these alongside several other side missions, such as rescuing hostages...
The 'build mode' which takes place before battle gives you a few short minutes to build your defensives before the day begins. Although there are a few occasions in which its hard to co-ordinate your builds, and determine if they are assembled effectively, generally this interface is easy to use and works well.
The controls are flexible in that they can be both automatic as well as controlled by the player. This allows multitasking without the need to multitask! Which is obviously for all us men out there! For instance; a simple tap on one part of the map sends lock over there, and at the same time you can monitor the advances of the opposing armies, quickly check up on another area, or your defences. However, when the screen has too many objects which can be interacted with (such as multiple enemies and defensive structures) often valuable seconds are wasted by attacking/repairing the wrong enemy/structure, or even attacking an enemy when attempting to repair…
The visuals as I mentioned earlier are best described as charming. There's nothing too complex about them and are certainly not a thing of beauty. However they continue with the simplicity of the games structure and fun, enjoyable nature. To be fair, had they been the quality we see from games developed by the like of square enix, the game would an element of seriousness about it. Something which would go against the loving history of these types of games.
My one main pick at this game is the repetitiveness.
Something I can never quite get over in any game.
It is hidden well.
But it can't be lied about.
It is there.
And unfortunately it is noticeable.
And consequently it is the greatest vice of this game.