DLC Quest

Developer: Going Loud Studios
Released: Mar 2013
Hours Played: 2
Similar To: 6180 the Moon / Eversion / Out There Somewhere 
Rating: 1/5 Parsnips



GAMEPLAY
DLC Quest is a dinky little platformer that will take you less than an hour to complete and could be completed by an eight year old. It has a 16-bit retro style and is accompanied by a chiptune soundtrack. With plain and straightforward gameplay and a few nerdy jokes thrown in, it's fine to pass the time over a few sessions but don't expect an epic. Apart from left and right movement there are just two actions: attack and jump. It's more of a novelty game with jokes, that's a harmless bit of fun. You start by just being able to move right. You pick up stars and then approach an NPC who turns out to be the shopkeeper. With more coins you then buy the ability to move left, to jump, to hear audio etc.




BALANCE & PACE
More and more abilities (like double-jump and the use of a sword) gradually get introduced and allow you to complete the game. You move at a good speed and journey through the game at just the right pace. The double-jump skill, in particular, is a very welcome ability to purchase. It's really all about leaping around and uncovering every nook and cranny while discovering as many areas of the game as you can. In so doing you pick up the gold coins, the amount of which is displayed in the top left-hand corner, and then purchasing the necessary skill to continue. To mix things up a bit, the developers have thrown in short and simple dialogue boxes that usually contain a little bit of daft humour; something along the lines of..."I have nothing to do with the plot" or "I don't really need that item I made you buy" etc etc.



PRESENTATION & DESIGN
The game begins with a "disclaimer" stating that there is no downloadable content and that all purchases are done with virtual coins. The start screen then gives you the choice of doing two campaigns. On clicking one of the boxes, you're shown a menu screen with a little sheep moving side to side. Awardments is an achievements page that doesn't really work, while the plain but solid Options menu is clear and very stable.

PROGRESS SYSTEM
Leaderboards give the Top 10 best times for those who have completed 100% of the game. There is also a Top 10 for those who have completed the game regardless of 100% completion. This effectively turns the game into a speed-run affair and will certainly suit the more hardcore set of players up for turning the game into more of a challenge. (Apparently, It can be done in less than 6 minutes!) 


 

CONCLUSION

I was not really sure what I was getting into when I first purchased DLC Quest but after giving it a short spin to see if it worked was pleased with what it had to offer. I shut it down and looked forward to playing it at a later date. Then, after researching it a little more and discovering that it can be beaten in one hour, was a bit taken aback. I fired it up, hardly able to believe that it was so short and, yes, finished it in about 40 minutes flat! Such a game while fun, free of frustration and an absolute breeze to play is more of a curiosity and not exactly an essential purchase.