JackQuest: Tale of the Sword | Review

February 1, 2019 Chris Behrensmeyer

I have always been a fan of retro themed games, no matter what era they are from. So when given the opportunity to play JackQuest: Tale of the Sword, I hopped at the opportunity. At first glance JackQuest is an action-platformer with many metroidvania elements from Blowfish Studios. I am always a fan of these games, but unfortunately for me JackQuest falls flat. You play as a Jack, a young man who’s beloved Nara is kidnapped by a giant green hand in the opening cutscene. So you follow in pursuit trying to save your love interest. As you travel down into the hole you find a sword in the ground that speaks to you and says its name is Kuro. Kuro is a being that has been imprisoned inside the sword by Korg. Korg it turns out is the same person who kidnapped Nara. You and Kuro team up to defeat Korg, in order to free Kuro from the sword and rescue Nara.

Gotta Save That Princess

First and foremost, as you travel along you will note that you have a very low life pool. Two little hearts up in the corner are all you have to start with. You also have three blue gem containers under that, which indicate your energy. You have the ability to perform a spinning sword attack, which can block incoming attacks from enemies as well as damage them. Your character can also perform a dash attack and has a generic attack. Most of the enemies you come across are fairly generic and can be defeated with a couple hits. Balls of slime, bats, and skeletons are some of the first enemies you come across. As with most of these games there are secret areas where you can find additional hearts and energy containers. I had a very difficult time before I gained a larger lifepool. One of the downfalls to JackQuest is that it is difficult to replenish health once you have lost it. Small vials that are random drops only refill half of a heart, so try your best not to get hit.

Each area of the map also has a boss fight, that usually unlocks an item or door that will allow you to progress on your quest. The boss fights I found to be one of the more enjoyable elements of the game. They felt like true-to-form retro-style boss fights, challenging at first. However, once you find a pattern they become much more manageable. Whether it was the Giant Slime or the final showdown with Korg, I enjoyed each boss fight. The ability to find the pattern in boss fights like this is always something I love, especially when the bosses have multiple phases or abilities throughout the fight like in this game.

A Quick Journey

For me the biggest downfall of this game is the map and size of the game itself. The first time through this game, I was able to complete it in less than four hours. Once you finish the game I feel with some practice you would be able to clear the game in less than half of that. I do understand that this is not meant to be a large game, but I felt that just as the game was starting to hit its stride, it ends. It really felt like this game needed a few more bosses and some longer areas to traverse along. Some of the traps along the way were very simple and easy to navigate, and presented almost no challenge. The variety of enemies was also very slim. Other than the bosses, I can only recall ten different monsters in the entire game.

JackQuest: Tale of the Sword can be a fun little game, but it unfortunately does very little to impress. I do like the idea and the style of the game, trying to bring back memories of classic games. If the game had been a little longer it would have been a much more enjoyable experience. I really hope that more games like this come along, mostly because of the nostalgia factor, however a little more sustenance would go a long way.