Hero's Quest/Quest for Glory Retrospective
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The first game, Hero's Quest: So You Want To Be A Hero? (later changed to (Quest For Glory) due to a trademark issue with Hasbro's board game) launched in 1989 and was revolutionary for its day: in a market where the pure adventure game was king , it introduced the concept of the RPG/Adventure hybrid for the first time. Players were able to choose between three character classes (Fighter, Magic User and Thief, with the Paladin added in later games) and could allocate points to different skill sets. Depending on the character's class and the skills at his disposal, the player could find different solutions to the problems posited throughout the game- a novel concept for its time, and one that has always ensured the high re-playability value of the series.
Starting the player in the role of a rookie hero arriving at a land in despair, the game world was rich with backstory and had plenty of challenges for a would-be hero. Adventure games of the day were infamous for off-the wall puzzles with twisted logic solutions and unforgivable death scenes... the puzzles in Hero's Quest, by comparison, were tied to the storyline and had common sense solutions. Death was possible, but it usually came if you did something extremely stupid (such as trying to cast a spell at the two thugs that are holding you at knifepoint in an alleyway) or if you succumbed to monsters in combat due to not thinking about your combat strategy.
Yes, combat true to its roleplaying game roots, the franchise included wandering monsters in the wilderness, and our trusty hero could engage them in combat. How he approached combat, again, depended entirely on his class and skillset, providing a different experience each time. Upon finishing the game and earning the title of Hero of Spielburg, the player could save his or her character to disk, so as to import their characters into the sequel. Players were able to see their character start from a complete amateur to a mighty hero by the end of the series, creating an extra level of attachment to their hero. All of this was extremely innovative in 1989, in a marketplace where most computer RPGs were heavy on the mechanics and very light on story, and adventure games were extremely linear in the stories they told, padded with illogical puzzles. The land of Spielburg, by comparison, was a breath of fresh air and felt alive, vibrant... and, of course, dangerous.
Story-wise, the series distinguished itself for its unabashed heroism, mixing its epic tone with wistful humor. The first Quest For Glory's story arc was the traditional (Young hero comes to a land in need) and served as the launching point for the rest of the series' themes. Set in a standard medieval setting, the creatures and legends are your European high-fantasy standards, though with their own unique twists. However, you get to meet Centaurs and a couple of Katta anthropomorphic felines that suggest other lands with their very distinct populations.
