Ever since the Quest for Glory series ended with Dragon Fire, I dreamt of a new QfG game being released one day. When the first Kickstarter for Hero-U was announced, I was delighted. Even though the game took far, far longer to be completed than initially anticipated, it is everything I hoped for as a fan of Lori and Corey Cole's earlier games. While some elements are extremely true to their previous games, including the humour and characterisation, and certain gameplay elements, which will please rusted on fans, the game feels fresh, with elements of the Sims and games like Pillars of Eternity thrown in. One really cool hangover from the early QfG games is the fact that it is actually possible to pass the game without killing anything! This highlights the fact that this game is a genuine RPG, in that there are so many ways to tackle the adventure An interesting dimension of the game is the parallels to Harry Potter. When I read the Potter books I alway felt that one way or another they shared DNA with the QfG series- the obvious fantasy themes, of course, but also the humour and sensibility of the books. I always thought a game in which players explore and attend Hogwarts would have been fantastic- but so many of the Potter games were complete duds. This is about the closest there has ever been to a 'Hogwarts simulator'- in fact, while I am absolutely ecstatic to have a new game in Gloriana, one can't help but wonder what this team would be with a Potter license. One disclaimer- I am obviously a hard-core fan of the Coles, so was naturally disposed to like this game- but by the same token, after waiting a couple of decades, it would have been easy to be hugely disappointed. In fact the game has completely exceeded expectations. Old school fans- you will love this. For everyone else- the game may be an acquired taste- but is well worth trying and persevering with, especially if you like RPGs and fantasy (and can tolerate bad puns).
