After 40 years I finally got around to finishing Spacequest. The ending falls a little bit flat but overall this classic is still well worth playing, especially for us old guys who got frustrated in the 1980s and gave up.
I bought this expecting a diamond in the rough, but it is more like graphite. The game: In the game you play "not exactly" a tavern owner because you also oversee the adventurers while they are on a quest. Maybe a coach? Or?? The game has two phases - run your tavern and oversee the quest. I have a hard time mentally shifting gears between the two, it just seems clunky. Much of the GUI is clunky. But as an indie this can be forgiven. The Tavern: You generally gain more assets by running an upbeat well stocked tavern where you get people drinking and eating. Someone might offer up a new quest or offer to join your team of adventurers. I normally feel more like a waiter than a tavern owner in this phase. You need to fulfill requirements in order to improve your tavern. So if you want an infirmary, that's a quest reward. Some people don't like this, but I don't mind it, at least I start to feel like I have some decisions to make. The Quests: When your people go on quests you go: click, (read) click, (read) click, (read) click... etc. Maybe there is a way to resolve the quests automatically but I haven't noticed it. You pick the quest members from your pool of adventurers. If they get hurt you need to heal them in the tavern phase. Early on they have no equipment and you don't even have a pointy stick to give them... click read click read click read... ugh... My takeaway: Split personality, neither is great. The tavern management system is not all that deep and the adventuring is click, read, click, read, click.. All in all it IS worth checking out, but don't expect much. Still in development so I'm hoping they smooth out the wrinkles and make the content a bit more engaging.
As a long time war gamer I am absolutely blown away by this game. True it has certain elements of RTS games, like how the enemy FOBs are captured, but other elements of this this title turn this into an instant classic. If you like - Cold war history - Real War Games (Old Avalon Hill etc..) - Strategic War Games You can't miss with this baby!
This is a fun twist on RPG and Defence games set in 19th Century Canada. It loses a whole star because I was expecting better story, dialogue and voice acting. History buffs beware, someone tries to "jump" someone <seriously?> and if the werewolves don't get you the clichés will.
