I just love because it was the first game after Pokemon that made me understand RPG mechanics. Tried to play it again on an emulator years later. It was an absolute mess lol
I like how the game can be played as a dungeon crawler, since you don't actually have to talk to anyone beyond entering the Blue Cave and the final dungeon. It's easy to figure out where you need to go just from the map. A "talk to every NPC in town until one does the thing to advance plot" system would've been a nightmare with the game's awful camera and flood of vacant housing. The French Vanilla romhack is a great way to enjoy this game today. It reduces the encounter rate, buffs spells not named Avalanche, and lets you carry duplicate item drops.
The beauty of Quest 64 is that the people who say they don't like it, didn't actually play it. They tried to do the same thing they do with every game nowadays. Rush to the end, just to say they 'beat the game'. But for those kinds of people who choose not to interact with the world, they are punished with boredom and repetition. They're so focused on getting their next hit of dopamine that they can't stop to enjoy the world around them.
Not to mention that your staff power is based on how many spirits you have altogether. By the late game, you can practically melee your way to victory.
for me i have i miss praticly 25 spirit and do just around 170-200 dmg whit staff bost like 350-400 that insane best att praticly better that any element
Got to admit. I’m impressed with all the work you’ve done with Quest 64. I never would’ve thought anyone would give this game this type of attention. So great work. Really.
I've been playing Quest 64 again, and watching a buncha Quest 64 reviews. I like to dream that, maybe there is a world where Quest isn't rushed and has all of the assets these ambitious devs envisioned.
I love Quest 64, too. Thanks for doing an in-depth analysis. You covered everything brilliantly! I love it for the sense of adventure with the varying level designs. I absolutely love the music. It's so catchy that it never leaves your head even after decades. Not everyone is always in the mood for an exhaustive rpg. This one I can pick up and enjoy. Playing it years later, I'm finding myself impressed with the combat system. It's no doubt quite unique.
I rather enjoyed Quest 64, the elemental mixing aspect of combat was quite intriguing. Most games just have single-purpose spells but with Quest you were pretty much building your own spells on-the-fly, Magicka comes to mind as not many other games offer that capability. Excellent reviews so far, looking forward to the next one :)
Thank you so much for taking the time to check this out and comment!!! I remember playing Magicka for the first time years ago and having similar feelings, I wish there were more games out there that incorporated a similar system. It seemed to me that Quest handled it clumsily but at least the groundwork for a great idea was there. The next video is still being workedo n, just focusing on some big things going on with my job that I'm wrapping up next week, I hope you stay tuned and enjoy the future videos! Thanks again!
I played this game as a very young kid, having zero experience with the role-playing genre. I really liked the game-outside of the frustration of having to figure out the defense stat was increased via allowing myself to get hit. If I'd played it already being familiar with a series like Final Fantasy or something, I don't think I'd have enjoyed this game at all.
Yeah it was designed in a way where you don’t have to pay attention to stat increases as you’ll just eventually get stronger even if you keep losing battles. The focus on progression is finiding spirits and increasing the elements magic.
I just wanna say, as someone who has quest 64, but only played it briefly when I rented it as a child, this series is a delight. I truly appreciate the passion, and cannot wait for what you have in store for this game and others.
Ah, it's the time of the year to be obsessed about this game again. Currently replaying it on my phone and I'm getting to the end, I can never get enough of it. You made some great videos about it, I really craved more information about the troubled development and the lore of the game and finding your series kept me invested when I should have gone to sleep haha. Really looking forward to the rest! And parroting what many other said: You definitely need more views!
Thank you so much for the kind words!!! I can't wait to put out the next video and hear what you think!! ( Sorry for the videos keeping you up when you should be sleeping though lol :) )
Great series. Something you didn’t mention but I think you’d like to know about Imagineer is that February 1997 saw Imagineer going public with 800,000 shares attempting to find shareholders to raise approximately $43.4 million for N64 development including Eltale. Many of their Japanese releases were delayed during this time. Using Nintendo's 1997 Space World Guide book for original dates, 64 Detective Team slipped from March 1998 to October 1998, Snow Speeder from March 1998 got delayed to December 1998, Fighter's Destiny for January 1998 was delayed to December 1998, and finally King of Pro Baseball 2 which was scheduled for January 1998 was delayed to March 1999. Part of this had to possibly due with Genki, who normally only released 3 games per year, jumping up to a whopping 6 releases in 1998, several for Imagineer. Eventually in March 1999 the Nikkei Newspaper reported that Imagineer was expecting a loss 1,010,000,000 Yen ($8.5 million) by the end of that month, indicating that throughout 1998 Imagineer wasn't doing well with their N64 releases, possibly a result of having too much in development at once which likely resulted in behind the scene restructures and priority changes that halted production of various games. Of course the US versions of games like Fighters Destiny and Quest 64 were released way earlier than their Japanese counterparts likely because THQ and Ocean had withstanding release dates which they wouldn’t allow to budge, but for Quest it seems it was the biggest victim with the most lost from being cut short. Around this time many projects were also cancelled, like a sequel to Quest 64 and Desert Island. That’s just on the N64 side as well, I can only imagine the hell Imagineer had in their other console/online divisions around this same time. Also just something from my point of view, If Quest 64 had any positive impact on the N64 as a whole, it was that its sales success allowed H2O Entertainment's Aidyn Chronicles to be released. Had THQ not published Aidyn Chronicles, it's very likely that game would have never been picked up by any other publisher and would have been cancelled and possibly lost to history, so Quest 64 giving THQ faith in the RPG genre was a small blessing which unknowingly helped several unrelated projects come into existence. Aidyn Chronicles is another flawed RPG which personally I think is better than Quest 64 on ambition and a technical and game design level, but that’s too long of a thing to explain in 1 comment. Also in many ways it is the exact opposite of Quest 64, Quest Easy Linear Short (can easily be done in like 4 hours) No stat manipulation, gear, money, or stores Japanese style and pretty basic writing Aidyn Pretty hard Open world not very linear Long as hell like 100 hours Tons stats manipulation, gear, money, and stores. Most complex N64 RPG mechanics Western RPG style art and more adult writing and tone Almost wonder how people would react if their release dates magically switched places, if Aidyn would been the N64 game everyone anticipated and bought during the RPG drought. Had Quest 64 release anywhere other than “1st RPG after 20 months of N64 having 0 RPGs” it likely would have been even more lost to history. Timing really had everything to do with Quest’s reception and place in history, but there’s a million ways this game can be educational. From a game design level, a cautionary level of how things can fall apart during development, how an underrepresented genre can impact the entire legacy of a system like N64, and how companies like THQ, Imagineer, and Konami treated the whole thing as it happened. It’s all too much for any one person to ever cover, but you did a huge chunk more than many people did so thumbs up from me. Your videos were so good, I didn’t even have to play the game again to remember my opinions from the last time I played years ago. That’s what good research does, saves time for other people so they can do other things with it instead of spending so much time just trying to piece together the (rather obscure in this instance) basics of the games creation and layout.
This is a *huge* breakthrough of information for me and I'm sure many others, I would love to keep you credited for bringing this to my attention, I cannot thank you enough for this piece of the puzzle I've never known!!! Is there any source I can find that's available online I can cite this from? Thank you so much for taking the time to comment this as well as drawing lines between Quest and Aidyn. That is another game I plan on writing a comprehensive review for as well and your analysis really has motivated me to do this now more than ever! I apolgozie for the short reply, It's 5 AM where I live and I'm in bed but I'm so happy I checked this!
Lvl Jake www.ign.com/articles/1997/01/17/imagineer-shares-to-fund-new-games www.ign.com/articles/1999/03/04/imagineer-slows-down There are the 2 links talking about Imagineer’s shares situation. Of courses it’s an IGN report quoting a newspaper, So I’ll just have to assume based off Imagineer’s actions taken in 1999 that these reports were true. Imagineer announced after this whole money loss that they were planning to work on straightforward ports of successful titles to other systems, as well as Game Boy games, but it would only create N64 titles that it expects to sell reasonable amounts in both the domestic and the foreign markets. Their later N64 releases prove this philosophy change with sequels to more successful titles like Rally Challenge 2000 (sequel to MRC), Fighter Destiny 2, Zool (another kids oriented RPG similar to Quest 64) arcade racer GT64, and Big Mountain 2000 which was trying to capitalize on the popular snowboard racing games. Though all those games were already in development when Imagineer made that announcement anyway, at least they decided not to cancel them. By the way If you ever do Aidyn Chronicles let me know, because I’ve been writing a book the past 3 years which has a chapter on Aidyn Chronicles I’ve been dying to share anyway but I have no ability or time to make videos. Plus I have links and interviews and info that would save you a ton of time. I love that game to death. Really unfortunate I’ve never really seen any Imagineer employees interviewed anywhere on Japanese sites, makes their history a little difficult to piece together but I have a decent timeline of the N64 era stuff since I’ve beaten almost all their games
Lvl Jake oh and by the way if you want it, there’s this. You can check the other quarter reports for more Quest 64 mentions, but the first quarter it released in US was very good. And something to note is THQ loved releasing games early to meet certain quota. WCW NWO World Tour released early in the US as well compared to the JP Version Virtual Pro Wrestling 64, because THQ didn’t want to miss the November holiday season. At the time, many games were being delayed due to Nintendo’s cartridge production factory hold ups. For example Fighters Destiny was set for December 1997 in the US, but got delayed to January 1998, which was a huge blow for Imagineer and they lost a lot of sales because of it. Quest 64 released June 11th, so in like 3 weeks it managed to make over $13 million for THQ. sec.report/Document/0000950148-98-002007/ “The Company's net sales increased 139% to $29,325,000 in the three months ended June 30, 1998, from $12,265,000 in the same period of 1997, as a result of significantly higher unit sales per title shipped and increased demand for previously released Titles. For the three months ended June 30, 1998, net sales of Quest 64, (the Company's second Nintendo 64 title), WCW vs. NWO for the Nintendo 64, WCW Nitro for the Sony PlayStation, World Cup 98 for the Game Boy, and The Granstream Saga for the Sony PlayStation were $13,547,000 (46.2% of the net sales), $3,742,000 (12.8% of net sales) $3,096,000 (10.6% of net sales), $2,627,000 (9.0% of net sales), and $2,132,000 (7.3% of net sales), respectively”
It’s the constant loud footsteps no matter what ground you’re on, I swear Brian is running in heels on marble floors. Although at the time I was playing while having four small kittens sleeping on me.
If this game had customization, character class selection, full inventory item equip, better currency, and trading; I would be all over this game probably. I feel like RPG games like these should be created from the inside out first. What I mean by this is to take care of all of the guts of the game first, like even just focusing on gameplay mechanics is important. If you start with the story first I think it just becomes too overwhelming. While, if you start off with a good base firstly, then I think it's easier to build a creative story line around a fantastic foundation. Rather than trying to support a fantastic story with a potentially frail foundation. I also realize that this is completely subjective to me too and also biased.... but I just feel like the bulk of rpg fans really value these things. Don't get me wrong either, any element of any game done horribly can completely ruin it for some people. I just think that more thought and time could have been put into some of these games like Quest or even Aidyn Chronicles... .. Although I will admit that I am absolutely impressed with the quality and uniqueness.... they just needed a bit more....to become complete.
This video is pretty well thought out and I agree with all of the points you made. When I played quest at a young age I would always find myself dying from the combat. With the frequent battles too I would constantly exhaust my few healing items and I had no idea on how to obtain more. It probably didn't help too that I always upgraded fire or earth first because I thought they were cooler, so I had no idea that upgrading water would unlock a healing spell. I have never made it past the forest before, but maybe I will try again sometime with this new knowledge.
When I was a kid I had four different play files where I solely leveled up each of the elements to the exclusion of the others. Needless to say I never got very far, because as you say, the healing spell is absolutely necessary! Also my favorite element was wind. RIP.
All the little bits where you can just TELL there was supposed to be more content always hurt a little. Not getting to fight through the Blue Cave with Leila, no teamup with Leonardo in Brannoch... NO FIGHT AGAINST SHANNON AT THE GATE TO MAMMON'S LAIR WHERE SHE PUTS HER LIFE ON THE LINE AGAINST BRIAN IN HER STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND THE DESIRE TO BE HUMAN AGAINST THE PURPOSE OF HER CREATION. (And no secret boss fight against Lavaar) I still love it, jank and all. Spells just had cool variety, even though some were just so good it made others irrelevant, and others were just plain useless(LMAO Wind Bomb, rofl Homing Arrows). I hear Wind Cutter was absolutely jank-busted-OP in the GBC game. Zelse is my favorite boss, Wind Horizon is a seriously awesome spell.
Gonna be honest... I only like the game for the music as a kid. Now listening to it, all I feel is nostalgia. Can't believe I've finished the game without going nuts and no guide to help. I've leveled my water magic often because it was the support magic and that walking water magic helped a lot when getting ganked.
I remember my first playthrough trying to level up every element equally. Huge mistake. Kudos to you for making it through without a guide that's awesome. The soundtrack is def amazing
The biggest gripe i have is the connections throughout the game route that serves no purpose. After Solverign, there is a forest before you board the ship to Larapool. This forest has an access point to Blue cave. At this point, its flooded with water so you're forced to larapool. Cull hazard has an alternate route to get you to the city by Boiling hole, but again, its not open when you first reach it. All of these routes are only accessible once you reach the location from the other end, but there's no benefit to doing it. No extra lore, no extra spirits, or items. It seems like they intended short cuts or back tracking, so i guess i can only speculate.
This is the kinda game I fear I’d make. An incredibly built world deep with lore, real world/historical symbolism, finely chosen music and visuals to set the vibe and theme… but then I’d have no story to tell in that world.
I agree that big mistake of the developers is the lack of trading system and currency and maybe fix the caves and other dungeons (the cave to normoon is long and extensive with no real goal to cross because you have no other choice and...Shamwood: to a player without directions, is a big hole of nothing who easily skip it, but shamwood is a big part of lore who explain almost everything). But If you talk with every npc in the game and enjoy the "spirit" of the game, you finally enjoy it. the fight system is awesome and the lore is hidden and cool, i missed a sequel that explained and explored beyond Celtland. I think the designers wanted that but it didn't happen. I hope someday someone will rescue this game concept and remake it. I think it deserves it
Very well put how the game gives you these qualities on opposite sides of the spectrum, right there with you. Your take on how the intoduction / tutorial area is handled is interesting, I always liked how for replaying the game you could jump right in and get moving right away. I think what hurt it was the timing, coming off the snes greats where it was important to talk to everyone to a game where you could pretty much ignore everyone was strange even though I appreciate the hands off approach they took. Same deal with items and shops, I was really thrown off with how you didn't have that progression of coming to a new town and gearing up with a new set of items, though I still like having that piece be so straightforward since you didn't have to worry about it (though I was always super paranoid about the warp items, they could make part of the game much smoother with being able to warp back and forth between certain towns, so if you accidentally use them it could force you into some obnoxious mid game backtracking). Also like I was saying in the other comment, wind / fire is the combo I endorse, at least once you are familiar and know what you are getting into, let go of the crutch of healing and avalanche, embrace the evasion spells and staff bonks, they are the true LEET strats :p (just be mindful of item usage, don't go wasting all your loafs of bread or whatever they were).
LMAO I'm def gonna try pro gamer wind / fire my next playthrough then!! You're def right though it was old school appeal at a pretty bad time when everything was about the next step forward. I also liked how if you knew what to expect you could jump right in like you were saying!
I sincerely appreciate you doing this video…. dunkey level detail, and youre focusing on a game most people have forgotten about. Thank you thank you thank you. Liked and subscribed!
I feel like if you grew up on Dragon Quest like I did, this game is alot more fun. Problem is most people were expecting another Zelda OOT even though this game came out first. Really love Quest 64.
When I played It back then It was a wonder. I was just a kid enjoying a beautiful adventure and I was deeply immersed in the world. Thanks for the in depth review!
Let’s face it: has this game come out on PS1 no one would remember it. This less than mediocre game only got notoriety because it was the only RPG in the entire N64 library for years while fans on PS1 were drowning in choices.
My personal sentiment is that Quest still does enough to have garnered a lasting interest, much that it does now, although it wouldn't have continued to be as lambasted because of the N64s limited representation of RPGs. I don't think you'd have the same amount of people talking about it for sure, but it would still have a (very) small cult-following.
I was excited for this game but extremely disappointed. I had already played FF7, so this was really limited by comparison. I remember being frustrated by the lack of shop items; you would be handed free bread and that's about it. No party system and far fewer spells made this a wannabe JRPG dud.
After watching the Completionist and having a memory of this game that stretches back to when it was new, I knew I had to give it another shot (I believe as a kid I made it to the Blue Cave, saw the damage the enemies were doing and probably replayed FFII SNES again, haha!) As a full grown adult, playing through the game in a mostly blind way, avoiding the "easy path" (not getting Magic Guard, but more balanced stats, ending with 34 for each element at game's end), being very conservative with my items, I had a genuine blast! Yes, the Blue Cave goes on for several eternities, but the game before and after that managed to keep my attention up until the end, as much as I could see cut content around every corner and a clear lack of complex programming skill, for all of its flaws, the game has an undeniable charm. I look forward to watching this series.
I played it back in the day and I enjoyed it, however looking it back I can recognize that it was a bad game, possibly because it was rushed. It had some cool concepts(like the way of dodging in the combat), the controls felt nice and the environments were very good, but it just feels empty in so much aspects. Specially the fact that the NPCs cannot walk makes very notorious how rushed this game was.
By the sound of things, Quest 64 wasn't 100% complete during development and its all because of a deadline or something. It could've been so much more if they had all the time they needed to implement every idea they wanted. Sadly that wasn't the case. Oh well, its still a fine game. Its only overlooked due to its flaws but I don't think that makes it a bad game. To me a bad game is something that can't be played due to bad controls and/or awful gameplay. Anyways I enjoyed your Quest 64 videos, their very interesting and informative which I think is nice.
I loved this as a kid lol. One BIG thing nobody appreciates is figuring out how to move in order to avoid enemy spells. As a kid I didnt know about the damage negating shield so I had to rely on learning enemy attacks and how to avoid every one. It was very fun. I also didnt knwo english so my imagination took over the storytelling lol.
The game had great concepts, beautiful music, and some gorgeous set pieces. Otherwise the game is bad. Clearly incredibly unfinished game. If this had another year or two of development, it could have rivaled some of the other masterpiece RPGs. As a kid I couldn't wait for this to run out, but even then I know it was less than half baked. I do wish there were some RPGs that came after that were inspired by some Quest 64 concepts.
Based on me playing, I was mainly a fire guy. But, I also thought the Winds to be the coolest. So, my build was basically more around Fire, Water, and Wind with Earth taking the backseat the most
Not sure why most people hated this game. Sure it didn't have a multi party system, ect. but it was so cute and fun. I played through it multiple times as a teenager.
@@LvlJake your quite welcome. I have actually seen your other videos and I really enjoyed them. Quest 64 may not have been the best in terms of gameplay (but it's actually really good in its simplicity), but the story and setting behind it was solid and intriguing.
@@ManofMystery89 I agree, I feel like the simple combat compliments the fast-paced encounters. My only real gripe is the enemy AI can be frustratingly dumb. I absolutely love the setting as well though, and the lore is great to sink your teeth into. Thank you a million times over for checking out the other videos as well, so happy there are other Quest 64 fans out there. 😭
Agreed and agreed, this rpg is iconic to my childhood, I enjoyed the simplicity but yet the innovative real time combat that integrated tactics and strategy, and at the time for my brother and I no different than Pokemon, and art style and story appropriate for the age we were, the ideal transition from Pokemon for us, we spent countless hours illustrating the various characters and places of quest 64, we enjoyed the journey together my brother and I.... and what has been noted..what the game lacked...we found it as realism, and made us more determine to overcome, taking turns and waking each other up when we overcame a certain stage...which reminded us of the few games we played on the snes...and then we were even younger and New Horizons and Mickeys Magical Quest the two snes games we played more often, I never knew this until I watched these videos... but it seems with the games previews from magazines early on..and the expectations set...from some of the clippings older kids...teens, etc...and if they were to please those on PC...like my much older cousins in their 20s...I think in that sense..this game is a disappointment, but if seen thru a younger gameboy pokemon audience, this game is a perfect addition to the Nintendo 64 Library, and for my brother and I we experienced and consumed this game like pokemon, if marketed as such....stickers...cards..and various animations ..thats the type of feel this game had for me...and for my brother and I we spent hours journaling and illustrating when it came to Quest 64...but like I said..we were around the age of ten and my brother even younger...and as such...years later...my brother and I have reintroduced this game to our children...which with the N64 you can do...like you can for the snes...there are certain games...like disney..pixar..and dreamworks..relevent for every generation...but then my brother and I absolutely consumed Flying Dragon and Rush 2049...and we got our stepbrother in on Rush...(there is a level of biasness) so this defines part of our childhood...and as for the person making this video review....love what you are doing...
I find your review fair and comprehensive and in many ways am in agreement. However Quest 64 has been a favorite of both my brother and I, along with Ogre Battle 64, Aidyn Chronicles, New Horizons, and the Legend of Dragoon.for many years and still even to this day. It is for this reason, Quest 64 utilizes elements of what is most familiar of 2d top down rpgs and seamlessly integrates with that of 3d design but still maintaining the aesthetics of previous console rpgs. Further the art style and design is charming, where each destination is worth exploring and the music composition further immerses you into the experience and environment. I found the game very difficult and challenging, as such adding realism to the journey, one truly would have to plan accordingly. There is much to explore and strategize, and I played through it, no different than a children's storybook, and as such have fond memories with my brother during late nights, and being that we were children, we truly were fearful of what had to be overcome in Quest and the many areas that had to be explored. In conclusion, the relevance....... the N64 has become an iconic retro console and this game holds value. I think children should experience the N64, and this would be an age appropriate rpg. To me this is what makes the 2ds and 3ds so recommendable, and for children what the N64 did very well, it did very well. But then I am being biased as I have used my Xbox One as a media unit and my Nintendo Switch as my main gaming console. At this point I have several swtiches and likewise my brother of which our children enjoy, his the ages of 8 and 12 and mine age 1 and 2, and to this day we still do local couch play on our retro N64. And seeing Indie developers and mobile gaming, I think the art style of Quest 64 as in what it did well and when it did well, will never be outdated, just like a childrens storybook, or youtube channels adapted for small children, with that being said I am giving away 5 nintendo switches with labo kits to 5 middle schools, and at the event raffling off two nintendo switch lites, this is all taking place at a book store, so..... full circle, Nintendo... is like Disney in that context... and as such I find value, even in a controversial rpg, like Quest 64.... I will be browsing your other videos, but do appreciate the care you took in this endeavor too often Quest like Aidyn or Ogre Battle is dismissed entirely.
I loved reading your analysis and as another lover of Quest 64, thank you so much for taking the time to check out my videos but also letting me know your personal feelings and views of the game. Quest 64 is amazing and deserves more love!
@@LvlJake indeed, sometimes we dismiss the culture and impact, do not misunderstand I also love new media, I think that is why the Nintendo Switch for too many has become a well balanced console, in many ways you can now experience Nintendo in all its context, and reviews like this can encourage indie developers to take risks and bring retro elements to modern gaming, tactics and strategy besides stylized combat....
there is a custom rom of Quest64 with a "hard mode" - a lot of new spells and a complete rebalancing. It's quite well done and improves the gameplay of the base game by a large margin.
11:30 ...Really?! Oh that is so silly! I thought item drops were just stupidly rare, that kind of takes away from the excitement a tad. Though it may make me not so miserly in their use, hmm... I guess it's a double-edged sword. 18:00 Glad to hear Dun Lorieag in the background! Always nice to see a fan of dot hack. Oh this is part 4, eh...? Maybe I should check out the other parts.
This is just good enough to not be complete trash. They should Give this game another go on the Switch. Not a remake, but a new game using similar mechanics. This could've been a great game but it was clearly unfinished.
@@LvlJake I could imagine rebooting this game as a series would be a fun project. Give more back story (give us a reason to care about Bartholomew or a real incentive to stop Mammon), clean up the battle system and maybe introduce party characters.
I wonder who owns the IP rights to Quest 64? THQ published the game here in the west but I’m not sure if the IP is dead due to lack of care or failure by sales? We may never know. :/
Imagineer wholly owns the Copyright still, with Sunsoft being the most recent publisher for NA on the gameboy titles that can after THQ's publishing of the 64 title. Considering Imagineer/Imaginia didn't make any mention to Quest in the timeline in their companies history, I'd say they've totally trashed the IP. Excellent question, thank you for taking the time to comment! :)
100% absolutely yes. The final two videos have been collecting dust, my last day at work before my vacation is today so I plan on writing and editing the next few days since I'm completely free. It would have been done so much sooner but the story section has proven to be very challenging, I cant even tell you how many times I've re-written the script now. I'm so thankful you've waited it out though, I hope I deliver something you really enjoy!!!
@@LvlJake Hey Mr Jake (And anybody who is interested) I've just started a Quest 64 Group on Deviant Art called Quest64Fans. I'm trying to gather Quest 64 fans to join up and I was wondering if your interested. Naturally all my fanfictions are posted on the group with more to come. Anyway just thought I'd tell you.
Just wondering, but, did you also play Aidyn Chronicles? If so, any chance for an analysis/review? Aidyn is as much underappreciated as Quest64, and shares alot of similarities. Would love to see your thoughts on that, if you decided to do a video on it.
If you reccomend it I absolutely will! I have watched reviews of it but never played it myself, when I finish my two series I already recorded for I'll start putting something together for that!!
@@LvlJake it's a divisive game, honestly. Most people that play it, either hate or love it. I am part of the second group, and i can say that besides some flaws here and there, there's alot to love. Books where you can read lore, different cutscenes depending on the party members, a battle system that is influenced by the day/night cycle, dialogue trees. It's almost like an elder scrolls game on the n64.
I did! Some of my clips look better than others because I modified my project 64 settings toward the end of my recording. If you'd ever like to know what my settings were just let me know. : )
@@LvlJake ok i see. By the way, theres another obscure n64 game id like seeing a similar video like this for, its Mystical Ninja. I think its an action rpg , but im not sure. Maybe look into it. Heres a link th-cam.com/video/2mY6RHENXww/w-d-xo.html
Worst game I bought as a teenager,second worst game I bought was sword of the berzerk guts rage on dreamcast,please try to make that game seem good lol
Watching this video I was thinking maybe I missed something because I've been a huge rpg and jrpg nerd forever,like I cleared the SNES and ps1 catalog of classics that were available back in the day,but after this I went and just watched a gameplay video and it seems as bad as I remember, if you never played guts rage check it out at least, it's the worst beat em up I've ever played to this day
So you start by talking about plot critical gaps in the story. Your defense is to talk about how you could skip NPC's who flesh things out. OK cool. Excited to see your examples. The first example is someone reiterating EXTREMELY basic info in Brian's dads letter. The second guy is a glorified throwaway tutorial line about using the staff as a weapon. Neither of these adds anything other than bog standard info we already know based on the intro and instruction manual. It's odd to go to these to make the point that NPC's offer interesting and engaging dialogue that could improve player investment. "You can also find power ups and items" The opening of the game tells you, "Search every corner, find a few power-ups and talk to 35 different NPCs because a couple of them might give you interesting info. Travel down some empty staircases, too." That's not much of an engaging opening. Luckily they make some of it optional. "Some of the NPCs have different faces which convey emotion" Wait what!? That was seriously your whole defense for "don't skip NPCs. They'll tell you really crucial info which adds to the game." You showed a child saying he isn't afraid to fight monsters, a guy telling you your staff can be a weapon and a guy telling you what you already know about Brian's dad. Then you move on to facial expressions? As for the expressions. It's not like they're dynamic. They NPCs who have an expression. It's nice. I appreciated seeing it but it didn't fix the lack of engaging characters.
TBH I don't care much for this game. The encounter rate is ridiculous, the level up system is dumb and never made sense. Also the abilities aren't very good. I saw projared's video on this game and he made allot of good points. But If you guys like it thats completely fine
Does anybody remember 5N@F before the 'TH-camrs' got to it? When people talked about it, they'd say things like "It's kinda like middle school, you sit in your chair, aren't allowed to move, and everyone randomly yells at you for no reason." or complaints about how it should take power to keep your doors closed. Then MatPat went and read every newspaper clipping, or whatever and presented the game's actual lore as a new "theory"? Which is something he does quite often, his theories are either objectively false, or he's just presenting evidence as it is given in game, and everyone praises him for figuring out that Mario 3 was a stage play... he somehow missed all the interviews where Miyamoto announced that all the Mario characters are "an acting troop" and all Mario games are canonically fake (like how the Muppets are shows/movies about making those same shows/movies). Anyhow, all I am saying, is that if he announced all the lore already present in the base game, or even if he ripped off these videos _Christopher "Irate Gamer" Bores_ style, then everyone would love the story.
I just wanted to mention this. This game was ultimately unfinished. If I had to guess, they wanted an RPG on the N64 so badly, this game became a rush job. Originally, there were meant to be 3 playable characters. Chances are, they probably wanted to add more to the game overall, even regards to story.
That's true, if you're ever interested in learning more on the games development and it's earlier versions I did an entire video on it here th-cam.com/video/A-DhgwOmuLc/w-d-xo.html . Thanks for watching and commenting!
I've been playing Quest 64 again, and watching a buncha Quest 64 reviews. I like to dream that, maybe there is a world where Quest isn't rushed and has all of the assets these ambitious devs envisioned.
@@zacziggarot There is a single fan on twitter that seems to be remaking the game on Unity. And he's made AMAZING progress but ... considering it's only a one man project, it'd probably he years before he finishes. (He's only gotten up to Dondoran.)
![BOWKYLION - วิงวอน (ex-change) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLdnZWDaO-w/mqdefault.jpg)
It is only through obsessive autism and being too poor to afford any other game that you can truly appreciate this title.
I just love because it was the first game after Pokemon that made me understand RPG mechanics. Tried to play it again on an emulator years later. It was an absolute mess lol
I like the game despite having played ff6 and chronno trigger and completing them. Maybe im easy to satisfy
This comment 😂😂😂 yes exactly
@@mucktown have you tried emulating it recently? Even my potato phones can run it.
I like how the game can be played as a dungeon crawler, since you don't actually have to talk to anyone beyond entering the Blue Cave and the final dungeon. It's easy to figure out where you need to go just from the map. A "talk to every NPC in town until one does the thing to advance plot" system would've been a nightmare with the game's awful camera and flood of vacant housing.
The French Vanilla romhack is a great way to enjoy this game today. It reduces the encounter rate, buffs spells not named Avalanche, and lets you carry duplicate item drops.
The beauty of Quest 64 is that the people who say they don't like it, didn't actually play it. They tried to do the same thing they do with every game nowadays. Rush to the end, just to say they 'beat the game'. But for those kinds of people who choose not to interact with the world, they are punished with boredom and repetition. They're so focused on getting their next hit of dopamine that they can't stop to enjoy the world around them.
Not to mention that your staff power is based on how many spirits you have altogether. By the late game, you can practically melee your way to victory.
for me i have i miss praticly 25 spirit and do just around 170-200 dmg whit staff bost like 350-400 that insane best att praticly better that any element
Got to admit. I’m impressed with all the work you’ve done with Quest 64. I never would’ve thought anyone would give this game this type of attention. So great work. Really.
Thank you so much for the sincere compliment, that means a ton to me.
I've been playing Quest 64 again, and watching a buncha Quest 64 reviews.
I like to dream that, maybe there is a world where Quest isn't rushed and has all of the assets these ambitious devs envisioned.
I love Quest 64, too. Thanks for doing an in-depth analysis. You covered everything brilliantly!
I love it for the sense of adventure with the varying level designs. I absolutely love the music. It's so catchy that it never leaves your head even after decades.
Not everyone is always in the mood for an exhaustive rpg. This one I can pick up and enjoy.
Playing it years later, I'm finding myself impressed with the combat system. It's no doubt quite unique.
I rather enjoyed Quest 64, the elemental mixing aspect of combat was quite intriguing. Most games just have single-purpose spells but with Quest you were pretty much building your own spells on-the-fly, Magicka comes to mind as not many other games offer that capability. Excellent reviews so far, looking forward to the next one :)
Thank you so much for taking the time to check this out and comment!!! I remember playing Magicka for the first time years ago and having similar feelings, I wish there were more games out there that incorporated a similar system. It seemed to me that Quest handled it clumsily but at least the groundwork for a great idea was there.
The next video is still being workedo n, just focusing on some big things going on with my job that I'm wrapping up next week, I hope you stay tuned and enjoy the future videos! Thanks again!
I played this game as a very young kid, having zero experience with the role-playing genre. I really liked the game-outside of the frustration of having to figure out the defense stat was increased via allowing myself to get hit. If I'd played it already being familiar with a series like Final Fantasy or something, I don't think I'd have enjoyed this game at all.
Yeah it was designed in a way where you don’t have to pay attention to stat increases as you’ll just eventually get stronger even if you keep losing battles. The focus on progression is finiding spirits and increasing the elements magic.
I just wanna say, as someone who has quest 64, but only played it briefly when I rented it as a child, this series is a delight. I truly appreciate the passion, and cannot wait for what you have in store for this game and others.
Thank you so much for the kind words and support, the next video is coming soon!
Ah, it's the time of the year to be obsessed about this game again. Currently replaying it on my phone and I'm getting to the end, I can never get enough of it. You made some great videos about it, I really craved more information about the troubled development and the lore of the game and finding your series kept me invested when I should have gone to sleep haha. Really looking forward to the rest! And parroting what many other said:
You definitely need more views!
Thank you so much for the kind words!!! I can't wait to put out the next video and hear what you think!! ( Sorry for the videos keeping you up when you should be sleeping though lol :) )
Agreed, these reveiws thoroughly explain the development cycle, which I find relevant, and gives much needed perspective.
I was not prepared to find so many videos covering quest 64 and thought this video ended pretty abruptly but im in for the long ride
I legit think this game is better than many of the top rated PS1 RPGs.
Great series. Something you didn’t mention but I think you’d like to know about Imagineer is that February 1997 saw Imagineer going public with 800,000 shares attempting to find shareholders to raise approximately $43.4 million for N64 development including Eltale. Many of their Japanese releases were delayed during this time. Using Nintendo's 1997 Space World Guide book for original dates, 64 Detective Team slipped from March 1998 to October 1998, Snow Speeder from March 1998 got delayed to December 1998, Fighter's Destiny for January 1998 was delayed to December 1998, and finally King of Pro Baseball 2 which was scheduled for January 1998 was delayed to March 1999. Part of this had to possibly due with Genki, who normally only released 3 games per year, jumping up to a whopping 6 releases in 1998, several for Imagineer.
Eventually in March 1999 the Nikkei Newspaper reported that Imagineer was expecting a loss 1,010,000,000 Yen ($8.5 million) by the end of that month, indicating that throughout 1998 Imagineer wasn't doing well with their N64 releases, possibly a result of having too much in development at once which likely resulted in behind the scene restructures and priority changes that halted production of various games. Of course the US versions of games like Fighters Destiny and Quest 64 were released way earlier than their Japanese counterparts likely because THQ and Ocean had withstanding release dates which they wouldn’t allow to budge, but for Quest it seems it was the biggest victim with the most lost from being cut short. Around this time many projects were also cancelled, like a sequel to Quest 64 and Desert Island. That’s just on the N64 side as well, I can only imagine the hell Imagineer had in their other console/online divisions around this same time.
Also just something from my point of view, If Quest 64 had any positive impact on the N64 as a whole, it was that its sales success allowed H2O Entertainment's Aidyn Chronicles to be released. Had THQ not published Aidyn Chronicles, it's very likely that game would have never been picked up by any other publisher and would have been cancelled and possibly lost to history, so Quest 64 giving THQ faith in the RPG genre was a small blessing which unknowingly helped several unrelated projects come into existence. Aidyn Chronicles is another flawed RPG which personally I think is better than Quest 64 on ambition and a technical and game design level, but that’s too long of a thing to explain in 1 comment. Also in many ways it is the exact opposite of Quest 64,
Quest
Easy
Linear
Short (can easily be done in like 4 hours)
No stat manipulation, gear, money, or stores
Japanese style and pretty basic writing
Aidyn
Pretty hard
Open world not very linear
Long as hell like 100 hours
Tons stats manipulation, gear, money, and stores. Most complex N64 RPG mechanics
Western RPG style art and more adult writing and tone
Almost wonder how people would react if their release dates magically switched places, if Aidyn would been the N64 game everyone anticipated and bought during the RPG drought. Had Quest 64 release anywhere other than “1st RPG after 20 months of N64 having 0 RPGs” it likely would have been even more lost to history. Timing really had everything to do with Quest’s reception and place in history, but there’s a million ways this game can be educational. From a game design level, a cautionary level of how things can fall apart during development, how an underrepresented genre can impact the entire legacy of a system like N64, and how companies like THQ, Imagineer, and Konami treated the whole thing as it happened. It’s all too much for any one person to ever cover, but you did a huge chunk more than many people did so thumbs up from me. Your videos were so good, I didn’t even have to play the game again to remember my opinions from the last time I played years ago. That’s what good research does, saves time for other people so they can do other things with it instead of spending so much time just trying to piece together the (rather obscure in this instance) basics of the games creation and layout.
This is a *huge* breakthrough of information for me and I'm sure many others, I would love to keep you credited for bringing this to my attention, I cannot thank you enough for this piece of the puzzle I've never known!!! Is there any source I can find that's available online I can cite this from? Thank you so much for taking the time to comment this as well as drawing lines between Quest and Aidyn. That is another game I plan on writing a comprehensive review for as well and your analysis really has motivated me to do this now more than ever! I apolgozie for the short reply, It's 5 AM where I live and I'm in bed but I'm so happy I checked this!
Lvl Jake www.ign.com/articles/1997/01/17/imagineer-shares-to-fund-new-games www.ign.com/articles/1999/03/04/imagineer-slows-down
There are the 2 links talking about Imagineer’s shares situation. Of courses it’s an IGN report quoting a newspaper, So I’ll just have to assume based off Imagineer’s actions taken in 1999 that these reports were true. Imagineer announced after this whole money loss that they were planning to work on straightforward ports of successful titles to other systems, as well as Game Boy games, but it would only create N64 titles that it expects to sell reasonable amounts in both the domestic and the foreign markets. Their later N64 releases prove this philosophy change with sequels to more successful titles like Rally Challenge 2000 (sequel to MRC), Fighter Destiny 2, Zool (another kids oriented RPG similar to Quest 64) arcade racer GT64, and Big Mountain 2000 which was trying to capitalize on the popular snowboard racing games. Though all those games were already in development when Imagineer made that announcement anyway, at least they decided not to cancel them. By the way If you ever do Aidyn Chronicles let me know, because I’ve been writing a book the past 3 years which has a chapter on Aidyn Chronicles I’ve been dying to share anyway but I have no ability or time to make videos. Plus I have links and interviews and info that would save you a ton of time. I love that game to death. Really unfortunate I’ve never really seen any Imagineer employees interviewed anywhere on Japanese sites, makes their history a little difficult to piece together but I have a decent timeline of the N64 era stuff since I’ve beaten almost all their games
Lvl Jake oh and by the way if you want it, there’s this. You can check the other quarter reports for more Quest 64 mentions, but the first quarter it released in US was very good. And something to note is THQ loved releasing games early to meet certain quota. WCW NWO World Tour released early in the US as well compared to the JP Version Virtual Pro Wrestling 64, because THQ didn’t want to miss the November holiday season. At the time, many games were being delayed due to Nintendo’s cartridge production factory hold ups. For example Fighters Destiny was set for December 1997 in the US, but got delayed to January 1998, which was a huge blow for Imagineer and they lost a lot of sales because of it. Quest 64 released June 11th, so in like 3 weeks it managed to make over $13 million for THQ. sec.report/Document/0000950148-98-002007/ “The Company's net sales increased 139% to $29,325,000 in the three months ended June 30, 1998, from $12,265,000 in the same period of 1997, as a
result of significantly higher unit sales per title shipped and increased demand
for previously released Titles. For the three months ended June 30, 1998, net
sales of Quest 64, (the Company's second Nintendo 64 title), WCW vs. NWO for the
Nintendo 64, WCW Nitro for the Sony PlayStation, World Cup 98 for the Game Boy,
and The Granstream Saga for the Sony PlayStation were $13,547,000 (46.2% of the
net sales), $3,742,000 (12.8% of net sales) $3,096,000 (10.6% of net sales),
$2,627,000 (9.0% of net sales), and $2,132,000 (7.3% of net sales),
respectively”
Do you work in the industry?
@@ntl9974 No I’ve never worked in the game industry. I’m just an player/enthusiast and have written about games for five years
It’s the constant loud footsteps no matter what ground you’re on, I swear Brian is running in heels on marble floors. Although at the time I was playing while having four small kittens sleeping on me.
If this game had customization, character class selection, full inventory item equip, better currency, and trading; I would be all over this game probably. I feel like RPG games like these should be created from the inside out first. What I mean by this is to take care of all of the guts of the game first, like even just focusing on gameplay mechanics is important. If you start with the story first I think it just becomes too overwhelming. While, if you start off with a good base firstly, then I think it's easier to build a creative story line around a fantastic foundation. Rather than trying to support a fantastic story with a potentially frail foundation. I also realize that this is completely subjective to me too and also biased.... but I just feel like the bulk of rpg fans really value these things. Don't get me wrong either, any element of any game done horribly can completely ruin it for some people. I just think that more thought and time could have been put into some of these games like Quest or even Aidyn Chronicles... .. Although I will admit that I am absolutely impressed with the quality and uniqueness.... they just needed a bit more....to become complete.
This video is pretty well thought out and I agree with all of the points you made. When I played quest at a young age I would always find myself dying from the combat. With the frequent battles too I would constantly exhaust my few healing items and I had no idea on how to obtain more. It probably didn't help too that I always upgraded fire or earth first because I thought they were cooler, so I had no idea that upgrading water would unlock a healing spell. I have never made it past the forest before, but maybe I will try again sometime with this new knowledge.
When I was a kid I had four different play files where I solely leveled up each of the elements to the exclusion of the others. Needless to say I never got very far, because as you say, the healing spell is absolutely necessary! Also my favorite element was wind. RIP.
Why in the world would you do that?! That's so counter-intuitive it actually hurts.
@@Wendy_O._Koopa I was 9 or 10 years old lol...
I love the water & earth magic in this game
All the little bits where you can just TELL there was supposed to be more content always hurt a little. Not getting to fight through the Blue Cave with Leila, no teamup with Leonardo in Brannoch... NO FIGHT AGAINST SHANNON AT THE GATE TO MAMMON'S LAIR WHERE SHE PUTS HER LIFE ON THE LINE AGAINST BRIAN IN HER STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND THE DESIRE TO BE HUMAN AGAINST THE PURPOSE OF HER CREATION. (And no secret boss fight against Lavaar)
I still love it, jank and all. Spells just had cool variety, even though some were just so good it made others irrelevant, and others were just plain useless(LMAO Wind Bomb, rofl Homing Arrows). I hear Wind Cutter was absolutely jank-busted-OP in the GBC game. Zelse is my favorite boss, Wind Horizon is a seriously awesome spell.
Gonna be honest... I only like the game for the music as a kid. Now listening to it, all I feel is nostalgia. Can't believe I've finished the game without going nuts and no guide to help. I've leveled my water magic often because it was the support magic and that walking water magic helped a lot when getting ganked.
I remember my first playthrough trying to level up every element equally. Huge mistake. Kudos to you for making it through without a guide that's awesome. The soundtrack is def amazing
The biggest gripe i have is the connections throughout the game route that serves no purpose.
After Solverign, there is a forest before you board the ship to Larapool. This forest has an access point to Blue cave. At this point, its flooded with water so you're forced to larapool.
Cull hazard has an alternate route to get you to the city by Boiling hole, but again, its not open when you first reach it.
All of these routes are only accessible once you reach the location from the other end, but there's no benefit to doing it. No extra lore, no extra spirits, or items. It seems like they intended short cuts or back tracking, so i guess i can only speculate.
This is the kinda game I fear I’d make. An incredibly built world deep with lore, real world/historical symbolism, finely chosen music and visuals to set the vibe and theme… but then I’d have no story to tell in that world.
Great vid! 👏👏 can’t wait to see what else you make!
Thank you so much!!!!😭😭😭
I agree that big mistake of the developers is the lack of trading system and currency and maybe fix the caves and other dungeons (the cave to
normoon is long and extensive with no real goal to cross because you have no other choice and...Shamwood: to a player without directions, is a big hole of nothing who easily skip it, but shamwood is a big part of lore who explain almost everything).
But If you talk with every npc in the game and enjoy the "spirit" of the game, you finally enjoy it. the fight system is awesome and the lore is hidden and cool, i missed a sequel that explained and explored beyond Celtland. I think the designers wanted that but it didn't happen. I hope someday someone will rescue this game concept and remake it. I think it deserves it
The N64 actually has some pretty great Rpg games,,,Quest is nice, Aydin is so underrated, HybridHeaven is supercool, Paper Mario is a classic,,,,,
You can play without leveling water but that’s basically a challenge run at that point as you’ll have to rely on items to to the end.
Very well put how the game gives you these qualities on opposite sides of the spectrum, right there with you. Your take on how the intoduction / tutorial area is handled is interesting, I always liked how for replaying the game you could jump right in and get moving right away. I think what hurt it was the timing, coming off the snes greats where it was important to talk to everyone to a game where you could pretty much ignore everyone was strange even though I appreciate the hands off approach they took. Same deal with items and shops, I was really thrown off with how you didn't have that progression of coming to a new town and gearing up with a new set of items, though I still like having that piece be so straightforward since you didn't have to worry about it (though I was always super paranoid about the warp items, they could make part of the game much smoother with being able to warp back and forth between certain towns, so if you accidentally use them it could force you into some obnoxious mid game backtracking). Also like I was saying in the other comment, wind / fire is the combo I endorse, at least once you are familiar and know what you are getting into, let go of the crutch of healing and avalanche, embrace the evasion spells and staff bonks, they are the true LEET strats :p (just be mindful of item usage, don't go wasting all your loafs of bread or whatever they were).
LMAO I'm def gonna try pro gamer wind / fire my next playthrough then!! You're def right though it was old school appeal at a pretty bad time when everything was about the next step forward. I also liked how if you knew what to expect you could jump right in like you were saying!
Those infamous loafs.... but agreed, its a game I want to replay, especially with added challenge.
I sincerely appreciate you doing this video…. dunkey level detail, and youre focusing on a game most people have forgotten about. Thank you thank you thank you.
Liked and subscribed!
Thank you so much!!!
I feel like if you grew up on Dragon Quest like I did, this game is alot more fun. Problem is most people were expecting another Zelda OOT even though this game came out first. Really love Quest 64.
When I played It back then It was a wonder. I was just a kid enjoying a beautiful adventure and I was deeply immersed in the world. Thanks for the in depth review!
Too bad this game is so flawed and hard to get into because I love the graphical style of the world, like Mystical Ninja 64.
Mystical Ninja is so good
Let’s face it: has this game come out on PS1 no one would remember it. This less than mediocre game only got notoriety because it was the only RPG in the entire N64 library for years while fans on PS1 were drowning in choices.
My personal sentiment is that Quest still does enough to have garnered a lasting interest, much that it does now, although it wouldn't have continued to be as lambasted because of the N64s limited representation of RPGs. I don't think you'd have the same amount of people talking about it for sure, but it would still have a (very) small cult-following.
Great vid! Feels like a blast from the past. I have a ton of memories playing this with my cousin as a kid.
I had fun playing this back in the day
My only regret was that it did not have more than one playable character. There should have been the three depicted, including the princess.
Another great one! Good job on all of these Quest 64 videos. I watched and enjoyed them all plenty. Imo, your channel has a lot of potential.
Thank you so so much, I'm so thankful you took the time to watch them all!!!😭😭😭
I was excited for this game but extremely disappointed. I had already played FF7, so this was really limited by comparison. I remember being frustrated by the lack of shop items; you would be handed free bread and that's about it. No party system and far fewer spells made this a wannabe JRPG dud.
@@AresAstraea I feel you. N64’s library was lacking in so many ways, especially compared to the SNES.
@@AresAstraea damn it took me 20 years to realize the same.
What did I miss out on on PS that I might catch up on?
After watching the Completionist and having a memory of this game that stretches back to when it was new, I knew I had to give it another shot (I believe as a kid I made it to the Blue Cave, saw the damage the enemies were doing and probably replayed FFII SNES again, haha!) As a full grown adult, playing through the game in a mostly blind way, avoiding the "easy path" (not getting Magic Guard, but more balanced stats, ending with 34 for each element at game's end), being very conservative with my items, I had a genuine blast! Yes, the Blue Cave goes on for several eternities, but the game before and after that managed to keep my attention up until the end, as much as I could see cut content around every corner and a clear lack of complex programming skill, for all of its flaws, the game has an undeniable charm. I look forward to watching this series.
I played it back in the day and I enjoyed it, however looking it back I can recognize that it was a bad game, possibly because it was rushed.
It had some cool concepts(like the way of dodging in the combat), the controls felt nice and the environments were very good, but it just feels empty in so much aspects. Specially the fact that the NPCs cannot walk makes very notorious how rushed this game was.
By the sound of things, Quest 64 wasn't 100% complete during development and its all because of a deadline or something. It could've been so much more if they had all the time they needed to implement every idea they wanted. Sadly that wasn't the case. Oh well, its still a fine game. Its only overlooked due to its flaws but I don't think that makes it a bad game. To me a bad game is something that can't be played due to bad controls and/or awful gameplay. Anyways I enjoyed your Quest 64 videos, their very interesting and informative which I think is nice.
Thanks so much!!!
@@LvlJake japanese has the patched in full ending
@@aaronbuffalo7769 They have a translation for it as well, my story section accounts for this though so there are no hiccups. :)
I think it also had to compete with Ocarina of Time, and considering the huge success of that game, they were up against a huge mountain.
I loved this as a kid lol. One BIG thing nobody appreciates is figuring out how to move in order to avoid enemy spells. As a kid I didnt know about the damage negating shield so I had to rely on learning enemy attacks and how to avoid every one. It was very fun. I also didnt knwo english so my imagination took over the storytelling lol.
Very comprehensive review, excellent job man!
Thank you my guy!!!!
The game had great concepts, beautiful music, and some gorgeous set pieces. Otherwise the game is bad. Clearly incredibly unfinished game. If this had another year or two of development, it could have rivaled some of the other masterpiece RPGs. As a kid I couldn't wait for this to run out, but even then I know it was less than half baked. I do wish there were some RPGs that came after that were inspired by some Quest 64 concepts.
Based on me playing, I was mainly a fire guy. But, I also thought the Winds to be the coolest. So, my build was basically more around Fire, Water, and Wind with Earth taking the backseat the most
underrated gem
Not sure why most people hated this game. Sure it didn't have a multi party system, ect. but it was so cute and fun. I played through it multiple times as a teenager.
Such an underrated game! I've always liked this game regardless of what most people say.
Me too, it truly is an amazing experience that deserves more positive attention. :( Thank you so much for taking the time to check this video out!!!
@@LvlJake your quite welcome. I have actually seen your other videos and I really enjoyed them. Quest 64 may not have been the best in terms of gameplay (but it's actually really good in its simplicity), but the story and setting behind it was solid and intriguing.
@@ManofMystery89 I agree, I feel like the simple combat compliments the fast-paced encounters. My only real gripe is the enemy AI can be frustratingly dumb. I absolutely love the setting as well though, and the lore is great to sink your teeth into. Thank you a million times over for checking out the other videos as well, so happy there are other Quest 64 fans out there. 😭
@@LvlJake Your welcome, the game had great potential, but it's execution sort of didn't take off the way it should have.
Agreed and agreed, this rpg is iconic to my childhood, I enjoyed the simplicity but yet the innovative real time combat that integrated tactics and strategy, and at the time for my brother and I no different than Pokemon, and art style and story appropriate for the age we were, the ideal transition from Pokemon for us, we spent countless hours illustrating the various characters and places of quest 64, we enjoyed the journey together my brother and I.... and what has been noted..what the game lacked...we found it as realism, and made us more determine to overcome, taking turns and waking each other up when we overcame a certain stage...which reminded us of the few games we played on the snes...and then we were even younger and New Horizons and Mickeys Magical Quest the two snes games we played more often, I never knew this until I watched these videos... but it seems with the games previews from magazines early on..and the expectations set...from some of the clippings older kids...teens, etc...and if they were to please those on PC...like my much older cousins in their 20s...I think in that sense..this game is a disappointment, but if seen thru a younger gameboy pokemon audience, this game is a perfect addition to the Nintendo 64 Library, and for my brother and I we experienced and consumed this game like pokemon, if marketed as such....stickers...cards..and various animations
..thats the type of feel this game had for me...and for my brother and I we spent hours journaling and illustrating when it came to Quest 64...but like I said..we were around the age of ten and my brother even younger...and as such...years later...my brother and I have reintroduced this game to our children...which with the N64 you can do...like you can for the snes...there are certain games...like disney..pixar..and dreamworks..relevent for every generation...but then my brother and I absolutely consumed Flying Dragon and Rush 2049...and we got our stepbrother in on Rush...(there is a level of biasness) so this defines part of our childhood...and as for the person making this video review....love what you are doing...
I find your review fair and comprehensive and in many ways am in agreement.
However Quest 64 has been a favorite of both my brother and I, along with Ogre Battle 64, Aidyn Chronicles, New Horizons, and the Legend of Dragoon.for many years and still even to this day.
It is for this reason, Quest 64 utilizes elements of what is most familiar of 2d top down rpgs and seamlessly integrates with that of 3d design but still maintaining the aesthetics of previous console rpgs.
Further the art style and design is charming, where each destination is worth exploring and the music composition further immerses you into the experience and environment.
I found the game very difficult and challenging, as such adding realism to the journey, one truly would have to plan accordingly.
There is much to explore and strategize, and I played through it, no different than a children's storybook, and as such have fond memories with my brother during late nights, and being that we were children, we truly were fearful of what had to be overcome in Quest and the many areas that had to be explored.
In conclusion, the relevance....... the N64 has become an iconic retro console and this game holds value.
I think children should experience the N64, and this would be an age appropriate rpg. To me this is what makes the 2ds and 3ds so recommendable, and for children what the N64 did very well, it did very well.
But then I am being biased as I have used my Xbox One as a media unit and my Nintendo Switch as my main gaming console. At this point I have several swtiches and likewise my brother of which our children enjoy, his the ages of 8 and 12 and mine age 1 and 2, and to this day we still do local couch play on our retro N64.
And seeing Indie developers and mobile gaming, I think the art style of Quest 64 as in what it did well and when it did well, will never be outdated, just like a childrens storybook, or youtube channels adapted for small children, with that being said I am giving away 5 nintendo switches with labo kits to 5 middle schools, and at the event raffling off two nintendo switch lites, this is all taking place at a book store, so..... full circle, Nintendo... is like Disney in that context... and as such I find value, even in a controversial rpg, like Quest 64.... I will be browsing your other videos, but do appreciate the care you took in this endeavor too often Quest like Aidyn or Ogre Battle is dismissed entirely.
I loved reading your analysis and as another lover of Quest 64, thank you so much for taking the time to check out my videos but also letting me know your personal feelings and views of the game. Quest 64 is amazing and deserves more love!
@@LvlJake indeed, sometimes we dismiss the culture and impact, do not misunderstand I also love new media, I think that is why the Nintendo Switch for too many has become a well balanced console, in many ways you can now experience Nintendo in all its context, and reviews like this can encourage indie developers to take risks and bring retro elements to modern gaming, tactics and strategy besides stylized combat....
there is a custom rom of Quest64 with a "hard mode" - a lot of new spells and a complete rebalancing. It's quite well done and improves the gameplay of the base game by a large margin.
11:30 ...Really?! Oh that is so silly! I thought item drops were just stupidly rare, that kind of takes away from the excitement a tad. Though it may make me not so miserly in their use, hmm... I guess it's a double-edged sword.
18:00 Glad to hear Dun Lorieag in the background! Always nice to see a fan of dot hack.
Oh this is part 4, eh...? Maybe I should check out the other parts.
This is just good enough to not be complete trash. They should Give this game another go on the Switch. Not a remake, but a new game using similar mechanics. This could've been a great game but it was clearly unfinished.
FYI that purple garbage around text and images is an emulator issue, the game didn't have that on the original hardware.
nice dun lorireag music in the back, i thought it was my audio in the back ground lol
Quest 64 felt like it wasn't even completely done.
It def wasn't by a longshot
@@LvlJake I could imagine rebooting this game as a series would be a fun project. Give more back story (give us a reason to care about Bartholomew or a real incentive to stop Mammon), clean up the battle system and maybe introduce party characters.
I wonder who owns the IP rights to Quest 64? THQ published the game here in the west but I’m not sure if the IP is dead due to lack of care or failure by sales? We may never know. :/
Imagineer wholly owns the Copyright still, with Sunsoft being the most recent publisher for NA on the gameboy titles that can after THQ's publishing of the 64 title. Considering Imagineer/Imaginia didn't make any mention to Quest in the timeline in their companies history, I'd say they've totally trashed the IP. Excellent question, thank you for taking the time to comment! :)
Lvl Jake no problem and damn shame they just leave their IP to die. I hope someday a huge fanbase brings it back. Who knows?
Throw brian in smash.
i got rid of my copy of ogre battle 64….twice.
i kept quest 64 in my possession until ps3 era.
I love this game
Me too, thank you for watching!!
Subscribed! Great video!
Thank you so much for the support!!
This game was great
Hey me again. Are there going to be any more videos about this fine game? I was really enjoying your analysis.
100% absolutely yes. The final two videos have been collecting dust, my last day at work before my vacation is today so I plan on writing and editing the next few days since I'm completely free. It would have been done so much sooner but the story section has proven to be very challenging, I cant even tell you how many times I've re-written the script now. I'm so thankful you've waited it out though, I hope I deliver something you really enjoy!!!
@@LvlJake there's TWO more! Yay!
@@LvlJake Hey Mr Jake (And anybody who is interested) I've just started a Quest 64 Group on Deviant Art called Quest64Fans. I'm trying to gather Quest 64 fans to join up and I was wondering if your interested. Naturally all my fanfictions are posted on the group with more to come. Anyway just thought I'd tell you.
This game is good
Just wondering, but, did you also play Aidyn Chronicles? If so, any chance for an analysis/review?
Aidyn is as much underappreciated as Quest64, and shares alot of similarities. Would love to see your thoughts on that, if you decided to do a video on it.
If you reccomend it I absolutely will! I have watched reviews of it but never played it myself, when I finish my two series I already recorded for I'll start putting something together for that!!
@@LvlJake it's a divisive game, honestly. Most people that play it, either hate or love it. I am part of the second group, and i can say that besides some flaws here and there, there's alot to love. Books where you can read lore, different cutscenes depending on the party members, a battle system that is influenced by the day/night cycle, dialogue trees.
It's almost like an elder scrolls game on the n64.
@@Rihcterwilker That honestly sounds right up my alley, I cannot wait to try it but I'll keep my expectations reasonable
@@LvlJake everyone looks like some sort of picasso painting, you never seen anyone so pointy !
@@aaronbuffalo7769 oh man. Dont google snowboard kids then lmao
How quiet did you set those audio levels? My god, I'm at max and can barely hear the music.
The entire video is a total cluster fuck with the audio, sorry king
Did you use a emulator to play this? I notice its high resolution and no foggy anti aliasing
I did! Some of my clips look better than others because I modified my project 64 settings toward the end of my recording. If you'd ever like to know what my settings were just let me know. : )
@@LvlJake ok i see. By the way, theres another obscure n64 game id like seeing a similar video like this for, its Mystical Ninja. I think its an action rpg , but im not sure. Maybe look into it. Heres a link th-cam.com/video/2mY6RHENXww/w-d-xo.html
@@DragonPop64 mystical ninja is one of my all time favorie series!! Id love to do a series on it!!
@@LvlJake check this out th-cam.com/video/2mY6RHENXww/w-d-xo.html
Good review you have polished a turd. I liked your points don't get me wrong I just hate this game.
Lmao!! Thank you so much! 😂
How can you play this on your phone?
Worst game I bought as a teenager,second worst game I bought was sword of the berzerk guts rage on dreamcast,please try to make that game seem good lol
I'll try my best one day 😂
Watching this video I was thinking maybe I missed something because I've been a huge rpg and jrpg nerd forever,like I cleared the SNES and ps1 catalog of classics that were available back in the day,but after this I went and just watched a gameplay video and it seems as bad as I remember, if you never played guts rage check it out at least, it's the worst beat em up I've ever played to this day
So you start by talking about plot critical gaps in the story.
Your defense is to talk about how you could skip NPC's who flesh things out. OK cool. Excited to see your examples. The first example is someone reiterating EXTREMELY basic info in Brian's dads letter. The second guy is a glorified throwaway tutorial line about using the staff as a weapon. Neither of these adds anything other than bog standard info we already know based on the intro and instruction manual. It's odd to go to these to make the point that NPC's offer interesting and engaging dialogue that could improve player investment.
"You can also find power ups and items" The opening of the game tells you, "Search every corner, find a few power-ups and talk to 35 different NPCs because a couple of them might give you interesting info. Travel down some empty staircases, too."
That's not much of an engaging opening. Luckily they make some of it optional.
"Some of the NPCs have different faces which convey emotion"
Wait what!? That was seriously your whole defense for "don't skip NPCs. They'll tell you really crucial info which adds to the game."
You showed a child saying he isn't afraid to fight monsters, a guy telling you your staff can be a weapon and a guy telling you what you already know about Brian's dad. Then you move on to facial expressions?
As for the expressions. It's not like they're dynamic. They NPCs who have an expression. It's nice. I appreciated seeing it but it didn't fix the lack of engaging characters.
you can remove the purple color on letters with your emulator... the real game didn't have that ugly purple shade
Yeah explain all this to a 10 year old kid who just wants to bash stuff and cast spells lol
Regardless of how anybody tries to spin, this was a bad game.
TBH I don't care much for this game. The encounter rate is ridiculous, the level up system is dumb and never made sense. Also the abilities aren't very good. I saw projared's video on this game and he made allot of good points. But If you guys like it thats completely fine
Does anybody remember 5N@F before the 'TH-camrs' got to it? When people talked about it, they'd say things like "It's kinda like middle school, you sit in your chair, aren't allowed to move, and everyone randomly yells at you for no reason." or complaints about how it should take power to keep your doors closed. Then MatPat went and read every newspaper clipping, or whatever and presented the game's actual lore as a new "theory"? Which is something he does quite often, his theories are either objectively false, or he's just presenting evidence as it is given in game, and everyone praises him for figuring out that Mario 3 was a stage play... he somehow missed all the interviews where Miyamoto announced that all the Mario characters are "an acting troop" and all Mario games are canonically fake (like how the Muppets are shows/movies about making those same shows/movies). Anyhow, all I am saying, is that if he announced all the lore already present in the base game, or even if he ripped off these videos _Christopher "Irate Gamer" Bores_ style, then everyone would love the story.
This game was so terrible. It had zero redeeming qualities.
Talking Horizon quero dawn?
Worst rpg ever.
hahaha nerd
Well that was an objectively misleading thumbnail.
No. It's not the Best RPG ever
Yes it is
I just wanted to mention this. This game was ultimately unfinished. If I had to guess, they wanted an RPG on the N64 so badly, this game became a rush job. Originally, there were meant to be 3 playable characters. Chances are, they probably wanted to add more to the game overall, even regards to story.
That's true, if you're ever interested in learning more on the games development and it's earlier versions I did an entire video on it here th-cam.com/video/A-DhgwOmuLc/w-d-xo.html .
Thanks for watching and commenting!
I've been playing Quest 64 again, and watching a buncha Quest 64 reviews.
I like to dream that, maybe there is a world where Quest isn't rushed and has all of the assets these ambitious devs envisioned.
I'm surprised no one's tried to remake it yet. I feel like it would be a nice Kingdom Hearts like game if it was re-made
@@zacziggarot There is a single fan on twitter that seems to be remaking the game on Unity. And he's made AMAZING progress but ... considering it's only a one man project, it'd probably he years before he finishes. (He's only gotten up to Dondoran.)