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News

Issue 458 – Out Now!

CAPTAIN MARVEL takes centre stage in the latest ...

trailers

LORDS OF CHAOS

DIRECTED BY: JONAS ÅKERLUND SCREENPLAY BY: DENNIS ...

reviews

ARMY OF DARKNESS/BUBBA HO-TEP #1

WRITER: SCOTT DUVALL | ARTIST: VINCENZO FEDERICI | ...

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Charlene Amoia Joins BIRDS OF PREY as Maria Bertinelli

With its core heroes, and even some of its ...

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New ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? TV Show in Development

With an Are You Afraid of the Dark? movie ...

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Jason Momoa in Talks for DUNE

It was only yesterday that we were again praising ...

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Tristan Risk’s Directorial Debut to Screen at STARBURST Film Fest

As preparations for the STARBURST International ...

reviews

STAR WARS: AGE OF REPUBLIC – ANAKIN SKYWALKER

WRITER: JODY HOUSER / ARTIST: CORY SMITH AND ...

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OLD MAN QUILL #1

AUTHOR: ETHAN SACKS | ARTIST: ROBERT GILL | ...

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Nickelodeon Developing an Animated STAR TREK Show

In addition to CBS developing two animated Star ...

Reviews | Written by Callum Shephard 02/02/2018

RAGE QUEST: THE WORST GAME

Unity, RPGMaker and so many other assets to indies all carry an unfortunate stigma. The ability to open doors to certain indie developers to make their life easier led to almost everyone trying to build a game, regardless of experience or talent. Steam itself is overburdened with these games, to the point where trying to find a good RPGMaker release among lesser known games is a needle-in-a-haystack experience. Rage Quest seeks to parody the more amateurish creations, while adding a creative spin on a few mechanics.

The obvious problem with Rage Quest to begin with is that it all too often falls into the trap of committing the same sins as the games it mocks. This is especially evident very early on, where the long-winded introduction is forced upon the player despite the protagonist’s protests. It’s an obvious joke, but the issue is that simply commenting upon the mistake doesn’t change the fact that the game itself is forcing the player through the same experience. It’s especially evident in moments where it subjects the player to intentional frustration. Awkward camera angles and repeated rooms are used to highlight the features of a bad game, but it accidentally commits those same sins itself.

Why is this such a problem? Because so many of these errors take place early on, and because many of them are mechanically hindering, it can take some effort to realise some of the better gags at work. Combat, for example, features some very weird and wonderful enemy types which parody basic logic. These range from a generic bee enemy which is rendered useless after one sting, to a spider parodying a reliance upon recolours and a ghost which deals damage via bad puns. Equally, the jokes substantially improve after getting the airship, when many previously established gags get a massive payoff.

Without the gags, the game is short but mechanically solid. The combat is effective for what it is and is held up thanks to some incredible creativity when it comes to enemies (including one of the best final boss fights in an RPGMaker game). It’s just a shame so many of its worst flaws arise long before its true strengths become apparent.

Rage Quest is far from a perfect game, and it can be extremely trying at times. With that being said, when it is funny it proves to be utterly hilarious and there are some genuinely good ideas on display within the game. If you have been burned by RPGMaker creations one time too many, you will likely get a good few laughs out of this one, but without that context it can be difficult to appreciate its humour.

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