Before I get into I wanted to disclose that I was fortunate enough to be provided a review copy key for this game from the developer. He and I also ended up befriending each other as a fellow indie dev. But I digress and want to disclose that other than the game key itself I was not given any other form of compensation
To the game's developer. You have my thanks and support, I'm looking forward to and hoping we can potentially work together in the future
Now, onto the review
Right out the gate Gunquest seems like one of those higher end flash games that you'd see from the Kongregate or Newgrounds era.
Essentially Gunquest feels like a mix of the following.
The fantasy setting of an RPG that almost feels like a mix of King's Quest and the original Zelda (The vibes, setting, and tone)
The 2D leveling structure of Terraria with the much smaller scale/level designs of Broforce
And gunplay/gameplay that feels like a MUCH more simplified approach to Revita and Dead Cell's approach to combat and gunplay. It feels like you have that style of level navigation and combat in the 2D level sections but it also dumbs things down to make it really simple like in Minecraft or Terraria (as I briefly mentioned these games before)
Now all this is fine and good, but why would it matter if the game sucked? Well thankfully the game is definately a fun smaller scale romp in my opinion, and it definitely gives off vibes of a very late 80s/early 90s RPG with it's top down approach to the non-platforming levels and exploring the main world. I jokingly said that the game almost felt like Oregon Trail (it has no gameplay elements of it though, just a joke) with it's camera being top down as you browse the map in a carriage that rolls along the map as you search for NPC's, quests, and caves and dungeons to explore.
The game has lore and a story, but it is VERY MUCH up to interpenetration and is told in small tidbits from visuals you see with NPC's and the environment, along with dialogue and heavy visual aid. You'll notice this slowly going in.
Now, you may be wondering, why would you say all these things and not be freaking out right now telling everyone to buy this title right here and now?
Because, right now GunQuest is a PERFECT example of Early Access and BIG POTENTIAL. This is because all the basics and the inspirations are clearly being shown off and worn on the game's shoulders, but as of right now it's a bit undernourished and has a LOT of kinks to work out and content to add over time.
But that's not a problem here in this case, because it's obviously in early access and it's appropriately priced at only 5 dollars.
This is a game that lives and breathes on player feedback, content suggestions, bug reports from players, and using a basic mish mash of it's inspirations to slowly forge it's own identity over time. With this in mind, it's a game meant for people that want to see their input and time help this game evolve. But, if you expect a fully fledged game by now, then obviously you may want to wait a few more months to a year
As long as you know this going in and are also a fan of the games it takes inspirations from, then you can enjoy this game and I can definitely see the potential of this game eventually evolving into a fun and feature rich modern retro platformer RPG hybrid.
Get this game if you are here for the long haul with a title like this, but just be sure to not set yourself up for disappointment and go in with realistic expectations and not expecting anything giant. Think of yourself as both a player and a quote on quote "chef" helping this game as it's still in the oven
Keep it up Restless Gamedev, I can't wait to see this game evolve and here's to the final version of your project being a fantastic fantasy time killer that eats up people's time like candy!
