Joystiq impressions: Lock's Quest (DS)
by Zack Stern 
{ Apr 5th 2008 at 2:30AM }
Lock's Quest is a tower-defense-style game where you try to protect a group of inept friends from incoming attackers. Unlike those Flash games you might have played, Lock issues commands from the ground, running around small maps to build walls, turrets, and directly fight advancing enemies. The result comes together as a real-time strategy and action game, with light role-playing elements.Completely stylus driven, you move Lock around much like Link. (The D-pad can shift the view, but the stylus issues all actions.) Taps direct Lock to new areas, while other stylus swings cause special attacks and specific actions. For example, gamers sequentially tap a group of randomly ordered numbers to add a boost.
But much of the game is about designing and defending structures. Lock uses resources enemies drop to build walls, gates, and turrets. The attackers advance randomly at first, but after the first wave hits your base, they learn where they were thwarted. The following groups will attempt other tactics to broach the defenses, possibly approaching from a different side or fighting with a different tactic. Your job is to hold up the fort over several "days" of these marching enemies, after which, everything repeats with a new level.
Scheduled for a Fall, 2008 release, Lock's Quest could be a unique action-puzzler with wide appeal. Action, RTS, and fans of other genres might all find something to like.
Gallery: Lock's Quest
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Vegnagun bwf @ Apr 5th 2008 2:44AM
I recently came across this in NP and thought it looked interesting. I hate that character though, his face just bothers me. Theres something wrong with it.
iofthestorm @ Apr 5th 2008 3:55AM
Yeah, something about his face looks kind of stupid/cheesy, and the overall style looks kind of like a knockoff of several other styles, but it's not bad, and the in-game graphics look simple and good and the gameplay looks interesting.
Mike @ Apr 5th 2008 11:51PM
Reminds me of the kid from Kingdom Hearts:
http://www.talkingpix.co.uk/KingHeartsComp1.jpg
(http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/04/lock_quest_225.jpg)
xeleion @ Apr 5th 2008 3:24AM
Man, for some reason Lock's character design makes me think of Advance Wars. It's kind of similar.
iofthestorm @ Apr 5th 2008 3:53AM
Yeah, I kind of see what you mean, although it's not that similar. Kind of reminds me of Andy with that wrench though. This should be an interesting game, hopefully it will be a good implementation of TD (which, by the way, doesn't come from stupid flash games but Warcraft maps) and might be a nice alternative to WCTD homebrew when I'm getting the TD itch.
Mills and Boom @ Apr 5th 2008 8:52AM
Piss off with your spoilerific avatar, another Yank who doesn't get that the game isn't out in Europe yet.
Fatass of Kickassness @ Apr 5th 2008 9:49AM
Yeah, what he said.
Mills and Boom @ Apr 5th 2008 8:51AM
Why would anyone want to defend a tower?
Yaz @ Apr 5th 2008 10:41AM
How does this compare to Pixel Junk Monsters?
James @ May 3rd 2008 8:40AM
One you can play on the road, and one you can't =-)
RabanastreRat @ Apr 5th 2008 11:17AM
My favorite part of the Age of Empires games was the wall-building, so I'm hoping this one is actually good.
driven2sin @ Apr 5th 2008 3:00PM
age of empires was really good on the DS except that experts can rip through it.. fun though
this, visually, looks like a cross between advance wars and that kiddie battle bot mech game that would of been really good if it wasn't totally designed for 7 year olds (forced you to polish your mech and keep it clean or it performed lousy)
i guess the new look of Days of Ruin should be welcomed since many many devs seem they have to make the game cute for the so called target kiddie players of Nintendo and figure older players will just bear it for the gameplay... blah
Geist @ Apr 5th 2008 5:16PM
Actually I find this 'kiddy' look you're describing is more due to the DS's technical specs. While it's possible to pull off 3D environments and models, generally speaking they don't perform too well, and so it's a lot better/easier to use sprites.
And dem people who make the games, they like der animes. Hotel Dusk was a refreshing change of style.
nerosephiroth @ Apr 9th 2008 9:30AM
Looks like the unholy fusion of Cloud Strife and Sora from Kingdom Hearts.