It seems like the Metroidvania genre is getting a renaissance, since lately I see a lot of games of the genre. As a fan, I see no problem with that. However, the problem that I have is that I feel that developers tend to play it safe, and with a genre like Metroidvania, I think that you need to challenge yourself as developer and as a gamer, since there is nothing more satisfying than to complete a game and get all possible endings. Now, another game enters the realm: JackQuest: Tale of the Sword is a game that I feel that plays it safe, but too safe for my liking and that leaves an experience that’s feels fleeting and forgetable.
The game’s story is simple: Jack ask Kara to meet in order to confess his feelings. However, he chose a poor place to do so, since it was right on top Korg’s dungeon (the evil orc). He takes Kara away, and Jack jumps in to save her. Inside, he finds a talking sword whose name is Kuro. He explains that he was cursed and transformed into a sword (that is huge, by the way) and asks to team up to defeat Korg and save Kara.
This is the story in a nutshell, simple and somewhat predictable. In any case, this set ups the events of an adventure that had interesting ideas but that failed in execution. As this is a Metroidvania, there are secrets to be found, like health upgrades and gems that increase the amount of times you can use your weapon’s skill.
Speaking of which, skills allow you to attack and grant you invincibility during the move’s execution this is useful to attack annoying enemies while, avoiding damage or even to go through spikes. They deal good damage to bosses but besides that, their usefulness is limited. Most of the time, you will find yourself with a full special skills gauge and nothing to use them for. This is a missed opportunity, since when you get a skill that skill could be used to access new areas. In JackQues,t they just do what I described above.
I like how the game looks, with graphics that look like SNES era. However, the fact that the overall landscape is the same, the same caves and same enemies, speaking of which they feel uninspired since you will encounter the same boring slimes, spiders, and bats. I feel that more enemy variation couldn’t hurt, but at least the bosses are somewhat enjoyable The last boss fight feels anti-climatic. I expected a challenge, but it was to easy to beat.
The music is forgettable. It’s the same tune playing over and over again and only changes until you meet each of the five bosses.
Bottom Line – JackQuest: Tale of the Sword feels like a really easy, no commitment entry level Metroidvania game. For someone not familiar with the genre, there is some fun to be had, but for more seasoned players its a sword blunt sword that should be avoided.
A Review code was provided for this review.