Review: Zeus Quest
Score:
72%
Version Reviewed: 1.2
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There are a handful of point and click adventures on the S60 5th Edition smartphones - Zeus Quest from Crazysoft makes a welcome addition to the genre.
You take on the role of the ancient god Zeus as he returns to Earth to try and save the planet from its current drifting state into disaster. Starting off, you are presented with a 'fixed screen' that is full of objects and people you can interact with. Tapping on these items allows you to pick them up in to your inventory, interact with the characters and objects, or use an item already in your inventory.
Through this relatively easy mechanism - although don't try playing this on a bumpy bus journey, you need a super accurate stylus – you'll progress through the initial island and then move on to other Greek Islands as the adventure unfolds around you.
I'll be honest though, this is not an easy title to get through. A few times I had to resort to just randomly tapping on the screen to find new items I could pick or random combinations of objects to try and advance out of the current puzzle. This included the first screen, which meant that frustration was quite high as I started the game.
Using that first screen as an example, you have to befriend the goat, pick him up, and then tie some laces to him so he will go up the hill and you can follow him. It's an interesting chain and I can just about see the logic in it.
Not everyone is as slow as me, and the difficulty curve is more a case of whether you can look at what you have and make sense of it – where my skill is far more spotting the ridiculous (you have heard me on the Insight podcasts, right?).
Graphics in Zeus Quest are lovely though – while there are occasions where an object is hidden in the artwork, this is because it is meant to be hidden and difficult to find. Other than that obvious area, the graphics are clear and have a slight hand drawn/cartoon quality to them that lends a certain style to the game, and this helps the engagement.
There are plenty levels in here, with enough puzzles on each screens to keep you going, I suspect, right up till 2010, and it's not going to be boring – there's enough dialogue with the characters dotted around the island that not only helps drive the plot forward but also engages and entertains.
The only worry on the horizon is the cost. It's been a while since we've had a debate on gaming pricing, but at $16 it's a relatively pricey purchase. It does have longevity, but I'd only recommend this to existing fans of the genre.
-- Ewan Spence, Dec 09
Reviewed by Ewan Spence at