Quarterstaff

About

Quarterstaff is a turn-based action strategy game featuring the powerful wizard Kalresh, who fights to liberate the realm from a tyrant. Combat takes place on tile-based maps, with an UNDO button for do-overs and Strategic Foresight for advance planning. Victories are rewarded with action-packed video replays of the encounter.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews

humor8 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Engaging combat mechanics that turn battles into strategic puzzles, rewarding players for optimizing their approach.
Witty character dialogue and a strong balance of humor and drama enhance the overall experience.
Excellent tutorialization and gradual introduction of systems make the game accessible while supporting multiple play styles.

The game's economy can feel unbalanced, requiring significant grinding to try out new spells after initial victories.
The sheer number of systems can be overwhelming, even with gradual introduction.
Loading screen tips are informative but too brief, making them easy to miss.

gameplay
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
58%
25%
The gameplay is characterized by engaging mechanics that transform combat into intricate puzzles, rewarding players for optimizing their strategies. The tutorial effectively introduces features, allowing players to quickly grasp the mechanics, which, while initially challenging, lead to rewarding experiences as they progress through the stages. Overall, the game encourages replayability to achieve all objectives, enhancing the overall enjoyment.
- “Good mechanics which turn every combat into a highly engaging puzzle that only fully rewards you if you maximize the appropriate subset of tools you optimize for that given fight.”
- “Excellent tutorialization of features through gameplay.”
- “As someone who struggles to remember mechanics when stepping away from a game, it's awesome to be able to check in and remind myself of the skills I need for an area.”
- “It takes a bit to get the mechanics down, but once you do, it's off to the races!”
- “The mechanics are relatively simple to understand, but the stages are often challenging, and I found myself replaying some of them to try to win all of the objectives.”
humor
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players noting its excellent balance with drama and clever touches, such as the changing names and titles of NPCs for comedic effect. Overall, the game successfully combines problem-solving with a lighthearted atmosphere, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate humor alongside gameplay.
- “The best thing about this game is the humor.”
- “Excellent balance of humor and drama.”
- “I loved the little touches like the names and titles of NPCs changing from line to line for humorous effect.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The story immerses players immediately into the action, seamlessly integrating gameplay with narrative elements. Combat mechanics are designed around strategic combinations that enhance damage, target multiple foes, and achieve mission objectives within time constraints.
- “The game drops you straight into the story and the gameplay.”
- “Combat hinges on combinations, either doing more damage, striking more opponents, gaining you bonuses, or completing the mission in time to achieve an objective.”
- “The story drops you straight into the gameplay without much context, leaving you confused about the plot.”
- “The narrative feels disjointed and fails to engage the player, making it hard to care about the characters or their motivations.”
- “There is a lack of depth in the story, which detracts from the overall experience and makes the gameplay feel repetitive.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is described as relaxing and ambient, enhancing the overall experience while players engage in problem-solving and enjoy a lighthearted atmosphere.
- “If you enjoy problem solving and keeping your mind sharp, while still having fun with a dash of humor and relaxing music and ambiance, you will enjoy this.”