Spud's Quest
- July 31, 2014
- Mouldy Toof Studios
Spud's Quest is an adventure game for Windows that draws its inspiration from the classic games of yesteryear, most notably the Dizzy, Zelda, and Metroid series. Take on the role of Spud and his friend Prince Charming on a journey to uncover four ancient elemental essences that have the power to remove a curse upon the royal family.
Reviews
- Spud's Quest successfully captures the nostalgic feel of old PC games with its charming visuals, MIDI music, and engaging gameplay.
- The game features well-designed puzzles that encourage critical thinking, and the world is filled with unique locations and humorous NPCs.
- It offers a fun mix of platforming and adventure elements, making it appealing to fans of 8-bit and 16-bit games.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with controls and hit detection that can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The limited inventory system, restricting players to only four items, can become tedious and lead to excessive backtracking.
- Repetitive gameplay due to enemy respawns and limited health recovery options can make the experience feel monotonous over time.
- story14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story of Spud's Quest is reminiscent of classic old-school adventure games, featuring a mix of platforming and item-fetching mechanics that drive the narrative forward. While the game captures a nostalgic aesthetic and offers engaging gameplay, some players find the item requirements for progression to be occasionally misleading or overly challenging. Overall, it appeals primarily to fans of retro gaming, providing a blend of exploration, puzzles, and hidden elements that can be both rewarding and frustrating.
“While definitely far from perfect, Spud's Quest feels just like a Dizzy arcade adventure game of yesteryear.”
“You jump around and pick up items to use at other points to continue in the story.”
“Sometimes the items you need to give NPCs or use to move forward with the story are a bit of a stretch or intentionally misleading.”
“There's plenty of things to do, lots of fetch quests to keep you busy, several easter eggs, red herrings to throw you off, and hidden items that will have you tearing your hair out trying to find the last one.”
“If you're not a fan of old-school adventure games, Spud's Quest probably won't change your mind.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has received consistent feedback regarding its stability, with multiple users reporting significant bugs and glitches throughout their experience. Many players expressed concerns that the issues persisted, particularly highlighting problems encountered in specific areas, such as the third temple. Overall, the game's stability appears to be a major drawback for many players.
“Before playing the game, I was a little worried by the reviews that said it was buggy, and I can't say that playing the game completely eased my fears.”
“Nothing but bugs and glitches.”
“The final straw for me was how buggy the game got in the third temple.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Spud's Quest is praised for its nostalgic feel, engaging puzzles, and strong audio elements, reminiscent of classic PC games. However, players have noted significant issues, including bugs, illogical puzzles, and clunky controls, which detract from the overall experience and enjoyment.
“I've never played the Dizzy games that this apparently took inspiration from, but Spud's Quest does a great job at capturing the feel of old PC games with the visual aesthetic, MIDI music, and gameplay.”
“Too bad there are gameplay issues: a few bugs, a dash of illogical puzzles (come on, a crocodile tooth??!!?) and some clunky controls (use xpadder to map the keyboard with custom sensitivity).”
“It plays well, sound and music is great and those puzzles get you thinking, but the fun really starts to fade away with how annoying the game mechanics are.”
“Too bad there are gameplay issues: a few bugs, a dash of illogical puzzles (come on, a crocodile tooth??!!?) and some clunky controls (use xpadder to map the keyboard with custom sensitivity).”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of Spud's Quest effectively evoke the charm of classic PC and 8-bit games, featuring high-fidelity pixel art and a nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of the Dizzy adventure series. The simple yet engaging visuals, complemented by MIDI music, create an immersive experience that appeals to fans of retro gaming.
“Spud's Quest does a great job at capturing the feel of old PC games with its visual aesthetic, MIDI music, and gameplay.”
“Simple yet engaging, with high-fidelity old pixel art style and a lot to play around with.”
“It's very reminiscent of the Dizzy adventure games that were on the 8-bit systems, featuring simple SNES-like graphics.”
“It's very reminiscent of the Dizzy adventure games that were on the 8-bit systems and uses simple SNES-like graphics.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in "Spud's Quest" is praised for its nostalgic MIDI sound, effectively capturing the essence of old PC games. While the sound design enhances the overall experience, some players feel that the enjoyment diminishes due to frustrating game mechanics.
“I've never played the dizzy games that this apparently took inspiration from, but Spud's Quest does a great job at capturing the feel of old PC games with the visual aesthetic, MIDI music, and gameplay.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to the repetitive and time-consuming task of running back to the healer for healing. This has led to frustration and a sense of monotony in gameplay.
“It's actually quite tedious to go and get healed there.”
“Which meant a lot of tedious running back to the healer.”
“It's actually quite tedious to go and get healed there.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a charming and humorous world that enhances the metroidvania experience, complemented by engaging dungeons filled with Zelda-inspired puzzles. Overall, the humor adds a delightful layer to the exploration and gameplay.
“It's got a pleasant, humorous world to explore in typical metroidvania fashion, and the dungeons have some pretty solid Zelda-esque puzzles.”