Quest in Peace Review – An Undying Good Time

Everyone knows that zombies are a big thing right now.

HeroCraft, however, takes a fresh approach in their game Quest in Peace – the undead in question is the hero, and arguably the cutest skeleton I’ve ever seen outside of a Tim Burton movie.

The game begins with a brief explanation of the history of Bellyworld, which was a harmonious kingdom during the rule of good King Simon and his beloved Queen Maria. When the evil Queen Regent invaded and had her minions murder Queen Maria, King Simon died of a broken heart. Poor fellow didn’t even get the dignity of a proper burial, just an unmarked hole in the ground of the Bellyworld cemetery. But after a century of the Queen Regent’s tyrannical rule, a kindly witch found his grave, dug him up, and brought him back to life (sort of) in order to set right that which once went wrong.

This game is a winner from the word go. Thestoryline is clear and concise, the graphics are cute and immersive, and the voice acting is superb. A journal keeps track of what’s happened so far and what objectives you need to pursue. As the quest unfolds, King Simon needs to recover from a hundred years of being dead. First he must find a way to regain the power of speech; next, he has to reclaim his memories. He must talk to other characters, collect items that will help him in his quest, and prepare to take his revenge on the usurper Queen Regent. There are puzzles to solve, and the game is extremely helpful about explaining what needs to be done in order to help Simon achieve justice for himself, his kingdom, and his lost lamented Maria.

Don’t want the music or the sound effects? Either one can be toggled off from the options menu. Want to mute the game and not hear the voice acting? All dialogue is subtitled as well as voiced. Already played through the first chapter? Tap the skip buttons to get past the exposition and opening sequence. Be sure to look for extra items scattered around the scenes, too, to add to your inventory. I’m not sure what help they’ll be in the long run, but the game seems awfully pleased when you find them.

There doesn’t seem to be a way to save progress in this game, but perhaps that’s because I’ve only played the first chapter, which is effectively a tutorial. Once you help King Simon escape from the graveyard (alarming the poor undertaker in the process), the game ends unless you purchase the rest from the Apple app store. The first part, the graveyard, is free; to unlock the remaining locations costs $4.99 US.

Quest in Peace is an iOS game, available for all Apple devices from the app store. Follow HeroCraft on Twitterfor more developer news.