First Impressions : Costume Quest
Thu, October 21, 2010 at 9:37 PM
Brendan T. Smith in First Impressions, Video Games, costume quest, double fine, first impressions, psn, thq, tim schafer, xbla

 

Costume Quest (XBLA, PSN)

 Publisher: THQ

Developer: Double Fine

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Date of Play: October 19, 2010

Double fine has a bit of a troubled history when it comes to the sales of its stellar titles. Its wonderful blend of humor, original gameplay concepts, and terrific writing produces games that are critically acclaimed, but don’t sell all that well. This is a shame because Tim Schafer and company produce games that every gamer should be able to play and love and cherish.

With Costume Quest, Double Fine begins a new adventure into the realm of downloadable games. Potentially, this could be a match made in heaven. It allows Double Fine to express its wonderful weirdness in a more compact, cheaper form. Games such as these are less expensive both for the company to produce and for the consumer to purchase. This lower cost of entry has worked well for other downloadable titles that veer from the safety of the mainstream, so it could be the perfect fit for Double Fine’s unique brand of entertainment. Should this venture work out, not only might Schafer’s company have a brighter future ahead of it, but we might get to see more frequent releases from the company as well.

Can Costume Quest manage to condense the wonderment brought on by Psychonauts and Brütal Legend into a package that feels both worthy of the company’s history and of your $15? Let’s find out.

 Conclusion: I’ll be honest. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by Costume Quest. I liked the concept, I wanted to support Double Fine, and I certainly hoped the game rocked, but everything I saw of it looked a little mundane in the gameplay department. I was afraid it would be a case of cool idea, good writing, boring game.

Having played it for myself, I can now see how the terrific dialog, the simple but fun combat, and the exploration and RPG mechanics come together in a charming, pleasing package. It may not be the best RPG ever, or maybe even a particularly good RPG at all, but it’s cute, relaxing, fun, and funny and looks to be a world I’ll be happy to spend a number of hours in, collecting candy in silly costumes. 

Let’s face it, Double Fine isn’t known for producing games that are at the top of their category in terms of gameplay. It’s the overall package and the lighthearted presentation that they do best, and in that respect, Costume Quest looks to stack up nicely to the high bar that Double Fine has previously set, and for only $15 at that. Color me impressed. I think Double Fine might have finally found the right venue for its antics.

Result: An adorable success.

Article originally appeared on Zestful Contemplation (http://www.zestfulcontemplation.com/).
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