It’s not often, if ever, that I have to sit down and come up with an opening line for a game that has absolutely no pedigree whatsoever. The subject of today’s review is an original, standalone title, with no established characters or franchise to provide brand recognition. It is based primarily off a game genre that exists almost exclusively in the realm of internet flash games. Even the game developer, 5th Cell, started out as a mobile phone game developer and has only one other console title to its name- Drawn To Life (DS), which received a lukewarm reception from critics. The game in question is a surprise, an unknown entity, a step into brave new territory- something that usually scares off consumers and makes reviewers more wary than usual.

But in the end, none of that matters, because the game is Lock’s Quest, and this game is one of the DS’s most pleasant surprises of 2008.

Seeing as this is a brand new franchise, it would be wise to start by establishing the setting. In the world of Lock’s Quest, there are Source wells- structures that existed before the beginning of civilisation. These wells provide Source, an all-encompassing resource used to build and repair things. Archineers- no doubt a cross between an architect and an engineer- used the Source to build cities and towns and so on, but one Archineer, named Agonius, tried using it to create life. He was banished for his experiments, but he returned as Lord Agony and tried to conquer the world with an army of Source-powered robots, commonly referred to as Clockworks. He was defeated and thought to be dead, but now he has mysteriously returned with a new Clockwork army to pick up where he left off.

This is where the main character, Lock, comes in. Lock aspires to be an Archineer, and his grandfather, a retired Archineer named Tobias, has been teaching him the basics. One fateful day, Lock meets a severely injured Archineer named Isaiah, and finds that the small village is under attack from the Clockwork army. This begins Lock’s whirlwind adventure where he becomes a key figure in the war, but the story also hints at a bigger, underlying conspiracy…

At its heart, Lock’s Quest is an attempt to bring the genre of Tower Defence to the DS. For those not in the know, Tower Defence is basically a genre where you have to place different kinds of turrets in order to destroy waves of enemies before they reach a certain point. As you may have guessed from the story, the waves of enemies are the Clockwork army, and the points to be protected are the Source wells. In Lock’s Quest, as well as placing turrets, you have to place walls to impede the Clockwork’s progress, and later on you will unlock other things such as traps and ‘helpers’ (devices with passive abilities, such as increasing weapons range or repairing nearby structures). After the building stage of a mission is over, the game switches to a real time strategy (RTS) mode where you play as Lock himself, who is capable of fighting as well as repairing damaged structures. The missions are wrapped up in an RPG format where you progress through the story and unlock new structures and abilities as you complete missions. On top of this, there are side missions where you control a turret and have to fire at enemies in 2D. This mode, known as Siege mode, feels a lot like a Flash game, but it is a fun diversion from the main gameplay and a good way to earn extra Source between story missions.

It’s clear that the main portion of this game is taken up by the building/fighting sections, and this is where it excels. Not only are the building mechanics extremely intuitive, with a grid on the ground and transparent pieces allowing you to match up wall sections perfectly, but the DS is perfectly suited to this mode, allowing you to drag and drop with ease. Building your defences is fun and strategic, and when you get low on Source it can be quite challenging (in a good way) to set up an adequate defence and protect the key areas of the map. The battles are also really well done, and do a good job of capturing the feeling of being a lone person/fortress of soldiers holding out against a massive army. Anyone who loved the Helm’s Deep battle in Lord of the Rings, or any similar battle sequences, will love the battles in Lock’s Quest.

Another good thing about the game is that there is variety in the missions. The landscapes you fight on are varied, containing different layouts, different paths, varying numbers of points to protect, and so on. There is also variety in the mission objectives, with some requiring you to leave your fortress and actively attack enemy positions, as well as variety in the enemies to keep things interesting. This is not a Tower Defence game where the same enemies walk the same path over and over again, no siree.

While the gameplay is excellent, it is not perfect. Lock’s Quest is controlled exclusively by the touch screen (the buttons are used to move the camera around the battlefield, with either shoulder button centering on Lock), and the touch screen controls are not always as precise as they should be. Dragging Lock to his destination is extremely difficult, and it is much easier to touch the location, enemy or structure that you want to move to/attack/repair and let him find his own path. Even so, he will occasionally get stuck and you will need to re-confirm the order. Also, when the screen gets crowded it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact enemy/structure without accidentally touching something else, and it is not always clear which part of a wall or turret needs to be touched for Lock to start repairing it. While it may sound pretty bad, it’s actually not bad enough to ruin the game, and for the most part the controls work just fine once you get used to them.

The presentation of this game is very well done. As far as sound goes, the music, despite occasionally being repetitive, does a good job of setting the mood, and the sound effects are excellent. The guns sound big and powerful when they fire, and when you have two or three firing at once, it really sounds like you’re in the midst of an epic battle. The big, bold graphics may seem a bit too cartoony for such a serious setting, but they’re really well done and pleasing to the eyes. There’s also a surprising amount of detail in the graphics- while turrets have health bars, the only way to gauge a wall’s health is by checking the superficial damage, and amazingly, the damage modelling is so detailed that it works just as well as a health bar would! The great presentation extends to the start-up and pause menus, which consist of big buttons and other little details to match the rest of the game. The title screen will also change to depict which area you’ve reached in story mode, and you can move Lock around the area before even selecting an option- a useless feature but a nice touch nonetheless. Despite the seriousness of the story, the game has a good sense of humour throughout (including a cat that says ‘Moo!’ when you talk to it), and the story itself is epic and well-written instead of just being a cheap excuse for the battles.

Overall, Lock’s Quest is the very definition of a sleeper hit. Despite having no credentials to back it up, it ends up being one of the best DS games of 2008. The gameplay is fun, exciting, and strategic, blending various genres into one entertaining package that’s wrapped up in a great story and similarly great presentation. If you’ve ever enjoyed any game that required a bit of strategy, or you’re a DS owner who just feels like something different, Lock’s Quest is a game worth checking out. It is also a big, loud declaration of intentions from 5th Cell, and if this game is any indication, they have a very bright future as DS game developers.

By Mr_M

The Verdict

Graphics: A-

Big and bold, with a great art style that’s practical and aesthetically pleasing.

Sound: A-

The music is occasionally repetitive, but overall does a great job. The sound effects are excellent.

Gameplay: A-

If you like anything with the word ‘strategy’ in it, you’ll find this game impossible to put down. Some control issues, but not enough to ruin the game.

Overall: A-

The surprise hit of 2008! A must play for all DS owners.