GAMES .: REVIEW
GAMEBOY

December 2001
By Jae Lurman

GARGOYLE'S QUEST

Those who remember Capcom's brilliant arcade platformer Ghosts 'N' Goblins back in the late 80's, will recall the flying Gargoyle creature which greatly hindered your advancement. The perilous demon which swooped down upon our hero Arthur usually ending in the loss of his armour, leaving him naked and vulnerable, now plays the lead role in his very own Gargoyle's Quest.

It's not often a game (or in this case a whole series) is based upon a minor boss enemy from a related game. I commend Capcom for taking that path less travelled. As a result, GQ is less a spin-off and more its own creation, with little parallels between it and Ghosts 'N' Goblins.

GQ is set in the Ghoul Realm, uninhabited by humans but home to all kinds of undead demon spawn. Hundreds of years before your quest the Ghoul Realm was invaded by an unknown army of destroyers. Just when hope looked bleak, a mysterious fire swept over the Realm wiping out the invaders. Now the Realm is threatened once again and Firebrand, a lone gargoyle, is called upon to investigate. Firebrand's journey uncovers his bloodline link to the great fire which stopped the destroyers dead in their tracks long before, and thus his true destiny unravels before him.

The action takes place in two alternating gameplay styles. Reminiscent of the early Zelda installments, the game alternates between over-head RPG and side-on platform style. Gargoyle's Quest however takes this idea and expands upon it, mixing both genres seamlessly. The platform levels are where the bulk of the quest is ventured, and Firebrands abilities allow him to jump and hover briefly across obstacles as well as latch onto vertical walls and breathe fire upon enemies. The traditional aspects of an RPG such as gaining experience points to grow more powerful are absent from the game. In its place are various items that increase Firebrand's health, flying and firepower abilities.

Gargoyle's Quest's bold visuals really make use of the Gameboy's limited graphical capabilities, marred by the slowdown when the action becomes hectic. Large sprites and backgrounds fill the screen keeping you unaware of whats ahead of you. That can become annoying when negating some of the trecherous spike lined corridors and fighting bosses who unfairly creep up on you. The music, while mostly excellent, can become repetitive and the sound effects are mostly bland. The action is also interupted with constant battles while traveling in the RPG-like areas.

Despite these flaws, and given the game's decade old age, Gargoyle's Quest still remains a fresh diversion from the barrage of mediocre genre mixing cutesy platformers out there. The game's success lead Capcom to make several sequels, appearing on the NES as Gargoyle's Quest 2 and later the SNES as Demon's Crest. This Gameboy cartridge is a rare find and well worth picking up. Wth next generation consoles and the evolved Gameboy Advance released, maybe we haven't seen the last of Firebrand just yet.

Genre - Platform / RPG

Developer - Capcom
Publisher - Capcom
Release - June 1990

Players - 1

Link Options - None

Save - Password

EXTRA MEDIA

Firebrand in action
(Artwork)

Magazine Advert

Where it all began...
(Ghosts 'N' Goblins - Arcade)

Firebrand's in trouble (Demon's Crest - SNES)

Wandering a monster village
(Gargoyle's Quest II - NES)

The game we never got
(Makaimura Gaiden - GB)

INTERESTING FACTS
Firebrand the Gargoyle has his name for a reason. This may have been overlooked by the rendering artist as his fiery red skin appears in green on the cover of Gargoyle's Quest.

Graphics - 8.5
Bold and well-created graphics. Some cut scenes would have really added to the game though.

Sound - 7.5
Some great tunes and some down-right tedious ones.

Gameplay - 7.5
Sometimes awkward control scheme on the platform levels and annoying restart points. Otherwise good.

Lastability - 7
Reasonable sized adventure with a much needed password system.

Characters - 5
The idea of controlling a bad guy for once is great. Characters in the game lack any depth at all.

Overall - 7.5/10
An interesting find in the GB back-catalogue.