Costume Quest Review

Posted by Matt Arnold on Nov 1, 2010 in Game Review, Uncategorized | 4 comments

Costume Question Review

Platform: Xbox Arcade, PSN
Developer: Double Fine
Price: $15

After Brutal Legend, Double Fine has made the decision to move into smaller, downloadable games. Costume Quest proves this was a good move for everyone. Their creative worlds, fun characters, and unique charm are things that we should see more than once every few years. Also, Double Fine’s habit of simplifying and twisting normal conventions into gameplay that is initially fun, but overall, repetitive and rough around the edges, is less of an issue in bite-size chunks.

The dialog is constantly amusing

The story of sibling rivalry is a perfect Halloween treat.
Tim Schafer and the folks over at Double Fine have a knack for portraying child-like protagonists who are dealing with painful love and family issues.  Reynold and Wren fit perfectly in the mold of Raz and Eddie Riggs. They are twins who seem to be fighting on Halloween. The game starts with a clever way of choosing characters – having the mom decide who is in charge. Whom ever you choose is then ashamed of the other’s “lame” candy corn costume. So much so, that the player refuses to be seen with the other sibling. Looking from the sidewalk, your brother/sister is then kidnapped by a candy-seeking giant monster which is convinced by the candy corn costume.

The simple story of saving a sibling from monsters and the witch, who controls them, is told with wit and poignancy. The kids say hurtful things to each other, make up, are ashamed of each other, and fight to the death to save each other. Essentially, it felt a lot like I remember acting with my siblings at that young age. It’s refreshing to see kid characters that act like kids; quick to react, unfiltered emotion, and a lot of love for their family.

Costume Quest is a RPG lite…
All of the basic modern RPG elements are present here – NPCs that give quests, a list to track them, collectibles, experience points, leveling up, etc. The quests can get a bit repetitive, as elements like the bob-the-apple minigame and card collecting repeat through out the game. Most quests have amusing stories like getting a statue of liberty outfit to get into a closed Patriot’s party. However, it all feels a bit automated due to its simplicity. It is even more of a simplified RPG than Nintendo’s Mario and Luigi RPGS.  It’s a little confusing at times as to who exactly is the audience of Costume Quest. It is a bit to straight forward to be 100% satisfying for adults, but its still too complicated for children. Its probably best played with a child where both parties can enjoy all the elements together.

But a RPG lite stuffed full with awesome Halloween elements.
What separates the game from other RPGs is how the core elements of the genre are twisted to fit the Halloween theme. The end formula is a winning one. Instead of money you are searching for candy. A candy bag filling up with sweet treats is more rewarding than almost any money counter I have seen. Instead of treasure chests, you are cause some Halloween mischief, like breaking pumpkins, popping balloons, hitting mailboxes. The conceit appropriately continues through all sorts of power ups and collectibles.

The most apt and clever Halloween twist is that of the random encounters. Players have to hit up all the houses in a neighborhood for candy. You knock on a door, and taking the idea of “trick or treat”, either a monster or a neighbor will greet them. Neighbors provide candy, while monsters start a turn based fight. It’s a fun mechanic that is made even better by the presentation. The slow zoom on the door as the music heightens builds a nice level of anticipation even when you are tapping on your 30^th door.

Halloween comes to life through costumes that are as real as the monsters.
True to its name, Costume Quest provides a variety of costumes that then turn into their real-to-life counterparts in combat. So a cardboard robot costume will change via fun, anime-esque cutscenes, into a 100-foot tall metal biped of death. The transformation of your hand made costume into a giant fighting machine taps into something primal and childlike. Its made even better as the game dishes out new outfits every half hour or so to keep things fresh.

Costume abilities get you around the world.
Costume Question starts simply in your neighborhood, but opens up two other main areas – a mall and country town – as well as a few other mini dungeons. The progression of the game is controlled by your costume’s abilities. Acting like weapons in Zelda or Metroid, costume abilities do simple things like roller blade up ramps, light up dark areas, or protect your from falling objects. You get the costumes be receiving a design, and then finding the parts to the costume. It’s a tried and true pacing mechanic, and it feels rewarding here. The pacing is also spot on through out, with just enough abilities and locked doors to keep the momentum moving forward.

Initially fun Combat gets redundant quickly
Unfortunately that novelty doesn’t quite make it to the combat. Like Nintendo’s Mario and Luigi, Costume Quest’s combat associates a tiny microgame – such as timing a button press, or pressing a button rapidly – with each action. While initially fun, there is little depth – an unfortunate common denominator with most of the combat mechanics.

The costumes look great in combat, even if they mostly feel the same.

Redundancy sets in as all the moves feel the same, and all microgames are incredibly simple. In Mario and Luigi there was some depth and subtlety in perfect timing for better attacks, or even having the ability to hurt yourself when failing a move. There was urgency, skill and fun to those games. The combat microgames in Costume Quest have no depth; it is simply a task to perform to see if the move will be slightly more powerful or not.

Team strategy is also minimal as there is a lack of any cooperative, team moves. There is no power bar, or currency to manage to had strategy to move choices. Your character’s health refills after each combat, which wouldn’t be an issue if the combat was balanced to allow for more deaths and thus more resurrections. In Mario and Luigi you were often recovering a brother just in time to keep yourself in the fight. There is never that excitement of near defeat here.

To be fair, super moves are available after a set time. However it is always 3 turns, no matter what character. Those super moves are shown via fun cutscenes which are thankfully brief enough to not be repetitive. Though, with no microgame, or any significant effect on combat, they are little more than visual flavor. Also, non-attack super moves are almost useless as you quickly realize the combat is very much a simple back and forth war of attrition. Most of the fun of combat is seeing a new costume and what it and its moves look like.

Charming till the end thanks to its brevity and satisfying conclusion
The game lasts for about 8-10 hours, which makes it one of the shorter RPGs you will ever play. Hopefully it doesn’t feel like I was coming down on the game, as it was a worthwhile and unique experience. Entertaining to the very end. Any of them gameplay issues aren’t too severe because you are moved through the game so quickly and competently by a team of designers who care deeply about their game. The game shoots you through enough locations, unique scenarios – like losing your costumes, or a prison maze – that you don’t have long till you see something new and charming. And because it’s so short and self-contained, it builds to a satisfying and focused ending.

Final Thoughts

Don’t let the criticism of combat stop you from playing something so unique as Costume Quest. Had the combat taken even more from the Mario and Luigi games it would have been one of the best downloadable titles this generation. However, it is still one of the more entertaining and heartfelt games this year. It fits its subject matter perfectly, providing a short sugary treat that almost anyone will enjoy. If Double Fine can put out a game like this every year, the industry will be better for it. Happy Halloween.

Buy it if you want a humorous, unique charming game to celebrate Halloween, or are simply looking for a simple fun RPG for a low price.

Random Thoughts

• Now that I think about it, I never ate an apple with a worm in it – I should try that.
• The graphics and style maintain Double Fine’s perfect track record of unique looking games that feel exactly like their subject matter.
• Subtle character animations, like the children shaking as they prepare for a fight, add a lot of personality.
• Why is it that Halloween themed movies and video games don’t suck, when all other Holiday themed entertainment does?