Warhammer Quest
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Format: PC
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Review by Philip Cole
So, way back when I reviewed the iOS version of Warhammer Quest as it had recently become free to purchase – It is unfortunately now £2.99. You can read what I thought of it in more depth here but in short I was impressed with it’s easy to use interface, “nice enough for a tablet” graphics and fun gameplay that encouraged you to keep questing.
However, as with lots of things these days, the game has received the inevitable desktop port and so, as the resident Warhammer Quest expert, it fell to me to leap back into the world of dungeoneering and see if it lived up to its portable twin.
However, as with lots of things these days, the game has received the inevitable desktop port and so, as the resident Warhammer Quest expert, it fell to me to leap back into the world of dungeoneering and see if it lived up to its portable twin.
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Alas I have to say that the game is exactly the same as the iOS version. And I mean exactly the same. There are two small references to its new lease of life on PC, that of a resolution setting and a mouse pointer but that really is about it. The resolution setting is more of an enlargener, as the same low poly and res models of the iOS version are used here so increasing the resolution really only serves to let you zoom out more (and reminds you of this frequently as notifications that should come in at the top left corner are now an inch or two down the screen). Whilst in some styles of games, like ARPGs (think Diable et al), this would serve at least a tactical advantage it merely shows you more “fog of war” as you unveil one room at a time in Warhammer Quest.
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Unfortunately what worked so well on the portable format doesn’t shine so bright here on a more standard setup. What worked so well for a touch screen tablet now feels pared down - With so much more screen real estate to play it wouldn’t have been outside the realms of possibility to have your heroes portraits remain visible on screen permanently and allow you to access inventories and journals with keyboard shortcuts as is the norm, but this simple port provides no such ability, leaving you constantly whizzing the mouse around to select characters and menus alike.
Granted the combat is hardly as intense as that of, say, Dragon Age and its sequels, but it would still be nice to let you, the player, complete simple actions with a minimum of fuss. How hard could it have been?! I found myself tapping the ‘I’ key on more than one occasion and then sighing as I had to go looking for the Inventory button secreted away in the bottom corner. It’s still a fun game but a different format demands a different kind of interaction and Warhammer Quest does little to make me feel that “Yes, I want to sit here at my desk and play this game with my undivided attention”.
It could be used to kill time between other activities like waiting for raids to start in your favourite MMO or during particularly long loading screens of your favourite Multiplayer FPS, but that is still a task better suited to the tablet version, especially considering our next point…
It could be used to kill time between other activities like waiting for raids to start in your favourite MMO or during particularly long loading screens of your favourite Multiplayer FPS, but that is still a task better suited to the tablet version, especially considering our next point…
The price… Well, whilst the developers have seen fit to keep the same assets, menus and format from the iOS version, they have seen fit to bump up the price to a more desktop “friendly” £8.79. Given that the portable version is still available for a mere £2.99 it does seem like a bit of a kick in the teeth for the desktop user if you don’t own another device capable of playing it. This price does include the Vampires and Zombies enemy pack (worth £1.99) but doesn’t appear to include either of the extra areas (Black orcs and Skaven) that are mentioned in my iOS review but is otherwise exactly the same, four heroes and three areas to adventure across.
There is also the option of the Deluxe package, which includes another set of enemies (Skeletons and Necromancers) as well as access to all 7 extra heroes available from the Adventurers Guild and 5 extra legendary weapons. This weighs in at a rather more hefty £15.99 and, considering that to purchase all of the heroes on the iOS version would cost you around £14, still doesn’t seem that great of a deal. Though the legendary weapons and extra enemies total up to around another £9.42, meaning you are saving around £10 if you want to invest that much into the game.
There is also the option of the Deluxe package, which includes another set of enemies (Skeletons and Necromancers) as well as access to all 7 extra heroes available from the Adventurers Guild and 5 extra legendary weapons. This weighs in at a rather more hefty £15.99 and, considering that to purchase all of the heroes on the iOS version would cost you around £14, still doesn’t seem that great of a deal. Though the legendary weapons and extra enemies total up to around another £9.42, meaning you are saving around £10 if you want to invest that much into the game.
Wrap Up
Ultimately the port just feels lazy. I could not imagine any less effort being put into it (There’s not even an inventory shortcut! I’m sorry but… ARGH!) and it takes what was a very fun, well designed game and thoroughly sinks it into the realms of mediocrity.
If you have no other way of playing this, I strongly recommend waiting until the next Steam sale and snap it up for as close to the iOS price as you can get, and if you have iOS tablet or phone I would drop the £2.99 on that version instead – You’ll get no less of a gaming experience and save yourself some money for the next game.
If you have no other way of playing this, I strongly recommend waiting until the next Steam sale and snap it up for as close to the iOS price as you can get, and if you have iOS tablet or phone I would drop the £2.99 on that version instead – You’ll get no less of a gaming experience and save yourself some money for the next game.
Rating; 2/5
Game and Images provided by publisher
