I reviewed the second one. While I thought the themes and characters were charming, the actual RPG gameplay (battles) were a little lacking.
My Top 11 Octoberween Game Titles for 2015 #08: Costume Quest 1 & 2
On 10/12/2015 at 06:02 PM by NSonic79 See More From This User » |
Time to revisit a prior game in my Octoberween Game titles. This title happen to find its way on my lists back in my 1up.com days. But now since that site has become dormant I figured now is as good of a time as any to return to a fond favorite of mine. But this time instead of just reintroducing a past gaming gem, I thought I would add on to it by including the game’s to the mix. After I had finished this game I was practically chomping at the bit for a sequel to come. But instead I got myself a DLC add-on and the longest wait I had to endure. That statement alones comes as a shock to myself even given how I usually don’t go that crazy over a digital title. I’ve come to enjoy them as small-bite sizes adventures that I would infrequently revisit if only the mood strikes me. But around this time of year I can’t but help find myself either reminded by this game series or find myself on the verge of replaying the game again. So I figured that this year is a “digital online” edition of Octoberween game titles of 2015, I decided to cave in and enjoy this game once more. But not with just the first game. I speak of course of Costume Quest 1 & 2 on the PS3 off of PSN.
Costume Quest is an RPG that tells the story of twin siblings Reynold and Wren as they begin their adventure of exploring their new neighborhood on Halloween night. The twins don’t quite get along causing their parents to decide that one of them has to be in change during their outing. After you’ve chosen which sibling you’ll play as you begin your quest of candy collecting when Reynold and Wren stumble upon a devious plot by a mysterious witch to steal all the candy in the area. You accidentally get caught up into the plot when the witch’s grubbin minions accidently mistake one of the sibling dressed as a piece of candy corn as actual candy to be stolen. It’s from there you have to gather various costumes and allies to help save your sibling and Halloween in the process.
From a story telling standpoint the game is pretty straight forward. Get back your lost sibling, stop the evil witch and save Halloween night. It’s simple enough and gets the job done. But how this game tells the story of Reynold and Wren is where the game’s charm comes out. Everything is taken from a child’s point of view in the simplest terms that it’s easy to translate over into a lighthearted adventure while at the same time being able to translate the dire circumstances of any given situation. Everything that the children run into during their quest is taken with all the seriousness that you would expect a child would take it as if put in that predicament. Instead of being worried that your respective sibling maybe in mortal danger, your more concerned that your parents will be upset with you than anything else. Any obstacle you run into in the game, be it a side quest or main story quest ends up having the simplest of child-logic in how to figure it out. There is some trial and error involved but there are no harsh penalties for getting the wrong answer, being it a loss of one of your costumes or even a game over screen when all in your party die. Overall the games mood and tone feel more like kids playing make believe than any usual RPG one might find.
As mentioned above Costume Quest is a modernized RPG with simplistic game elements to it. You won’t find any hardcore turn based battle system or complex decisions in facing your foes. In fact when you take part in combat you don’t exactly fight as yourself as a child in a simple costume but instead take on the role of the character costume itself. The costumes in this game may seem simple in design as a robot, a knight or the Statue of Liberty but in battle your character “becomes” them during the course of the random encounter thanks in part to a quick transformation sequence at the start of every enemy encounter. What looked like some painted blue boxes with taped on wings turns into a giant robot that can fire rocket punches and has chest mounted missiles. A trash can lid and wooden sword will help your player transform into a powerful knight in shining armor. It reminds you of a simpler time when we as kids would play “dress up” and make believe that we were the characters we were dressing up as. It harkens to the days when kids would play “cowboys and Indians” or “army men” as we thought we were facing off with our respective foes. It adds a nice touch to the combat when it could’ve been just your average turn based battle system. The system itself is also as simple as the overall game. Instead of choosing an “attack, defend, magic or run” command, you have to type your basic attack with a corresponding quick time event to ensure you land a blow against your foe. It might seem hard at first but the timing is very easy and helps keep you active in just punching buttons. And just like an RPG if you build up your special meter your able to unleash a special attack specific to the costume your wearing. An astronaut is able to drop a meteor on their attacker to your knight able to special shield an ally to withstand an extra hit. There are even out of place costumes like a French fry costume that’s able to transform into some kind of land crab for battle. They may be simple things but they add a big factor in making the combat system standout. When the going gets tough you can always stop by Sandy’s battle stamp “store” to buy stamps that give your character or their attacks specific attributes in battle.
Despite the usual fights that help level up your character you also have sidequests that also fit the mood of the game. They range from simple hide and seek missions, finding treasure chests that house extra candy or materials to make other costumes to even actual trick-or-treating at houses and apple bobbing contests. These side quests don’t exactly add to the overall game but they don’t exactly come out having the feeling that its simple padding to increase the game’s run time. Overall the first game, even including the expansion can be a rather short experience. Anyone wanting to start the game and have the dedication to finish it up can do so in one afternoon sitting if they wished. It’s one of the reasons why I decided to add the game’s sequel to this list as well. I was able to literally play BOTH of these games over a weekend. When you’re done playing the first game you’ll be left with a feeling of nostalgia that can only be shared with those who’ve had childhood memories of going out to trick or treat, thinking they were a 50 foot robot that can shoot freakin lazer beams out of their eyes.
Or that may have been just me.
Costume Quest 2 adds more of the same from the first game but makes sure it doesn’t end up feeling like DLC or concepts cut from the first game. This time around the story does it a bit more complicated this go around by adding a time travel element to the mix. Continuing where the first game’s DLC left off, Reynold and Wren must now travel thru time to stop an evil dentist from outlawing costumes, candy and Halloween outright. New costumes can be found, new friends are met (including some familiar faces from the first game but in a different time) and new areas are available to explore. It’s very neat how you visit some old friends and foes in this game before the events of the first game. Though the game does seem to “bend over” the space-time continuum in doing this, it’s all done just like you’d expect with the child logic you can expect from the series. Some of it even makes some sense in how things play out in the game. The first game had your basic level settings like a suburbia neighborhood, a mall and the countryside but the second game adds past, present and future areas of the neighborhood as well as new locations like the French Quarter and a futurist dystopia devoid of any candy or Halloween.
Combat still retains its roots from the first game but instead “enhances” the turn based encounters with specific timed button pushes to land attacks against your foes. This time it’s much harder to land a perfect attack and you run a good chance of outright missing your attack if your timing is all of. Every costume, from the Super Hero to Clown, have different timings in attacks which adds more reasons to pay attention in combat. Costume Quest 2 adds a bit more depth into combat by also having specific attributes assigned to enemies and costume alike. Some costumes might be better in attacking mechanical enemies while others might be weak against them. It adds a different level of strategy that the first game lacked. You even have the ability to upgrade your costumes by adding different material’s to them that either can boost attack power or raise healing strength.
In the PS3 version you can even get the exclusive Sack Boy costume and play as Sack Boy from the LittleBigPlanet series in game. Add his upgraded punching gloves and you’d be surprised how much punch he can deliver during battle.
In Costume Quest 2 you still have the same level of subquests objectives but this time around you can run the chance of missing one or two if you’re not paying enough attention. Some of them are even time-space based where one action done in one time can have an adverse effect in another. Much like the first game, this sequel can be finished up in about the same time, making for these two games as perfect Octoberween fun on a weekend or anytime during the week if you have some free time on your hands. The only downside I can think of in this game is that it has a bit of a drinking problem. In Costume Quest 1 your characters self-heals after every fight. In the sequel you have to either drink from a water fountain to regain full health (and save your game) or eat some of your stored candy from your trick or treating. Though not really an annoyance it can cause you to backtrack to water fountains if you don’t want to lose candy to heal.
The music in both games can only be described as perfect when fitting the theme to this series. It’s nothing too fancy but also not too minimalistic. I wouldn’t say it is music I would rip to my mp3 player but the jingles and notes played in any level fits perfectly in the level you’re playing in. Be it the suburbs (past, present or future), the mall, the countryside or the cityscape. I found the main tune in the suburbs in the first game to be especially fitting. A tune that I could see myself humming as I walked along my old trick or treating neighborhood, watching twilight approach as the wind blows through the color changing autumn leaves.
Overall this game series is an excellent choice to enjoy on a Halloween night or an Octoberween gaming binge. It makes me glad that I had a chance to revisit the first game and try out the second one this year. They both complement each other very well and offer the same young, innocent Halloween feel one might get when they recall a different time where one would play dress up, let the spirit of the season take you in and have your imagination run wild as it’s fueled with Halloween candy. For that reason alone is the reason why this game ranks so high on this list. It’s not “Nightmare on Elm Street” scary or make you have bad nightmares. This game won’t give you jump scares or have you think twice about walking down that dark hallway. This game won’t have explicit scenes of violence and gore. But it will have some childhood fun, some witty dialogue that Double Fine is known for and a setting that can fit any Octoberween before the real darkness falls.
I actually bought both of these games at 50% off when they were on sale during their respective times. Honestly I can’t recommend paying full price of $14.99 for each title given how short they are, no matter how well made and whimsical they are for Halloween. $7.49 each was a more comfortable price I was willing to go for and it was enough to convince me to spend $4.99 on the DLC “Grubbins on Ice”. And yes you do need to play it as it does bridge the stories of Costume Quest 1 and 2. Give it a try if you can this Octoberween, especially if you can find it on sale this month or sold as a bundle pack.
Ta-ta
“N”
My Top 11 Octoberween Game Titles for 2015
11) Zombie Panic in Wonderland – 1000 Wii Points
10) Trouble Witches NEO - $9.99 + $1.99 DLC character
09) Slender: The Arrival – on sale $7.49
08) Costume Quest 1 & 2 – on sale $7.49 each + $4.99 DLC “Grubbins on Ice”
BONUS VIDEO
In this episode of “Camera Obsucra” after failing to convince the police of who is killing doctors, Claire takes it on herself to do her own research to see where the killer will strikes next!
(In all honesty you could skip this episode since the above sentence explains pretty much what happens this episode. Watch it if you like!)
Sleep well tonight……
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