Mystery Quest
System: NES
Release Date: April 1989
Developer: Carry Lab
Publisher: Taxan
Genre: Platformer
Mystery Quest is the one and only game developed by Carry Lab on my list. They were mainly developers for the Japanese home computer market, but what I figure is their last release made it to the NES. You are Hao and the Great Wizard has given you a quest to prove yourself. You must clear four mystery castles and collect hidden talismans from within.
Hao is an apprentice wizard and is equipped with magic that he can shoot with the B Button. To me, it seems like a good idea to be firing all the time. First, it takes out enemies that pop on screen. Second, it can destroy certain blocks that impede your path. Your other action is jumping with the A Button. Hao needs to build up his jumps to get the greatest height. It takes three consecutive jumps to soar the highest that Hao can go. Hao picks up speed as he goes if you fire his wand. You need to be moving quickly in order to make some jumps later in the game.
There is an overworld level featuring a lot of running and jumping, as well as two castles. Inside the castles, you have to navigate a maze. You have to do more running, jumping, and shooting. It took me awhile to realize that you can hold up while shooting to aim at the ceiling. This led me to my first success. There are also boss creatures that take a lot of shots to kill, but drop a key which you need to collect to continue. The castles also come with upgrades. There is a scroll that doubles the magic power. Boots which break certain blocks when jumping on them. A helmet, which allow you to break blocks with your head. And a cape that cuts damage done in half.
These upgrades are needed to move ahead in the game. You can’t get to the underground without the helmet. There are also limited use items, such as the magic lamp, which is basically a star man. There are dolls hidden throughout the world that increase Hao’s vitality (you lose the increases if you die). Hao is also unable to swim, which makes water a deadly obstacle, unless you have an SOS raft, which saves you once. Stars can be revealed when you jump on certain platforms and restore a small amount of life. The moons are your best friend, and refill your entire vitality meter.
Hao’s vitality slowly ticks down, so you need to keep moving. Keys are necessary to move through the castles and you can only carry one at a time. Precise jumping is the name of this game and it’s not incredibly friendly. Even if you manage to muddle your way to the end of the final castle you find yourself with a bad ending that you aren’t good enough. Further research says to get the good ending, you have to win four times in a row in one sitting. No thanks.
Graphics: 1.5
They aren’t particularly attractive, though there’s some detail to enjoy.
Sound: 1.5
There’s not much variance in instrument or tone in the different songs. They’re okay.
Gameplay: 2.0
I really had to struggle with this rating. Everything technically works, but it feels like a chore to play.
Difficulty: 1.5
Getting certain jumps to land is infuriating. Figuring out the breakable blocks can be time consuming, but if you keep searching, you’ll find the solution eventually.
Fun Factor: 0.5
Despite not being technically terrible, it’s just not fun. Did they really thing people would want to sit down and play through this thing four times in a row?
Overall Grade: 1.4
Mystery Quest earns a D+. I can see why Carry Labs went out of business. Mystery Quest is not a good game.