QUEST FOR GLORY II
TRIAL BY FIRE REVIEW
YEAR: 1990
SIZE: 22 MB
+ 3 different classes means 3 different ways to solve puzzles
+ Wonderful blend of Adventure & RPG elements
+ Freedom to try anything you want to
- Can take some time to build up your skills
- Streets are tricky to navigate
- Rather linear - certain things must be done on certain days
STORY
After freeing the town of Spielburg from a curse that lasted over a decade,
our hero and his friends, Shameen, Shema, and Abdulla, have moved to the
desert land of Shapier. Shameen & Shema quickly set up an inn, which they
decide to call Katta’s Tail Inn, and they give our hero a place to sleep, as well
as free meals.
Shapier is a city is bustling with activity, and our hero soon feels right at
home. However, he can’t relax for long. Trouble seems to follow our hero
around, and only a few days after arriving in Shapier, a Fire Elemental
descends upon the town, eager to burn Shapier to a crisp. The townspeople
are afraid! They’ve never seen anything like this before, and they look to our
hero for guidance. He’s the only one who can take on this Fire Elemental.
But before he can do that, he has to find out all he can about it, and find a
way to defeat it, making the town safe once again!
But that’s not the end of the matter! The Fire Elemental may be gone, but
Air, Earth, and Water Elementals soon follow. Our hero has to find a
weakness for each Elemental, and take them on one-by one, before Shapier
is destroyed completely. It’s hard work, being a hero!
But that’s STILL not the end of things. After all 4 Elementals have been
defeated, and Shapier is safe once again… our hero must travel to the
neighbouring town of Rasier, where he has received word that the Emir has
gone missing. Rasier is now being ruled by the Emir’s brother, who is
corrupt. As a result, Rasier is very run down, and ruled with fear and
violence. So our brave hero must prove himself once again, by restoring the
rightful Emir to power, and ending the corruption plaguing this land.
The fate of not one, but two cities, rests in the hands of our hero.
GAMEPLAY
Quest For Glory II: Trial By Fire is the second Quest For Glory game, and
carries on the story from where the first game left off. It’s a wonderful mix
of adventure and some RPG elements. The story takes places over 30 days,
with the ultimate showdown taking place on Day 30.
Just like QFG I, you have to create your character at the start. You can
choose if you want to play as a Fighter, a Magic User, or a Thief. Each of the
3 types allows you to overcome puzzles in a different way. For example, to
get the griffin’s feather, the fighter would lift up a stone and take the
feather from underneath, while the thief would use his magic rope to climb
up the cliff to the griffin, and the magic user would cast a spell. This gives so
much replay ability to the game, and will have you coming back to try the
other types you haven’t played yet, to solve the puzzles in different ways.
One thing to note, that I really liked: the town of Rasier, is an anagram of
Sierra, who made the Quest For Glory games.
Anyway, the game uses a combination of the traditional text parser
(meaning you type in commands through your keyboard), and a menu-based
system (click your mouse at top of the screen) to interact with the game
world.
The text parser controls your actions, and you have the freedom to try any-
thing you want. You may want to ‘Dance With Scorpion’ (although I don’t
recommend it), or ‘Attack Griffin’, or even ‘Give Money To Beggar’. It’s
entirely up to you. I had a lot of fun experimenting, and trying different
commands.
Some improvements have been made since QFG I. You can still ‘Ask About
…’ when you talk to the townspeople, but now you can also ‘Tell About …’,
which is necessary to complete some of the side-quests. You can also ‘Use
Map’, which is crucial for navigating the maze-like city streets, as well as
jumping to places you‘ve already visited. The Arcade Difficulty can now be
set to ‘Easiest’, ‘Normal’, or ‘Hardest’, and this affects how easy or hard it is
to defeat enemies.
Movement is controlled by using the Cursor keys, or by clicking your mouse
where you want to move. And you can make him walk faster or slower with
the ‘+’ or ‘-’ keys. Pressing F3 on your keyboard repeats the last thing you
typed, which is very handy if you weren’t quite in the correct position.
The menu-based system (click your mouse at top of the screen to see it)
allows you to Save, Restore, Restart, or Quit your game. I recommend you
Save your game often, using different Save slots, because you can die in this
game. A lot. The menu also gives you access to other information during
the game, which is crucial. You’ll frequently be checking your character
sheet to see what skills have improved and what skills still need to be
improved. It also allows you to Cast Spells (if you are a Magic User), and
various other things. You’ll soon get used to all the various options available
to you.
Like I said, it’s a wonderful mix of adventure with RPG elements. However, it
is more linear than the first game, and certain tasks must be done on certain
days. Because of this, it is possible to miss some events. It also means that
some days are crammed with tasks for you to complete, but other days are
fairly quiet, with not much to do. The streets are very tricky to navigate,
since they all look so similar. Thankfully, there are street signs which you can
read, to hopefully keep you on the right path. And just like the first game, it
can be frustrating and time consuming trying to build up your skills.
Despite the down-sides, this is a fantastic game that I highly recommend.
GRAPHICS
Quest For Glory II: Trial By Fire uses the same SCI graphics that QFGI did, and
it still looks gorgeous. The whole game has an Arabian feel to it, and there
are so many lovely touches. Katta's Tail Inn has a lovely Far Eastern feel to
it. The hero himself wears black shoes with a curly tip, which I found
adorable! I love the way the Saurus’s tail flicks from side to side as he
moves, and the way the thief is hunched as he sneaks, and the how Ferrari’s
tassle on his hat moves. There is a lovely animation, when you play as the
fighter - he’s chained to the wall, and he’s desperately trying to break his
chains before an assassin can kill him.
I love how the characters get on with their own lives, and stop to talk to you
when you approach them. And as you talk to people, their mouths move,
which I think is a lovely touch. Shameen & Sheema, who own the Katta’s Tail
Inn, really make you feel welcome. The townspeople walk around the town,
talking to each other or selling their wares, the Challenger is busy with his
tightrope, Rakeesh busy sunbathing outside the Guild Hall. Everywhere you
look, there is something to see.
One of the best things I love about Quest For Glory II, is the Day\Night cycles.
When night time comes, everything goes dark, and an eerie glow spreads
over everything. The townspeople go home for the night, and the whole
town grows quiet. But for a hero like you, some puzzles can only be solved at
night.
SOUND AND MUSIC
Quest For Glory II has some wonderful music. Each shop has it’s own theme
- you can enjoy jolly, daft music in the Magic Shop, spacey music in the
Astrologer’s home, flute music at supper time in the Inn, etc.
Sound effects are sparse, but effective. I like the ‘snick’ as the thief tries to
pick locks, and the gush of water in the fountain. The flute player can be
heard outside the Katta‘s Tail Inn, but in the evenings, he performs inside
the Inn. The magic spells deserve special mention, as each spell has a it’s
own distinct sound. Just lovely!
Give the game a try - you won’t be disappointed!