QUEST FOR GLORY V
DRAGON FIRE REVIEW
YEAR: 1998
SIZE: 852 MB
PLATFORMS: Windows
+ 3 different classes means 3 different ways to solve puzzles
+ Wonderful blend of Adventure & RPG elements
+ Gorgeous SVGA graphics
+ Superb voice acting
- Can take some time to build up your skills
STORY
The wizard Erasmus has summoned you here to Silmaria after the King was
found brutally assassinated. Who could have done this terrible thing? And
why? Things in Silmaria have been bad for a while, since Mercenaries have
been attacking local villages. But now, with the King dead… Silmaria is in
despair.
Silmaria desperately needs a new King. Thus the traditional Rites Of Ruler-
ship has been initiated - contestants must complete 7 quests in order to
decide who is brave enough and honourable enough to wield the crown. But
as well as that, the assassin MUST be found, and brought to justice.
That’s where you come in! You have been persuaded to enter the Rites Of
Rulership. But really, that’s just a ploy to hide your TRUE purpose - find out
who assassinated the old king without arousing suspicion. And if you
happen to win the Rites Of Rulership, that’s a bonus for you.
However, the mystery deepens, when contestants are found assassinated
one-by-one. Each time, a poisoned dagger has been used. And each time, it
takes place next to a Dragon Pillar. The Dragon Pillars are used to contain an
ancient dragon who terrorised Silmaria many years ago. And with each Pillar
that gets broken, the dragon is one step closer to being free again.
Is that the assassin’s true purpose? To release the dragon and bring
Silmaria to it’s knees?
Only a Hero can stop the assassin, and kill the dragon once and for all. Are
you up to the challenge?
GAMEPLAY
Quest For Glory V: Dragon Fire is the fifth and final game in the Quest For
Glory series, and continues the story as our Hero is summoned to this new
land. It’s a wonderful blend of adventure and some RPG elements.
Before you begin the game, you have to create your character. You can
choose if you want to play as a Fighter, a Magic User, or a Thief. However,
the game control system has been completely revamped. In previous games,
you saw each of the 3 classes (Fighter, Thief, Magic User) burst onto the
screen. This time, there is a small window displaying a 3D, rotating image of
the 3 classes, and you click on the Left & Right arrows to rotate through
them, then click on whichever class you want. Each of the 3 classes allows
you to overcome puzzles in a different way. For example, getting Pegasus
feathers - a fighter uses a see-saw device to catapult himself up, while the
Thief uses his rope & grapnel, 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 classes you haven’t played yet.
The game interface has also been completely revamped, and the drop-down
Task Bar Menu from the previous instalments has gone.
The Game Menu is accessed by clicking on your portrait at bottom left of the
screen, then clicking on Options. From here, you can Load, Save, or Quit the
game.
You can choose to have the Compass displaying, as well as the Time and the
day, which is very handy. You can trigger these options on or off by clicking
on your portrait at bottom left of the screen, then clicking on Options, then
Controls. You can also adjust the Game Difficulty this way. Game Difficulty
affects how hard enemies are to defeat, as well as determining how much
time you have to win each of the Rites.
The thief’s ‘Sneak Mode’ can be turned On\Off by pressing ‘K’ on your
keyboard.
Your Health and Stamina bars are shown next to your portrait at bottom of
the screen. When you get tired, you can simply click on your portrait, then
Rest for an hour to recover your Stamina. Health can be replenished by
taking Healing Pills. Mana (when playing as a Magic User) can be replenished
by taking Mana Pills.
Your Inventory Belt is the long black rectangle at bottom of the screen, and
you can keep 9 of your most-used items here for quick access. These items
can be changed at any time.
The pointing finger toggles the Look function on and off. When it’s on (as
indicated by the eye), you’ll get a detailed description of things.
Your Inventory is indicated by the padlock icon - just click on it to access the
Inventory screen. From here, all the items you are carrying is displayed as a
small icon. Just scroll up & down as necessary to see more of your items.
You can combine Inventory items by clicking on an item, then dragging
another item onto it.
It should be noted that weapons and armour must be ‘Equipped’ before you
can use them. You can Equip or UnEquip an item by double-clicking it.
You may find the layout of Silmaria a bit confusing at first, but you’ll soon
learn where everything is. I’ve uploaded a separate Map, if you do get lost.
BUG REPORT
QFG V originally had a few bugs, including crashing during the final battle
with the dragon. However, GOG has installed all available patches, which fixes the bugs. You may still find the odd random crash, but nothing major.
INTERESTING TITBIT
Apparently, you can woo, and even marry one of the female characters in the
game (Katrina, Erana, Elsa, or Nawar). However, I have not been able to
succeed at this.
GRAPHICS
Quest For Glory V: Dragon Fire uses stunning SVGA graphics to create a rich,
3D world full of life.
The Greek-like world looks absolutely gorgeous! Backgrounds are amazingly
detailed, with everything from cobbles in the stone bridge, to blades of
grass, to slates on the roof, to the wooden planks in Gnome Ann’s Inn, and
more, being rich and vibrant.
Animation is incredibly smooth, with lots of detail that really brings the
world of Silmaria to life. Things like the gondola rocking in the waves, water
whooshing back and forth, the rippling effect in underwater Atlantis, and
even Rudolph’s red nose flashing is a delight. Erasmus’s strange, mystical
house is fantastic, and I love how you can float around in there. But my
favourite is the Dryads - the way they tilt their heads when revived, then the
Dryad Spirit starts dancing with Hero, is simply breath-taking!
When you’re talking to someone, a small picture of their head pops up at the
side, and their head moves up & down, as well as moving their mouth as they
talk.
As the game progresses, our Hero’s appearance can change real-time. What
I mean is, if he equips himself with a new shield, or armour, or helm, that
change is immediately shown on-screen.
Inventory items are shown as little animated pictures, so it’s easy to see at a
glance what you are carrying. And as you collect more items, you can scroll
up & down to see those items.
One of the best things I love about Quest For Glory, is the Day\Night cycles.
As evening approaches, everything gradually becomes darker and darker,
giving a completely different feel to the game. Shops and stalls pack up for
the evening, while Ferrari’s Inn opens for business.
SOUND AND MUSIC
The sound and music in Quest For Glory V is extremely impressive. The
characters are fully voiced, and they sound just how I imagine they would.
Gnome Ann has a funny, slightly squeaky voice. Pholus, the tough Weapons
Dealer sounds very gruff. Wolfie’s Indian accent is brilliant. Even Toro’s
unique way of talking can’t fail to impress. But my favourites have to be
Salim’s hippy drawl and Rakeesh’s gentle and majestic voice.
Sound effects really help to bring the game to life. There are so many lovely
touches, like when Hero runs on the treadmill, or the sound of him munching
a meal, or birds calling out to each other on the pier, or Pholus banging
weapons into shape. I especially love Hero’s Tarzan-call on the Pegasus
rocks.
Music is used to great effect, and is very atmospheric. Stealth music is heard
when you’re sneaking around the abandoned mansion. Wailing and
moaning is heard in Hades. And who can forget the beautiful Dryad songs?
Give the game a try - you won’t be disappointed!