QUEST FOR GLORY III
WAGES OF WAR REVIEW
​
​
YEAR: 1992
SIZE: 24 MB
​
​
​
+ 3 different classes means 3 different ways to solve puzzles
+ Wonderful blend of Adventure & RPG elements
+ Gorgeous VGA graphics
​
​
- Can take some time to build up your skills
​
​
​
STORY
After receiving word that Rakeesh’s homeland of Tarna is on the brink of
war, our hero and his friends, Rakeesh and Uhura, must travel to Tarna, and
try to prevent this war from breaking out.
But WHY is war about to break out? What has caused this upheaval? Well,
our hero soon discovers that two tribes - the Simbani people (a simple,
warrior-like tribe), and the Leopard men (mysterious magical shape-shifters)
- have each lost an ancient, treasured artefact that is sacred their people.
The Simbani have had their Spear Of Death stolen, while the Leopard men
have had their Drum Of Peace stolen. Each tribe blames the other. Each
tribe will not back down until their own artefact is returned to them.
It is up to our hero and Rakeesh, to get to the bottom of this, bring peace
back to both tribes, and prevent a war. Rakeesh wants to find a peaceful
solution that doesn’t involve spilling blood, while King Rajah (Rakeesh’s
brother) blames the Leopard men and wants to go to war. Thankfully,
Rakeesh is granted his request, and given a few days to find his peaceful
solution, before King Rajah officially declares war.
But who is REALLY behind the stolen artefacts? Rakeesh suspects a demon
may be involved. After all, the catastrophe of war, and the impending
bloodshed, will give the demon power to beak through from his hellish
dimension, into Tarna.
With time running out, our hero must get to the bottom of things, and
convince the Simbani people and the Leopard men to forget their feud, and
work together. Will he succeed? Or will the demon unleash hell upon
Tarna?
　
​
​
GAMEPLAY
​
Quest For Glory III: Wages Of War is the third game in the Quest For Glory
series, and takes place a few months after the events of QFG II. Just as
before, it’s a wonderful mix 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. Each of the
3 types allows you to overcome puzzles in a different way. For example,
crossing the waterfall on the way to the Lost City - the Fighter would use
vines to create a rope, while the Thief would use his magic 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 types you haven’t played yet.
A Point & Click interface is used to interact with the Hero’s world, giving us
icons to control Hero’s actions. What’s more, those icons are safely tucked
away in a Task Bar at the top of the screen (just move your mouse up there),
so it doesn’t get in the way of what’s happening on screen. You can move
your Hero by either clicking on the screen and he will walk there, or by using
the Arrow keys on the keyboard.
The icons in the Task Bar are: Walk, Look, Pick Up, Talk, which are all self-
explanatory. The next icon in the Task Bar is a kind of fancy square with
string trailing from each corner. This takes you to the Character Menu, and
from here, you can control your Walk Mode (normal Walk, Run, Sneak), Sleep
(10 Minutes, 30 Minutes, 60 Minutes, Sleep Till Morning), check your
character Stats (shows your Stamina, Health, Fighting Skills, Throwing Skills
etc), or check the time of day (some tasks are only able to be done at certain
times of the day). Next is the Star Icon - this is greyed out, unless you are a
Magic User. The Star Icon gives you access to all your spells, and allows you
to practice them. The Chest icon represents your Inventory, and shows all
the stuff you are carrying. You can Look at each item in your Inventory, to
see how much of that item you have, how much it weighs, as well as
checking how much weight you can carry all together (this increases with
time, as your stats improve). The Slider Scale Icon takes you to the Game
Menu, and from here, you can Save, Restore, Restart, or Quit. You can also
adjust the Detail, Volume, and Game Speed and Skill to suit your preference.
Setting the Skill higher or lower will determine how hard or easy it is to kill
enemies in the Wilderness. But it also effects some elements that are class-
specific, like how a Warrior in the Simbani village tackles the Wrestling
Bridge.
The Task Bar may seem daunting at first, but you’ll quickly get to grips with
it.
Interacting with other characters is very important in this game - everything
from Bargaining for goods in the bazaar, to negotiating for peace is all done
through conversation. You can ‘Talk To’ other characters to ask about
things, but you can also ‘Tell About’ things by using the Talk Icon on yourself.
And often, these topics branch out into other topics.
At times, you’ll have to enter into combat with an enemy. When this
happens, you’ll see a close-up of you and the enemies attacking you. A
shield on the bottom-right represents different sword attacks - stab, slash
etc. Clicking on the sword in the centre of the shield allows you to run away.
Just click on the relevant option you want.
As always, Save early, and Save often.
​
​
​
　
GRAPHICS
​
Quest For Glory III: Wages Of War is based in a gorgeous African-style town,
and uses detailed VGA graphics. There is so much to love here! There are 4
main locations, and each location has it’s own distinct style. The main town
of Tarna is where the Liontaurs live, and it’s a very regal, luxurious place. The
Simbani village is a typical African tribe, and the people here live in huts, and
are proud warriors. The Leopard men village hides in secrecy among the
trees. And the overhead map shows a lush savannah and dense jungle. But
there’s also places like the Pool Of Peace, and the Heart Of The Earth tree -
both are magical places of safety. Characters themselves are equally
impressive, with humans, liontaurs, Simbani people, and Leopard men being
very different from each other.
I love how, in Tarna, you see liontaurs and humans walking around, going
about their business regardless of if you are there or not. And in the Tarna
bazaar, stall-holders go about selling their wares. It really makes the place
seem alive! There’s also many little touches that are lovely to see - candles
in the Welcome Inn flicker effectively, the Village Elder standing guard over
Simbani Village, and seeing the Leopard men change form is very magical.
Inventory items are shown as little pictures, so it’s easy to see at a glance
what you are carrying.
When you are talking to someone, a character portrait pops up along with a
text box below, showing what they are saying. I love how their eyes blink
and their mouth moves as they talk - it adds a lovely touch of realism to the
game.
As you talk to someone, a list of available topics is shown, and you can
choose what to ask about. Some topics branch off into new topics.
One of the best things I love about Quest For Glory, is the Day\Night cycles.
As night time comes, everything gets dark, and you can see the moon and
the stars in the sky (although this doesn‘t seem to work properly when
playing the game through Scumm). The townspeople go home for the
night, but for a hero like you, some puzzles can only be solved at night.
There is so much to explore and love about Quest For Glory!
　
​
​
​
SOUND AND MUSIC
​
Music is heard throughout the game, and changes every so often. Every-
thing from the happy, cheerful music in Tarna as you begin, to the tribal
music of the Simbani village, to ’stealthy’ music in the wilderness and even
peaceful serene music at the Pool Of Peace. I especially love the drum music
in the bazaar.
Sound effects are also very impressive, with so many subtle sounds bringing
the game to life. Things like the meerbats squeaking to each other, or their
wings flapping, or the babbling pond at Pool Of Peace, enemies roaring in
battle, the satisfying thud as your spear (as a warrior) hits it’s mark, and
more. You even hear a ‘tinkle’ when you perform a correct action.
Give the game a try - you won’t be disappointed!
​
​