Now many game genres are mixed with others, eroded, or greatly transformed. Therefore, some terms require clarification. And, in particular, every self-respecting gamer must know what quest games are. And to understand this, you should first take note of the definition and then get acquainted with the history of the genre along with the classification of its branches.
What Are Quest Games in Simple Terms?
The name of the genre is derived from the word quest, which very accurately reflects the essence, as quest games are primarily a constant search for objects and solutions to the tasks set. But this genre also has a second name — adventure games.
Simply put, adventures or quests are a video game genre where the gamer will have to use mental effort to complete the storyline from beginning to end. An important peculiarity of this genre is a beautiful and intriguing plot that motivates one to return to such a game, again and again, to find out what will happen next as quickly as possible. Understanding what quest games are, it is worth taking a look at their main varieties.
Varieties of Quest Games
- Text. This variety is now not separate but often acts as an integral element in the form of a mini-game of larger-scale quests. Text quests originated in the 90s, and they used special interpreters to analyze the text typed by the player. Although this type was later replaced by more visually appealing and convenient games, it gave gamers maximum freedom.
- Graphic. These are quests with a beautiful visual picture, in which gamers no longer need to type anything. Control is performed using the mouse cursor, which moves the main character and allows him or her to interact with the game world. Such a peculiar control model was called point-and-click.
- Puzzle. The name itself suggests the specifics of this variety. In this case, the gamer is required to solve some puzzle or logical problem with the help of improvised means. The plot in such projects may be either present or completely absent, and a vivid example of a puzzle quest is the famous Myst.
- Visual novels. It is a variety popular in Japan. Their characteristic feature is static (or, more rarely, animated) anime pictures that are being replaced after the gamer reads the text typed on their background. That is, the player virtually just reads a novel, but against the background of pictures that make reading more visual. However, sometimes the gamer still needs to choose some option in the dialog, which will affect the further development of events.
After having understood what quest games are, what they look like, and what one will have to do in them, it will be easier for a gamer to get one’s bearings in the multitude of such projects.
