♦ Stream Contents ♦
• (5:38) “Quest For Glory” by Corey and Lori Ann Cole (1989/1992)
• (1:48:30) “Quest for Glory (v1.1)” by Hydra, MeBo (1998) [https://museumofzzt.com/file/view/qfg11/]
The start of a new series for December, OG & ZZT, where we take a look at a classic DOS game and the ZZT game it inspired.
Starting off with the VGA release of Quest For Glory. A lot of fun is had as we take our fighter out into the wilderness to beat up goblins while hopefully finding any clues on how to go about solving the game's main quests. It was a lot of fun to play for the first time! The mix of adventure and RPG meant that even when you're not actively making progress in the story, you're still getting stronger. I could not figure out the combat beyond the theoretials, and basically stabbed endlessly until something died (me, if it wasn't a goblin). I love the look and feel of the game, and was surprised to see the real locations when I had only played the ZZT game so many times. This is one that I could see myself sitting back down with and trying to finish sometime.
I just wish Sierra listened when I wanted to use my sword to free a chained bear and not attack it :(
Then the ZZT counterpart which has to greatly streamline the game, still does its best to maintain its feel. Gone are character classes unfortunately. The open-ended structure of the original is now a much more linear affair, which alongside combat now being simple matter of touching the enemy when they're vulnerable makes the game a lot easier and child friendly. You won't get lost wandering the wilderness here, nor will you stay anywhere you're not supposed to be. (Save for a possible soft lock if you don't buy a potion before being cut off from returning to Spielburg.)
With complete creative control Hydra and MeBo are free to add in their own elements as well. Mostly a ton of ZZTer cameos, including two whole boards of a "ZZT Festival" featuring dozens of community members of the era. The major fights are now RPG battles instead which rely on mashing attacks with different weapons. The Baba Yaga battle though stands out with the ability to use a magic mirror to reflect the witch's spells if you can deploy it at just the right time. Misjudge when to use it, and your turn is wasted, but pull it off and it's a very powerful blow.
We ran out of time to see the last quarter of the game or so, which unfortunately means no platformer or barricading puzzle, but it was quite an enjoyable play regardless!
♦ Play these worlds directly in your browser ♦
• https://museumofzzt.com/file/play/qfg11/
♦ Originally streamed on December 5th, 2025 ♦
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