Game maker games are a popular genre, from RPG Maker to even Nintendo taking a turn at the genre with the Super Mario Maker series. The latter games did extremely well, and many wanted Nintendo to do something similar for The Legend of Zelda, but aside from a small add on mode to the remake of Link’s Awakening, Nintendo has shied away from that idea. Well, when a major developer decides not to do something, it just inspires indie developers to try themselves and that is how we have received Quest Master.
Quest Master allows you to build Legend of Zelda-style dungeons for you and your friends to enjoy and the developers clearly love their inspiration because Quest Master perfectly captures the spirit of The Legend of Zelda. Like in the older games, you play on a 2D plane based around eight directions, but feeling a bit more free. You also have sword attacks that work like in the classic Legend of Zelda games, complete with a spin attack, along with a roll to let you dodge and attack like in The Minish Cap.
Of course, as with any good Legend of Zelda-style game, there are other key items you can pick up, that will let you interact with the dungeon environment and take on enemies. These include shovels and bombs and I have to say that I have found some very creatively designed dungeons so far. Every dungeon available to play in the Early Access release is entirely self contained, so go nuts with using the items when you find them, because they will not carry over.
I have to say that Quest Master makes it incredibly easy to develop and design levels and while I did not upload any myself due to feeling what I made was not good, I had experimented with designing some. There is an incredibly robust creation system here that feels more developed than some other games that have tried to take up this task, which is impressive considering this is still in Early Access. Building the dungeons is incredibly easy to do here, and can even be done fine using a controller. There is a wide combination of different terrains, tools, hazards, items and more that you can use to create your ideal dungeon, and you can even add stairs to go up and down through different floors and there is seemingly no limit to how many you can put in.
I had a great time playing Quest Master and found people had created some truly compelling areas. One thing that was fun to see was that the levels can be played with up to three players in co-op mode and aside from minor hiccups here and there, it all played extremely well. Some dungeons that people had made were so well thought out, that they feel as if they were professionally made, which is a real testament to the building tools in Quest Master.
I have to take a moment and note that Quest Master has absolutely gorgeous pixel visuals that stand out and more options will be coming in the future to give the game a look you prefer. The music is also amazing and calls to mind some of Nintendo’s best, and I am very satisfied with how everything looks and sounds so far. I should also note that there are some mini-games here that can be played as well, but the main draw is of course designing and sharing your own dungeons. Just be aware each dungeon is self contained with no overall story, well for now anyways.
As stated, Quest Master is still in Early Access and more will be added and issues fixed, but I am very impressed so far. There will soon be tools to create a full overworld and action RPG campaigns and I am salivating at the thought of what will be able to be accomplished with the game. Considering how incredibly fleshed out the dungeon maker already is, the future looks very bright for upcoming content for Quest Master and I have faith that the game will develop a healthy community that will keep it going for a long time, and that the community will grow throughout the Early Access period. If you have wanted a Legend of Zelda maker for a long time, then look no further than Quest Master as it is quickly becoming everything you will have wanted from such a game.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
Quest Master is in Early Access on Steam and is also planned for a release on Nintendo Switch
