Fernando is the most desirable man in the realm. He might also be the only man in the realm, but we can't get hung up on that detail. Whether they're chilling in the snowy mountain peaks or drinking in the deepest caves, every monster girl wants a piece of Fernando. He's a married man though, and his wife Mia is understandably miffed when Morganna descends upon their home and seizes him. Angry enough to spit fire - except not literally since she's only human - Mia grabs her sword and sets off on a mission to punish every gal that lays their paws, claws, tails, hooves, whatever on her hubby.
I'd like to go ahead and dispel any and all illusions of glowing praise or damning condemnation. Wife Quest is adequate, serviceable, and above all, fine. I wanted to see how much entertainment I could wring out of a product that took $1.50 out of my wallet. The answer is: enough. This game features a solid mix of both action and platforming. The intricacies are where it falters, but I can't get too mad about those. The developer wisely avoided the overly difficult scenarios. The action is stressful enough that I can tell what they were going for. It doesn't attempt excess. Checkpoints are constant, frame-perfect techniques are nonexistent, though there is some trial & error.
The game consists of six areas, each containing anywhere from 15 to 20+ sections. These sections are where all of the mayhem takes place. Mia slashes any monstrous ladies that accost her while hopping across platforms. The controls are typical of the action-platform genre and anyone even halfway familiar with concepts such as "attacking" and "jumping" will grasp them immediately. One potential snag that you should be prepared for is that there isn't any coyote time. Leaping across chasms never has to be perfect, but you're not getting a fraction's worth of leeway if the heroine runs off of a ledge. The second area has a few instances where you have to guide Mia across finicky leaves. I'm not going to list off every troublesome spot, since many of them aren't that consequential. For the first half of the game, failing a platforming challenge costs a few seconds and maybe 1 HP. The second half is more punishing, as a fall might cost Mia her life. She has an infinite supply, so really, you're out a minute at the most.
The starting area features enemies that don't do a ton besides walk (or slither) around and attempt to bump into Mia. A couple might go the extra mile by throwing objects or taking a swing at her with a club. Everyone flashes white a split-second before they attack, which is the best visual cue one could ask for. Dealing with multiple adversaries, all of which capable of flying and/or projectile-tossing, will become a lot for a sword-wielder to deal with. This is where the magic shield comes in. An extremely potent weapon - yes, weapon - the shield not only blocks attacks from any angle; it also reflects projectiles and even damages enemies on contact. Successful usages drain the magic meter, so always keep an eye out for crystals.
I like the shield. Besides the sword and a bow that doesn't turn up until much later, Mia doesn't have a lot of offensive options. Incorporating the shield into most situations and strategizing around the limited MP pool gives Wife Quest some real depth. For example, the shield can be used to attack foes from above, almost like the "butt-stomp" that appears in so many platformers. Striking monsters that are some distance away and deflecting their counterattack helps to minimize MP costs. All of the sword-damage upgrades you purchase apply to the shield as well, so its importance next falls off. Oh, and while I'm at it. There is a shop, and my advice is to buy every upgrade. Max out that inventory limit too so Mia can have a full supply of health or magic potions. Besides foolish pride, there's no incentive to skip the shop.
The Fairy Queen boss is likely to be a nuisance for newcomers. It's one of those points where you have to understand Wife Quest's rules or at least show a willingness to learn them. Contact damage with an adversary will add up quickly, and they aren't afraid to clutter the screen with projectiles. If you're not 100% certain about what to do next, just get the shield out. There will be attacks that rely on Mia's running and jumping prowess to avoid, but those tend to have more noticeable tells. Furthermore, tempting as it may be to dodge an attack to conserve MP, you might discover that there isn't a safe place to dodge too. Near the end of most boss battles, the arena undergoes a transformation, creating pits or other obstacles. I know you're sick of hearing about it but keep the shield up.
After dealing the Fairy Queen a harsh punishment, Mia will obtain the first traversal power. Wings allow her to hover as long as R1 / RB is held down. This makes platforming sections much more manageable. All future areas will require at least wing usage, but the ease of midair traversal overtakes the increase in difficulty. This applies to the other big traversal power, an enchanted tail that lets the heroine dash in any direction. Now, I don't want to sell the post-tail areas short, since they feature everything from crushing avalanches to little icons that propel the wife around like Donkey Kong Country's cannons. These icons are also iffy in their design. They must be dashed through and whiffing that dash is a little too easy sometimes. If you mess up, you'll be a treated to a scene like this, where Mia can't do anything besides fall into the abyss.
What keeps the frustration from setting in is that the developer chose restraint. Like I said before, checkpoints are frequent, and they never stop being frequent. To add to this, the most difficult platforming section never demands perfection out of the player. A late-game section might have you shooting orbs with the bow to keep a crushing spike-wall from completing its task, but you'll have ample opportunities to make a second or third (or fourth) shot. Basically, the orbs never disappear or stop working, so just keep hitting them until you've successfully escaped the spike-wall. Wife Quest is very generous in a genre which is often anything but. Some players will undoubtedly struggle more than others, and unfortunately, I don't know how to answer that. Still, I would've liked to have seen Mia's hurtbox shrunk by a millimeter or so. Damage from merely grazing spikes or projectiles occurs a little too often.
If you consider yourself a completionist, then wait until after completing the game to test out Ymir's Challenges. Finding all enemies, every treasure chest, and finishing the area under a specified time awards bonus art or achievements. Don't pay any mind to the time until you've unlocked Magic Mode. This gives Mia a new look, every power, and infinite MP. It'll be much easier to beat the clock when you can spam dashes.
If you can get past its faults, Wife Quest is a fluffy adventure. I'd say that there was a missed opportunity to push for something more challenging and execution-heavy, but it might be for the best. Several of this game's details are less than perfect. Precision platforming only works when the player is solely to blame for anything that goes wrong, and it's a lot of effort creating something that could very well tumble over and crumble to pieces because a hitbox in 5-13 was a smidge too large. The developer accomplished exactly what they set out to do, and I respect that.
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