Today's look is at another "comfy" game. For real, wandering the post-apocalyptic subways of Tokyo while fending off mutant beasts is like a warm blanket and cold pillow. Metro Quester takes the dungeon-crawler formula and then strips away the extraneities. Its uniquely minimalist visuals are paired with a streamlined UI. Anyone out there who likes to cast healing spells or sip revival potions after a battle might be disappointed, because those features are among the many that are automated. Your party also decides which monsters to target, so all you have to do is outfit them and issue commands. It's a system that doesn't require undivided attention but is still just as compelling than any other great RPG. Also, it's perfect for someone who has a lot of music or podcasts they'd like to listen to, but is still obligated to get some game-time in. Hm... I think I might've written myself into a corner with this single-paragraph review. Where could I possibly go from here?
Part of what makes Metro Quester work is its suddenness. With barely a starburst wrapper's worth of story to hold onto, players are thrust into a world that's surrounded by "death". I threw in the quotes because there's not a hint of permadeath to be found. Dead parties are transported back to the base and given another chance. I'm aware there's a somewhat more significant punishment if they fail to bring in enough food after 10 days of adventuring, but it would require a tremendous effort on the player's part to make that happen. But yeah, the immediate goal is to scrounge up some food and try not to die too often. It might not sound like a big deal, but keep in mind that you didn't get the opportunity to decide on a party, let alone get them any decent gear. The general idea behind Quester is that you make do with what you're given. Besides life and death, there aren't any guarantees, so all you can do is adapt to whatever you find.
With that in mind, let me tell you a little about my party. Over on the far left is Gotz. He's mobile police, a job that specializes in carrying shields and managing hate. In this game, hate is arguably more important than hit points. Battles are going to fall apart if the weakest party members keep getting targeted. You'll need someone like Gotz drawing the monsters' attention and protecting the party from noxious gases or other ill effects. Next up is Haruka the detonator. I'd call her a pure DPS machine, but DPS doesn't make sense in a turn-based battle, does it? Anyway, load her up with swords or heavy weapons. Dob-Rock is a Buddhist, though I'm sure that means he treats it as much more than a mere occupation. His skills are in healing, but he'll crack some skulls if you give him a large enough hammer. Scientists like Tsuya use drones to rain bombs, napalm, or poison on their enemies. Careful though, because they're hate-magnets and predictably squishy. Finally, there's officer Ekko. Give her a couple katanas and watch the decapitated heads pile up. I'd say that almost everyone who starts a new game will be given a similar crowd of misfits to lead. Bases located throughout the abandoned metros could be housing other recruits, so the starting party is never set in stone.
Some other jobs you might want to look for include stealers. Besides being good at hurling a shuriken the size of a manhole at monsters, these young opportunists have a better chance at breaking into safes than anyone else. Don't sleep on their talent for hiding. They'll duck behind the nearest mobile police, giving them the bonus hate required to keep most creatures from targeting the adventurers who aren't dual-wielding shields. Rangers are top-tier killers if you can find the right equipment for them. I knew a lady who had an anti-tank rifle for each hand. By the way, all but the largest bosses are vulnerable to instant-death. What can't be killed in one shot can still be severely weakened by paralysis, debuffs, and much more. If you have a specific build in mind, and the equipment to facilitate it, then you can expect some fantastic results.
Like I said though, this isn't the dungeon-crawler for micro-managers. Once you've found a strategy that eliminates the enemy with ease and without casualties, then feel free to stick with it until it stops working. Eventually, there'll be a monster party that requires a shift in tactics, just not so often that it'll interrupt that podcast or the 12,000-hour lo-fi hip hop playlist. Although, I'll go ahead and *spoiler warning* mention that the final boss will most likely require a significant amount of extra work. That can mean changing characters or farming the single gold safe that has a very small chance of containing legendary five-star equipment.
New Game+ is implemented in a very clever way. Players are allowed to carry over 60 of their most treasured items. The catch is that they'll be hidden in random patches of mud, sometimes awarded via progress, and generally spaced out so that the party isn't crushing everything in an instant. Additionally, enemies receive boosts to their attributes, so foolproof strategies of the past will likely require some tweaks. Defeating the final boss again isn't the end either, as players are offered to challenge NG +2, 3, and... I want to say it goes all the way to +6, but I never got that deep. Functionally, it's still the same map with the same monstrous inhabitants, which will tire out all but the most dedicated.
Metro Quester | Osaka
If you just look at the bullet-points, Quester's sequel sounds like more of the same. There are new characters to recruit, a larger array of weapons & accessories, additional monsters, and rivers that have to be navigated with a canoe. However, once you start digging into its depths, you'll quickly discover that it's so much more. The developer took all of the feedback they received from their previous game and used it to craft a great dungeon crawler.
At the beginning of the adventure, a mystery AI girl is going to ask questions about your starting party. New players should probably stick with the recommended party, as they're balanced to handle practically every situation. However, if you've gotten this far, then what's the harm in spicing things up a bit? One of this entry's standout features is the increased viability of parties that don't adhere to the 1 tank, 1 healer, 2 attackers, 1 utility standard. As long as you're willing to put in the work, then just about any class combination can conquer post-apocalyptic Osaka.
Directly above is what the game refers to as "The Ladies' Tea Party". You're already familiar with Tsuya and Ekko. They're joined by Natsume, Mikasa, and Sasuke. Natsume's talents as a Buddhist include zombie powder. This is one of the strongest, yet most situational healing techs in the game. It's a party-wide revival. Provided you have the resources and your timing is right, recovering from a horrific attack is instantaneous. Mikasa and Sasuke are both Rangers. You can arm them with melee weapons, but it's guns that'll unleash the demon within. Mikasa with a sniper rifle is frighteningly powerful. The creatures she hasn't already decapitated will be trying to fight with basketball-sized holes in their heads. Give Sasuke a good shotgun and he'll carve through multiple enemies like hot bullets through butter. Mikasa also has a chance to recover from death.
In order to make this heightened level of player-expression possible, Metro Quester | Osaka added several new accessories. Many of these offer abilities that were originally locked to specific characters or classes. For example, the Journey Stampbook clears a portion of ailments the party is suffering from at the end of every round. If you can obtain one, then you won't have to rely so much on healers or tanks with special shields. The only real limitation is resources. Most anything that isn't a stick or a stone requires drugs, explosives, bullets, batteries, or gadgets to operate. During boss encounters, I often relied on Tsuya to make drugs while everyone else attacked. Her healing abilities scale with the supply, so anything short of an obliterative AOE was easy to recover from.
Unless you're rolling with 3 Mobile Police and 2 Buddhists, battles are always going to be a sprint. At around the halfway point, powerful weapons become increasingly common. If one or two of your characters were struggling to find their niche before, then their fortunes (as well as yours) are all but guaranteed to change. Crushing end-game foes becomes the new normal. With the right setup, not even the final boss will survive more than a few turns. Since the "right setup" involves numerous top-shelf pieces of equipment, some farming will be required. The drop-rates for **** & ***** items are higher than in Metro Quester, so don't expect to farm for long. This is just one of those games that wants you to be overpowered.
Though the map is tougher to navigate, especially with rivers placing a larger strain on fuel reserves, I'd say that on the whole it's an improvement over the first game. Each area is a little more intricate in its design and there aren't as many huge mud-fields taking up space. Food is spaced out a little bit more, so take a couple of days to farm as much as the base needs. Although, much like the first Quester, I'd be astonished if anyone failed to gather enough food. The time limits aren't remotely as strict as other games with survival elements.
Metro Quester | Osaka is a fantastic sequel. Giving players complete freedom to build their ideal party was a masterful change. The ludicrous selection of new weapons and accessories allows for some close-to-broken setups. That said, it doesn't take much for the opposition to get the upper hand. Much like before, New Game+ increases the enemy's strength, and only the most hardened are liable to make it to NG+4 and beyond. I also can't praise the minimalistic approach enough. Limiting the visuals to portraits, menus, and a quaint overhead map makes this such an easy dungeon-crawler to get addicted to.
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