Quest 64 is one of the most flawed games that I've ever loved. I can't deny that it has a lot of frustration points: the battle system is terribly imbalanced, the story is nearly non-existent, and it has some actually miserable dungeons. But despite these flaws, I think some of its design ideas are kind of brilliant.
For one, it's lamentable how few RPGs have copied the idea of hiding "skill points" in the overworld/environment. They're a far more enticing link between the exploration & action phases of the game than your typical random treasure chests. I mean, by this point I've memorized where all of the spirits are, but in my earliest playthroughs I would gasp in excitement whenever I found one.
The element system, while imbalanced in practice, is pretty well-realized from a design sense. The four elements have distinct gameplay incentives and are functionally intuitive (water is the healing element, earth is defensive, etc). By prioritizing specific elements, you're rewarded with early access to far stronger spells, but you'll have more of an issue countering enemies/bosses of those same elements. And for its time, the hybrid turn-based/real-time action battle system was so clever!
It's tragic to me that Quest was rushed to market in the race to be the first RPG on the N64, because there are the foundations of something amazing here. The inspired game design, the unique setting, the period-appropriate instrumentation of its soundtrack, the charming monster designs - I can only feel that Quest deserved better than it got.
For one, it's lamentable how few RPGs have copied the idea of hiding "skill points" in the overworld/environment. They're a far more enticing link between the exploration & action phases of the game than your typical random treasure chests. I mean, by this point I've memorized where all of the spirits are, but in my earliest playthroughs I would gasp in excitement whenever I found one.
The element system, while imbalanced in practice, is pretty well-realized from a design sense. The four elements have distinct gameplay incentives and are functionally intuitive (water is the healing element, earth is defensive, etc). By prioritizing specific elements, you're rewarded with early access to far stronger spells, but you'll have more of an issue countering enemies/bosses of those same elements. And for its time, the hybrid turn-based/real-time action battle system was so clever!
It's tragic to me that Quest was rushed to market in the race to be the first RPG on the N64, because there are the foundations of something amazing here. The inspired game design, the unique setting, the period-appropriate instrumentation of its soundtrack, the charming monster designs - I can only feel that Quest deserved better than it got.