If you're a gamer who plans to pick up an Apple Watch, Watch Quest is here to fill your RPG needs. WayForward Games' new title will allow you to play asynchronously on your new watch or your iPhone, each offering two very distinct experiences. One offers a more traditional character micromanagement option while the other is a classic RPG adventure.
Siliconera has a breakdown of Watch Quest. It stars Shantae and Bolo, a long-time-but-not-well-known duo from WayForward's Shantae series. Portable gaming fans will likely be well aware of who the heroic duo are, but they may not be as well known to casual gaming fans.
According to WayForward Games...
Players are invited to play passively by selecting longer, easier quests and outfitting the hero up front – or by taking on more difficult quests which require foraging for items as you go.
The concept seems to rely on giving owners of Apple's products a cohesive experience across both devices. However, I tend to think that it would make more sense to have the item and inventory micromanagement features relegated to the Apple Watch instead of the larger screen of the iPhone.
In fact, it seems really odd to play the main game through the Apple Watch and not the iPhone. You use the watch to quest, battle enemies, scavenge for new gear, solve puzzles through various mini-games, and seek out treasure across the land.
I suppose WayForward was trying to give watch owners a reason to engage with the gaming side of the device's capabilities, but doing so at the expense of the iPhone seems like an odd choice. Then again, they could be experimenting to see how well the software adoption rate holds up in the face of Apple's latest gizmo.
It's not uncommon for developers to test the waters on a new device with something small and unique. While it wasn't small, Ubisoft did the same thing during the early life-cycle of the Wii U with ZombiU, giving the game an exclusive platform in which to breathe. Things didn't quite turn out so well for them with their exclusive endeavors on the Wii U.
WayForward is stepping out on a limb to see what the landscape and ecosystem of the Apple Watch is like with Watch Quest. Will it work? Will gamers adopt it? Will it sell? We'll have to wait and see.
The gaming community is skeptical, though. Some don't want the watch or the game. Others admit that they don't mind the game, but it's a definite “no” on the watch.
Shantae has a loyal fanbase, but will gamers drop massive dimes on a watch to play a miniature game like Watch Quest? Things become even more sketchy for the potential sales when you factor in that only the first level and training mission in Watch Quest are free and each successive level is sold as premium DLC.
As mentioned at the top of the article, Watch Quest is set to launch for iPhones and the Apple Watch on April 24th.
