Lock's Quest
Encyclopedia
Lock's Quest is a real-time strategy
video game developed by 5th Cell
and published by THQ
. This is 5th Cell's second Nintendo DS
game. It was released in North America
on September 8, 2008, in Europe
on September 26, 2008 and in Australia
on September 25, 2008.
game, incorporating tower defense
gameplay elements. The battlefield, viewed from an isometric perspective
, is displayed on the DS's bottom screen. Combat is divided into two phases, Build and Battle. During the Build phase, the player has a limited amount of time and resources to construct defenses, which consist of walls, towers, cannons, machines, and traps. Once the Build phase ends, the Battle phase begins. Lock can repair damage to the defenses or fight enemies, with each action having a corresponding minigame
.
Both battle phases make good use of the touch screen, as the player can utilise sliding and twisting movements with the stylus to activate various upgrades and abilities.
announced the development of Lock's Quest on April 1, 2008 in a press release. In a preview of the game on April 2, 2008, IGN
wrote of their experience of the game, "We're still early on in Lock's Quest, but it has the potential to be one of the top strategy games on DS before all is said and done." In July, at the San Diego Comic Convention, THQ
debuted a promotional mini-comic based on the universe of the game entitled Lock's Quest: A Source of Hope - Volume 1 drawn by Edison Yan. IGN awarded Lock's Quest its "Best Strategy Game" award for the Nintendo DS at E3 2008.
praised most aspects of the game, writing, "Lock's Quest is by far one of the most original, inspired, and entertaining experiences we've had on DS this year.", receiving an Editors' Choice Award and DS Game of the Month for September. 1UP.com
criticized the un-skippable cut scenes, but said it "succeeds as both a love letter to, and an evolution of, the tower-defense genre." Nintendo World Report
said Lock's Quest was "just a few design tweaks away from being a fantastic game.", claiming that it is "definitely disappointing in light of all its great assets and originality." GameZone
called it "unique" and "perfectly suited for the DS". GameDaily
praised the story, gameplay, graphics and music, and called it "an excellent game." Gamespot
praised the "lengthy single-player campaign, exciting multiplayer, and addictive gameplay." EuroGamer
criticized the battle phase of combat and the enemy artificial intelligence
, while praising the "excellent graphics and repetitive but gripping gameplay." It was a nominee for two Nintendo DS-specific awards from IGN for their 2008 video game awards, including Best Strategy Game and Best New IP. GameSpot
nominated it for Best Game No One Played.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
video game developed by 5th Cell
5th Cell
5TH Cell is an independently owned video game developer founded in 2003 as 5TH Cell Media, LLC. by Joseph M. Tringali, Jeremiah Slaczka and Brett Caird and currently develops video games for the Nintendo DS and Wii.-Overview:...
and published by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
. This is 5th Cell's second Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game. It was released in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on September 8, 2008, in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on September 26, 2008 and in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on September 25, 2008.
Gameplay
Lock's Quest is a real-time strategyReal-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game, incorporating tower defense
Tower defense
Tower defense is a subgenre of real-time strategy computer games.The goal of tower defense games is to try to stop enemies from crossing a map by building towers which shoot at them as they pass. Enemies and towers usually have varied abilities, costs, and ability costs...
gameplay elements. The battlefield, viewed from an isometric perspective
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
, is displayed on the DS's bottom screen. Combat is divided into two phases, Build and Battle. During the Build phase, the player has a limited amount of time and resources to construct defenses, which consist of walls, towers, cannons, machines, and traps. Once the Build phase ends, the Battle phase begins. Lock can repair damage to the defenses or fight enemies, with each action having a corresponding minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
.
Both battle phases make good use of the touch screen, as the player can utilise sliding and twisting movements with the stylus to activate various upgrades and abilities.
Plot
The game world revolves around "Source", a mysterious ethereal substance. The "archineers" are the builders of the kingdom. The greatest archineer was Agonius. He discovered the mystery of the source, that can make life. He made robots, aptly named "clockworks". When the King found out about the Clockworks, he commanded Agonius to stop their production. Agonius refused, and he was banished from the kingdom. He wanted revenge on the kingdom, so he created a Clockwork Army and adopted the mantle of Lord Agony. Lord Agony used Source as fuel to create his evil clockwork army, while the "archineers" used it to build defenses. The game started when a boy named Lock is asked by his grandpa named Tobias to build a sea wall so the village would not be flooded. Also, he asks Lock to look after his little sister Emi. After Lock builds the sea wall, he finds an archineer named Isaiah, who is badly wounded. Soon after, the clockwork soldiers attack Lock's town, he defends it to provide a distraction so the townspeople can escape, and in the process loses track of Emi. Lock sets out on a quest to find her and defeat Lord Agony. Eventually he joins the Archineer Guild. To begin with, he was given an oral Archineer exaination by the Chief Archineer, Kenan, after which he is assigned to defend different parts of the Kingdom. When he fighting, he greet a man named Gentz. Lock was saved Gentz's village. He was awarded by Gentz an animal named Bluebit. When he back to Antonia, He discover that Jacob was the hero of the kingdom, but Kenan, he only a coward man. Kenan get mad when Lock tells the archineers in the room that Kenan was a coward, and weak archineer. He was banished from the title of archineer. He returns to his home village to find Emi and they are ambushed by clockworks. When they return to Antonia, he demand Kenan to tell the truth. they discover their grandfather is Agony's successor. He reveals to them that they are both clockworks, but Lock was given the original Agony's soul giving him true life. Lock was joined again to the archineer group. He get task to continues fighting in the war against the clockworks, until he is called back to Antonia for the final stand. There he defeats Lord Agony (his grandfather), but Agony accidentally fatally wounds Emi. Lock demands that Agony repair her, but before he can, they are attacked by Kenan, the leader of the Archineers. Kenan knows that new Agony is Jacob. Lock try to defend Jacob because he wants Emi fixed. Lock battles Kenan while Agony repairs Emi. Kenan is killed in combat, and afterward, Agony(Jacob) tells Lock he cannot fix Emi because she lacks a soul. When Agony and Lock are taken before the King for trial, Agony is sentenced to life in prison and Lock is pardoned due to his service to Antonia. Lock asks the king how to fix Emi back. The king tells Lock that human can made as a clockwork, even the muscle, and their knowledge can be daownloaded and can replace as a clockwork. And source can be manipulated to created life. But, life means it's can talks and have feeling. To do that, they need soul to life. Lock later asks Agony if he will give Emi his soul, and he accepts. The game ends with Lock and Emi visiting their grandfather's grave. Agony was barried in the Lock's village. Emi put her teddy bear on her grandfather grave. and then, Lock and Emi play tag to the source well.Development
THQTHQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
announced the development of Lock's Quest on April 1, 2008 in a press release. In a preview of the game on April 2, 2008, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
wrote of their experience of the game, "We're still early on in Lock's Quest, but it has the potential to be one of the top strategy games on DS before all is said and done." In July, at the San Diego Comic Convention, THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
debuted a promotional mini-comic based on the universe of the game entitled Lock's Quest: A Source of Hope - Volume 1 drawn by Edison Yan. IGN awarded Lock's Quest its "Best Strategy Game" award for the Nintendo DS at E3 2008.
Reception
Lock's Quest was well received by most critics. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
praised most aspects of the game, writing, "Lock's Quest is by far one of the most original, inspired, and entertaining experiences we've had on DS this year.", receiving an Editors' Choice Award and DS Game of the Month for September. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
criticized the un-skippable cut scenes, but said it "succeeds as both a love letter to, and an evolution of, the tower-defense genre." Nintendo World Report
Nintendo World Report
Nintendo World Report is a Nintendo-specific video game website that covers Nintendo's current consoles, the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, and Wii.-History:...
said Lock's Quest was "just a few design tweaks away from being a fantastic game.", claiming that it is "definitely disappointing in light of all its great assets and originality." GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
called it "unique" and "perfectly suited for the DS". GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
praised the story, gameplay, graphics and music, and called it "an excellent game." Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
praised the "lengthy single-player campaign, exciting multiplayer, and addictive gameplay." EuroGamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
criticized the battle phase of combat and the enemy artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, while praising the "excellent graphics and repetitive but gripping gameplay." It was a nominee for two Nintendo DS-specific awards from IGN for their 2008 video game awards, including Best Strategy Game and Best New IP. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
nominated it for Best Game No One Played.