ArtisticallyChill

I’ve been playing Lock’s Quest a lot this past week, usually until the batteries of DS are drained. Lock’s Quest is a DS game developed by 5th Cell (Drawn To Life) and published by THQ. If you’ve ever played Desktop Tower Defense, it plays a lot like that. You’re given an area to defend and you must build walls and turrets to annihilate the oncoming waves of baddies. Unlike DTD, the enemies aren’t traveling from one point on the map to another. The enemies are trying to break your defenses and defeat you or an NPC or object you’re suppose to protect.

The story puts you in the shoes of Lock, a young ‘Archineer’ whose parents fought in the war against Agony and his army of Clockworks, machines built for war. As the Clockworks begin taking over one village after another, Lock must utilize his raw skills as an Archineer to build walls, turrets and traps of various designs to prevent Agony and the Clockworks from taking over all the lands surrounding Antonia, the last stronghold of the Kingdom. Tactical placement is key. Spread your defense too thin and the Clockworks will bring down your defenses in no time. Spread your defenses too far apart and you’ll be wasting time running back and forth repairing your walls and turrets. Building is easy using the stylus to drag and drop your defenses onto the map. To add a bit of pressure to the player, you’re allowed only a few minutes before each round to build and/or repair your defenses. When the battle begins, you will need to survive, repairing defenses, and if you wish, engaging the enemy on the battlefield til the timer reaches zero.

While the main component of the gameplay is the build and battle modes, some of the maps will either have you jump into the battle and rescue hostages or recapture strategic points. While on the battlefield, Lock can engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. As you progress further into the story, you’ll unlock different fighting techniques and super moves to help you survive. These fighting moves require different stylus movements, almost like Elite Beat Agents.

Another gametype built within the game is Siege Battle. Within the stronghold of Antonia are several Siege Towers. To progress the story, you’ll be asked to help with defending the stronghold. You’ll man the cannon and tap on the ground with the stylus to fire on that location. The trick is to lead your targets and prevent them from taking out the tower, you only get 1000 HP. Enemies will vary in speed and style of attack (either melee or range). After each round you will be allowed to make repairs, upgrade your HP or your Attack, and purchase special one-time use attacks and defenses. Surviving will open up the next area you need to go through. Play the Siege Battle again and succeed, and you’ll be awarded more Source (resources for building and repairing your defenses).

If you’re a fan of DTD or strategy games, Lock’s Quest is for you. It’s has a great story, incorporating a little of strategy, rpg and action genres, and making great use of both screens and the stylus, packed into this awesome DS cart.

~ LoneWolf