Review Date: May 10, 2010
Developer: Big Fish Games Studios
Publisher: Big Fish Games
Platform: PC/Mac
Genre: Simulation/Time Management
Life after high school is as exciting as it is scary. So many new choices, so many new responsibilities. Do you go back to school or get a job? Focus your time and energy on your career or your personal life? Life Quest squeezes all of these choices into a unique simulation game that, while fairly short and easy, is an addictive take on life.
After making your in-game avatar, the game throws you right into the real-world as a recent high school graduate. You're big sister will give you a brief run-down of how things work, and from there's it's up to you to decide what you want to do. You'll start out unemployed and living in a crummy apartment, and the goal is to move up in the world, eventually buying yourself that mansion and luxury car you always wanted.
But while Life Quest gives you plenty of flexibility, it also provides a number of goals for you to complete. These goals are presented in a very clever manner, as you'll constantly be competing against your graduating class. A former classmate might say that they are looking to buy a new car soon, or finally get a degree, or even start a family. And from that point it's a race to see who can complete the goal first. You'll be going up against 19 former classmates over the course of game, which ensures that you'll never be without a new goal to accomplish.
Completing most of these goals, especially some of the ones later in the game, requires you to first complete a number of other tasks. Getting a good job will require a certain amount of education and experience, for example. So before you can get hired you'll first have to toil away at minimum wage and take a few college courses.
The game is divided up into a number of days, and each day only has a limited amount of time. Every action you take -- from riding your bike to class to grabbing a bite to eat -- takes time, so one of the keys to success in the game is managing your time properly. You'll not only need to accomplish your goals, but also not forget to do things like eat and go to sleep on time. If you do, the game punishes you by reducing the amount of time you'll have available the next day.
By upgrading your character and buying new items, you can make your actions cost less time, which in turn lets you do more in one day. For example, buying a better vehicle lets you get around town faster, while improving your intelligence will reduce the amount of time it takes to complete a class. The game quickly becomes a balancing act as you attempt to both improve various facets of your character's life while at the same time keeping pace with your peers. And not forgetting to eat.
You'll also be given quite a bit of freedom when it comes to customizing various aspects of the game, from the way your avatar looks to how their apartment is decorated. You can fully customize any item of clothing you purchase, selecting whatever colors you want, and the same goes for a number of items you purchase for your home. You can even make your character blue, if you want.
If you're looking for an open-world life simulator along the lines The Sims, Life Quest definitely isn't it. While it provides plenty of customization options and lets you tackle the goals however you see fit, it isn't anywhere near as open ended as most games in the genre. Because you're constantly racing to finish a set of goals, you aren't really given the opportunity to do everything you want. There simply isn't enough time. If you decide to, say, spend all of your money sprucing up your new condo, well that's time (and money) you didn't spend competing to get that Bachelor's degree. The game does offer a free-play mode once you've finished all the goals, but by that point your character will already have reached the higher levels, so there's not much point.
The other problem with Life Quest is that it's simply too easy. There majority of the goals aren't particularly challenging, and, even if you aren't the first to complete them, the game doesn't punish you at all. You can simply continue on and finish up at your own pace. While this makes for a very casual and relaxed experience, those looking for challenge will be disappointed.
But in spite of these issues, overall Life Quest is still an engaging and addictive experience. The developers have been able to cram quite a bit of content and complexity into a very accessible, streamlined package. It also features some great production values, with sparse but effective voice acting and charming cartoon-style graphics. It might not provide much of a challenge, but it doesn't skimp on the fun.
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