Also on: PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Developer: lightUP
Medium: Digital
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: E
Back in the fall, Ratalaika released lightUP’s Super Box Land Demake, a fairly dull puzzle game that came and went without making any kind of impression (unless, of course, you were after an easy Platinum).
I mention this to start off a review of Milo’s Quest for a few reasons. First, because Milo’s Quest is also from lightUP/Ratalaika, which means you know you’re getting a quick and easy Platinum out of it. Secondly, and more importantly, Milo’s Quest is what would’ve happened if Super Box Land Demake had been fleshed out into something substantially more interesting.
See, it has the same foundation as Super Box Land Demake: like last year’s game, Milo’s Quest is a retro-influenced puzzle game where you move boxes around to open gates. The difference, however, is that Milo’s Quest adds in crucial elements like a story and a challenge. You’re not just pushing boxes around for the sake of pushing them around, you’re pushing them around to get to Evil King Old Skull and his minions, who are wreaking havoc across this game’s very small lands. It’s hardly the most original plot, but compared to a game with no plot, it’s a major upgrade.
Having enemies around also makes a big difference. Super Box Land Demake fell flat because it was just room after room of boxes to move around. In Milo’s Quest, by contrast, you have to dodge and smash enemies, which gives the whole thing a little more urgency. Not a lot, to be sure, since it’s a fairly easy game, but still: it makes you feel like you’re moving forward.
Just because Milo’s Quest is a big step up, mind you, it doesn’t mean that it’s without its flaws. Some may be put off by the lack of challenge and the short running time, but for me, the biggest issue is that there’s no map. Seeing as the game tends to reuse assets, this means you’re going to get lost pretty easily, and be forced to backtrack through the same sections with some regularity.
That said, because it’s so short and so easy, it’s not like you’ll be spending hours going back and forth. Milo’s Quest is a pretty solid way to kill an hour (or, likely, less), and if you go in not expecting too much out of it, you’ll probably enjoy it.
Ratalaika Games provided us with a Milo’s Quest PS4/Vita code for review purposes.