JackQuest: The Tale of the Sword

Overall though, JackQuest: The Tale of the Sword is a charming platformer that revels in its own simplicity. The control is excellent, the visuals nostalgic, and the exploration elements engaging.

JackQuest: The Tale of The Sword could have been truly great, with all the makings needed for a memorable game that balances between nostalgia and modern design principles. Regrettably, this game lands far from that mark, and as much as I’d like to, I just can’t overlook those things. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good game, but there are definite improvements to be made to it.

Nothing we have not seen before, JackQuest: The Tale Of The Sword is the perfect game for someone new to today's more complex gaming landscape.

JackQuest attempts to blend genre features together with its platforming and metroidvania elements, but it ends up being quite average in execution in almost all aspects.

I think I’d be less chaffed by the lack of any world building if the game didn’t start off by making me feel like there would be more in that aspect. Why have a talking sword that just delivers the same 3 or 4 lines randomly? Mix this with the frustration of the dungeon design and mini-map issues and I soon wondered what reasons the game was giving me to want to get through this struggle. There wasn’t really anything.

JackQuest: Tale of the Sword deserves a chance as it offers a few hours of genuine fun and originality with a well-known and fan-driven theme. Moreover it is an easy to understand game and is great to play with family and friends in a fast and exciting way.

JackQuest: The Tale of the Sword is an addictive combination of Mario's platforming design with the exploration and sword-slashing of a metroidvania. It's a ton of fun that's quick and easy to pick up and play in shorts bursts – which have a habit of becoming longer play sessions. Where does the time go? Platformer fans should consider picking this one up.

In a world where we have our pick of the Metroidvania lot, JackQuest simply does nothing to stand out in the crowd. As a result, we’re left with something entirely basic in both design and function.

Overall it wasn’t a fun time. The target audience of this game is clearly aimed toward kids, but even so, it’s just wayyyy to difficult for a child, in my opinion.

JackQuest is not a bad game but it's not a great one either. We have seen it all before so there's nothing that will surprise you in any way. It has some nice Metroidvania elements and a few hidden collectables to find, and its simple battle system and easy to beat enemies means it's a decent entry level game for those new to the genre.