As we’ve said before, we saw a lot of games at THQ’s 2010 Holiday Preview, such as Marvel Superhero Squad 2. One almost made me soil my knickers. Which? Costume Quest. Why? Two words: Tim. Schafer. (And Double Fine studio.)
Costume Quest is the return of Tim Schafer to gaming. Schafer, the mind behind some of the most innovate games in recent years (Brutal Legend, Psychonauts, Grim Fandango), decided there weren’t enough Halloween games – so he made one. An RPG taking place on October 31, everything about Costume Quest is from a kid’s perspective – the graphics look like cut-and-paste, candy is currency, costumes have special powers. It’s a treat in every way possible.
The game starts on Halloween, where you can choose a brother or sister as your main character. Your mom charges you with guarding your sibling and you begrudgingly obey her; too bad a monster nabs them at the first house. You spend the rest of the game trying to get them back while trick or treating. The houses with the lights on are safe to visit, but the ones that aren’t have tricks and traps. And monsters, as your little sibling learned the hard way. It all very Earthbound-like, really.
Since this is a game from a kid’s perspective, and a RPG, there’s also a Battle Mode. Here, the costume that you’re wearing becomes a vital gameplay element. You see, kids have over active imaginations, so when you enter combat in a mech suit, the child believes he is the mech suit, allowing you to fight as a giant robot. The whole thing’s anime style – swish lines happen during your transformation sequence and you become a Macross-style robot. You can rain missiley doom on your enemies as your special move, and each costumed member of your party has their own unique move. Even the Statue of Liberty.
Gamers can have up to four people in their party. Candy does pretty much everything here: the XP meter looks like a roll of Smarties, candy purchases items, hit and power points are measured in candy. There are lots of costumes to choose from, with plenty more planned as DLC. Sometimes they’re challenge related, as with one guy who only lets “true American patriots” on his lawn, forcing you to dress up like the Statue of Liberty. All of them have special abilities, but aren’t gender specific; if you play as the brother but are hellbent on trick or treating as a unicorn, you can. It’s Halloween: all rules are off.
As is typical of Schafer games, there’s lots of background details, too. This is the kind of game where you talk to everyone and they all have something fun to say. My only reservation about Costume Quest right now is that I only get 6 or 7 hours of enjoyment out of it. Doesn’t mean I won’t buy it, but still: I’d like to milk a little more out of my Halloween.
It’s set for a tentative release at two weeks before Halloween on XBLA and PSN. Consider that your treat.
