July 4, 2003 - Once upon a time, in a mystical land, far, far away...well not this time. The story behind Rocko's Quest is pretty basic, with nothing interesting to offer. The hero (if there must be a hero) of this somewhat ridiculous adventure game is Rocko, a rather dense character, having only his strength going for him. Low and behold, while carefully minding his own business one-day (not that he can 'mind' too much at once) Rocko's girlfriend was stripped from his sight by a band of mean ogres. Clearly, Rocko's response to this is simple; to go out and rescue her, no matter what it takes.

Rocko's Quest is a very basic adventure game, developed by Revistronic and published by Big City Games, a division of Strategy First. Following the storyline presented above, players control Rocko on his quest to save his girlfriend. Rocko starts off with a sword, but can pick up various weapons from fallen enemies to wield, some stronger or weaker than others and some faster or slower than others. Players will also have to use a variety of different attacks to destroy enemies they encounter, jump over holes or onto moving platforms, and avoid other dangerous objects placed in the levels (spikes, fire, etc). Power-ups are of course scattered throughout the levels and also dropped by some enemies. The gameplay is pretty brainless overall, and the game seems to be targeted at a much younger audience.

The graphics of Rocko's Quest are not overly impressive. One can easily deduce this after taking one look at the intro sequence. It is horribly pixilated making it very difficult to figure out what is happening. Not a good way to start off a game. However, if you wait long enough to actually get to the playing part, you will find that the game looks much better (still not great, but a significant improvement over that intro). A fully three dimensional world exists, and although the detail is not great, it is sufficient for this type of budget game. Backgrounds are flat and some minor clipping issues exist. There are also minor issues with the animation at certain settings (the fire does not animate sometimes, dust from jumping remains in its spot even after restarting the level). Basically, the graphics are present and work for the game instead of against it. Sound in the game pretty much follows the same pattern.

Overall, Rocko's Quest is a simple adventure game, more likely to be played by a younger child than a serious gamer. The gameplay is fairly solid, yet somewhat boring as you make that same jump over yet another deep hole in the ground or attack yet another ogre. Graphics and sound are not great; this game does not look like something produced by today's standards, but something made several years ago. Avoid this one at all costs if you are looking for a good storyline; it doesn't exist.

Agree or disagree? Have something you'd like to add? We'd love to hear your thoughts. Simply Login or Register to add a comment and have your say. Registration is free, and only takes a few moments.