One might call SteamWorld Quest a delightful little RPG. But it would be more accurate to call it a deckbuilding card game with very light JRPG elements.
Instead of staple RPG elements such as branching choices in story, character development, or world exploration, the otherwise linear Quest offers creativity in crafting a deck of cards and adapting it to different types of enemies.
But while deckbuilding and card selection are the core mechanics--and the gameplay is truly enjoyable--what delighted me most was Quest's charming art and memorable soundtrack. I just loved the card art and character designs. True to Image & Form games, such details matter and they shine in here even more than in previous SteamWorld games.
Pick a card, any three
Again, it's not an RPG in the true
sense of the word. You do have a party, you equip weapons and
accessories (though rarely changing them), and characters level up. Battle proceeds like a turn-based JRPG, except that actions are presented in the form of cards. New cards, acquired for free or from a merchant, substitute for
skill development. But there's no role-play, no player choice in
influencing the plot, and little choice in world exploration. The world
itself is a mostly linear series of rooms.But it is a highly enjoyable card battler. The fun is seeing if, in a single turn, you can play a chain of 3 cards of the same color (i.e. 3 cards from the same party member), thus gaining a bonus move unique to that character. That's not always easy to pull off, because you can only play precisely 3 cards per turn.
Each turn you choose out of a hand of 6 cards, drawn from a deck of 24. You get two chances to redraw, an option I often used because I didn't always have enough steam points to play certain cards. Some cards generate steam points, while others (generally the big attack cards) require steam points to be spent in order to play them. That, I thought, was an interesting mechanic.
Not all cards deal damage. Some heal, some provide defensive status effects on allies. Others inflict negative status effects on enemies.
I would love to give Quest a second play and try using a different party. Or, rather than replay the game from scratch, I could revisit the Colosseum (Quest's mini-game) with my current save and test my skills against waves of enemies, in exchange for prizes.
SteamWorld Quest or Slay the Spire?
I wouldn't really compare the two, though, as Slay the Spire is a roguelike with no plot while Quest has an actual story and is hardly random. You can count on finding predetermined enemies in the same rooms on each visit. Quest is the less challenging game, though harder difficulties are available. It also has fewer options for experimenting with card combos and less replay value than Slay the Spire. Still, Quest is good for at least one replay, to try a different combination of party members.
But I should emphasize that they're both great games. Quest has the advantage of superior art and visual effects. It's plain cute and has one of my favorite game soundtracks in 2019. Plus, it's a shorter time investment, if that matters to you. Slay the Spire, meanwhile, is a pure deckbuilder with lots of failing, learning, and interesting, creative experimentation. If you're new to deckbuilders, you might start with Quest before trying Spire.
Conclusion
Short and linear as Quest may be, I still haven't exhausted its fun factor in one playthrough. $25 might seem steep to you for a 15-hour game, but I thought it was worth the price for Image & Form's ever-charming art, memorable music, and simple but fun gameplay.