Into August already, isn’t the year going in quickly! So here we are back again for another Paula’s Game Ramblings. This time I going to ramble on about questing in video games.
So think about it. Do you love side questing, do you feel the need to mop up each and every little quest and complete a game 100%? Or is questing in-game not for you?
What is a Quest?
First off though, what is a quest? A quest, or as they are sometimes called a Misson, is a task that you as the main character may complete in order to gain a reward. Most often, guests are provided to you by an NPC in the game, or it can be a quest related to the storyline.
Quests are more commonly seen in RPG’s and MMO’s, but can also be seen in simulation games and adventure games as well. The rewards you receive from completing quests vary from game to game. They are mostly rewarded with in-game currency, or access to new locations or areas, or an increase in your character’s experience in order to learn new skills and abilities, or any combination of any of those examples.
Different Kinds of Quests
There you have it, we have our basics covered. But there are also different types of quests to take part in. Depending on the game you’re playing these can range from battle quests, to fetch/delivery quests or escort quests. However, quests can also include more than one mission, such as gathering something and transporting it somewhere.
Completion of quests does not mean winning the game, and one quest may last from a few minutes to a few weeks, with appropriate rewards for the length of time it takes to complete a quest.
Many quests in games can be referred to as side quests, these kinds of quests can deviate from the main plotline of the story and can sometimes not be required to be completed 100% to finish the story in a game.
Story Quest – Side Quest
If you think about it even the word “Quest” itself doesn’t it have a magical undercurrent in the word?. It holds in it the promise of an adventure. Also, the mystery of the unknown and is filled with all kinds of possibilities. Adventure stories are filled with stories of the hero going on a quest to dispel dark forces. Or to rescue the Princess or to vanquish a horrible monster that is creating havoc in the world.
Many games have quests, some games have loads of quests to take part in, others do not have so many. The Witcher 3 is one such game. With the full game and expansions there ends up being roughly 400 quests to work through. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has approximately 76 side quests, that’s not counting the main quests. If you buy the DLC that increases the number of quests in the game. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, the game that I’m currently playing, also has tons of side quests.
Do I do quests
I’ve mentioned a couple of examples of the number of quests in-game. Do I complete all the quests in a game? Well, for me I would say the answer to that question would be that it depends on the game. I have been known to often complete a video game fully. But I’d have to be invested I in the game, the gameplay, storyline and the lot.
BOTW would be a game I’ve played quite a few times and finished it 100% each time. The Dragon Quest series of games is another favourite franchise of mine. Again with DQ games, I’ve completed every single DQ game I have played over the years. There is just something about the series that I feel compelled to finish every game including the Dragon Quests Builder 2 games, and then write a few guides on the game.
Helping Folk
I like helping the village NPC’s in games find their lost item, or fetching 20 of a certain kind of mushroom. Questing can make you feel good, especially when you get the quest done and the quest giver is happy.
In a game such as Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin that has a large notice board to collect the quests from, I’ll take on all the quests that are available at once. But I don’t run off and fulfil each and every quest right away. I play the game and while I’m egg hunting or killing monsters and gathering items low and behold some of the quests are completed instantly by just playing the game.
Do you complete quests in games? Do you enjoy questing? Feel free to leave a comment on your thoughts on questing!