Quest for Glory: So You Want to Be a Hero (originally called Hero's Quest: So You Want to Be a Hero) is an adventure game that combines elements of role-playing games. It was created in 1989 by Lori Ann Cole and published by Sierra On-Line for computers running MS-DOS. This game is the first in the Quest for Glory series and introduced a unique mix of visual adventure gameplay with features like building character traits such as strength, intelligence, and health, which influence how players complete tasks. The game has a funny and humorous style. Later versions of the game were released for other platforms, including Amiga, Atari ST, and NEC PC-9801 in the early 1990s. A remake with improved graphics, titled Quest for Glory I: So You Want to Be a Hero, was released in 1992 for MS-DOS and later in 1994 for Mac OS.
Gameplay
The original version of the game was a text-based adventure where players typed commands to control the character. The remake is a point-and-click adventure game.
The game was advertised as "three games in one" because it was the first Sierra game that allowed players to choose from three character classes: Fighter, Magic User, or Thief. The class chosen affects the character's starting equipment, puzzle-solving abilities, and the types of quests they face. However, classes were not completely separate; players could gain skills from other classes and complete quests related to them in this game and others in the series.
In Quest for Glory, time moves forward in the game. Events and scenery change between day and night. The main character must eat regularly and rest after running or fighting. Skills do not increase by leveling up through combat, but instead by performing actions during adventures. For example, using magic increases the Hero's Magic and Intelligence abilities, while fighting, training, or doing tasks like cleaning a baron's stables increases Strength, Vitality, and Agility.
This is one of the few Sierra adventure games where the player character has very few or no lines of dialogue. While players can type commands like "ask about brigands," the character rarely speaks.
Plot
In the valley region of Spielburg, the evil ogress Baba Yaga has placed a curse on the land and the baron who tried to remove her. The baron's daughter has vanished, and his son has been turned into a bear. The land is ruined by monsters and thieves. The Valley of Spielburg needs a Hero who can fix these problems. The player creates a custom adventurer, choosing their name and role. The game follows the Hero, a recent graduate of the Famous Adventurer's Correspondence School, as they travel through the land. The Hero must help people and earn the title of Hero.
The adventurer fights thieves and monsters like kobolds, completes side quests (such as finding lost items and spell ingredients), and helps fantasy creatures like a dryad, a hermit, and a group of colorful, furry creatures called Meeps. Completing quests gives the adventurer experience and money, which can be used to buy tools and potions. The game allows players to explore freely and complete quests in any order. During the journey, the Hero meets recurring characters like the wizard Erasmus and his companion Fenrus, and hears stories about the kind faery Erana.
While the game can be finished without completing all side quests, the best ending—where the player earns the highest score and sets the official story for future games—includes freeing the baron from a powerful curse and stopping Baba Yaga's plans. The Hero also rescues the baron's daughter, Elsa von Spielburg, who had been turned into the leader of the brigands. By doing this, the Hero completes a prophecy, restores Spielburg Valley to peace and prosperity, and is given the title of Hero. Afterward, the Hero, along with the merchant Abdulla Doo and the innkeepers Shameen and Shema, travels on a magic carpet to Shapeir, their shared homeland, beginning the story for the next game, Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire.
Development
The idea for Quest for Glory was that the game should focus equally on story, combat, and exploration. The story and setting were based on stories from different cultures.
Many planned features were removed during development to ensure the game could be completed in a reasonable time. Originally, Lori planned for four different character races: a thief-like gnome, a magic-wielding elf, a human who could do many things, and an archer centaur. Players could also choose a female character. Because of limited resources, the team reduced these plans and instead offered multiple classes for the human character. In the original design, there was a large goblin maze. Some references to this maze remain in the goblin base of the original game. Many town buildings were planned to be entered by players. Also, magic users were supposed to gain a familiar, like Zara had, but this feature was removed due to programming challenges.
The game was first released as Hero's Quest: So You Want to Be a Hero but was later renamed Quest for Glory I: So You Want to Be a Hero in 1990 because of trademark issues related to the HeroQuest board game.
The original game used EGA graphics, while the remake used VGA graphics.
According to Corey Cole, one of the game's developers and producers, the original Quest for Glory game cost $150,000 to create. The VGA remake cost nearly as much as a full VGA game.
Reception
The video game So You Want to Be a Hero is known as a game that helped create a new type of game by combining adventure and roleplaying elements.
In 1990, Scorpia from Computer Gaming World said the game’s puzzles were simple but enjoyable for experienced players. She praised the game’s excellent graphics, humor, and roleplaying features, calling it “a definite winner.” That same year, the magazine named it Adventure Game of the Year, noting it was one of the few games that both new and experienced players enjoyed. In 1993, Scorpia again praised the game’s graphics, humor, and ability to be played many times. In 1996, the magazine listed Quest for Glory as the 73rd best game ever and the 15th most innovative computer game.
Jim Trunzo reviewed Hero’s Quest in White Wolf #19 (Feb./March 1990), giving it a 4 out of 5. He said the game was a good introduction to later games in the series but was also enjoyable on its own. In 1992, he reviewed Quest for Glory I: So You Want to Be a Hero in White Wolf #33 (Sept./Oct. 1992), again giving it a 4 out of 5. He noted the game’s humor, action, and puzzles made it a favorite among players, and he believed a new version could make it popular again. In 1993, Compute! said Hero’s Quest was “probably the most satisfying” Sierra game and that Quest for Glory was a major improvement. The magazine praised its clay animation and stereo soundtrack and recommended it even to players who had already finished Hero’s Quest, calling it “a must-buy … hard to resist.”
In 1994, the editors of Macworld gave Quest for Glory their “Best Role-Playing Game” award. Steven Levy from Macworld explained that the game combined classic roleplaying features, like building a character’s abilities by defeating enemies, with the fun and interactive style of Sierra’s King’s Quest adventure series. He called it a kinder, gentler roleplaying game that was especially good for newcomers to the genre.
Michael Baker of RPGamer scored the game 3.5 out of 5, saying it was a historic game that balanced puzzles, gameplay, and writing well, though he found the pacing sometimes too slow. Tyler Willis of RPGamer gave it 4 out of 5 stars, praising the game’s character and setting details. Richard Cobbett from PC Gamer said his impressions of the game were mostly positive, especially for the VGA remake, which offered a great adventure and a vivid game world.
The game sold 130,000 copies in its first year. Corey Cole said it became one of Sierra’s fastest-selling products, selling over 250,000 copies in its first few years.
Remake
Similar to the first games in the King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry series, a VGA version using Sierra's point-and-click SCI1.1 interpreter was released in 1992 for MS-DOS and Classic Mac OS. This version had some input limits compared to the original, which used a text-parser-based SCI0 system. The VGA remake and original version were also released on CD-ROM as part of the 1996 Anthology collection and the 1997 Collection Series.
The original game used dialogues and questions to get background information. The new interface used a tree structure, which was a menu of question topics. For example, asking "Ask about Potion" would lead to new questions like "Healing potion," "Stamina potion," or "Dispel potion." The backgrounds and characters were hand-drawn and scanned, while the monster fights and character portraits were made using clay models and stop motion animation. In this game, running out of stamina points can kill the hero immediately, unlike other games where it only starts to damage health.
Some Easter eggs were updated. For example, Erasmus's house originally referenced King's Quest IV, but the remake references The Dagger of Amon Ra. The treasure room in the troll cave leading to the Brigand's hideout was missing in the remake.
Corey Cole said Lori Cole designed both the VGA remake and Quest for Glory III: Wages of War, which she worked on at the same time. The box art for the remake is reminiscent of the famous painting of Saint George and the Dragon.
- Saurus stop motion clay model
- Ogre clay model
- Cheetaur clay model