Wife Quest is not a game about compromises. It’s about getting what you want, when you want it. Everyone on the game is out for themselves and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. That is, apart from the rather timid Fernando. Poor little guy.

The name may imply that you’re on a quest to find a wife. In fact, the opposite is true. You play as Mia, wife to Fernando, who is on a quest to rescue her husband. However, that doesn’t mean it’s any less sordid an affair. Within the opening scene scantily clad ‘orcs’ comment on Mia’s breast size. Every enemy in the game has animation cycles with a heavy amount of bouncing. That said, there’s a fair share of comedic moments in the game without sexual intent. How many times have you seen a witch stub its toe? Or be offended by being called ‘stinky’?

Wife Quest screenshot

At it’s heart Wife Quest is a fairly simple platformer. The player will scroll through predetermined routes on levels overcoming obstacles and fighting enemies. It can be fairly tough at times – not like The Skylia Prophecy, but enough to require you to rely on the bountiful checkpointing system – especially when facing the bosses. Sometimes, it’s wiser to return to the map and visit the shop to buy upgrades, rather than continuing to die repeatedly.

On your first playthrough each level will be fairly lengthy, taking upwards of 15 minutes apiece. However, there are additional challenges once initially complete and every level has dozens of hidden areas to discover – some only once you’ve gained new abilities – providing an opportunity for replayability.

These new abilities can be pretty basic – increasing your weapon strength or offering an extra heart to your life meter – or they can be drastic, entirely changing the way you play. Your sword attack begins the game as a rather basic, slow stab. Soon after you receive a shield that can bounce back projectiles. Then a range extension. Then suddenly you’re throwing fire and cutting down enemies twice your size.

Wife Quest screenshot

There’s nothing revolutionary in Wife Quest. It’s a pretty formulaic game. However, the light-hearted presentation and gradual improvement is enough to maintain interest throughout, eventually unlocking a second gameplay mode. This Magic mode significantly alters the gameplay, yet again providing depth for the more passionate players.

So, if Wife Quest is a game about getting what you want, it works very hard to prove that it is exactly what certain gamers will want. The plot, comedy and action work together in tandem to make an enjoyable yet challenging game. One which is easily recommended to fans of eroge gaming without going too far into NSFW territory.

Categories: Games