This is another of my favorite games of all time, "Game Boy" games, third favorite in the series but also one of my favorite action RPG franchises of all time. The game came near the time when the Game Boy launched and of course it was inevitable that many big name companies wanted to get in on the action, Capcom most notably.
This was not just another unique game for the "Game Boy" but for Capcom itself as it was another dark fantasy game as well as an action RPG which at the time Capcom and the gaming world itself didn't have much of. Let alone a loose spin off game for the "Ghost and Ghouls" franchise as the main protagonist turns out to be a monster. I remember thinking how cool that was that for once the protagonist wasn't a human being but one of the monsters you fought against but one that's on the side of light.
The game really pushed and explored some of the power of the "Game Boy" but also what more the action RPG genre can do as it was a genre that was still growing with more fruit yet to bear. I really like the graphical presentation, really liked how this game created this dark fantasy world where monsters good and bad exist, and there is a strange but interesting society that exists in this realm. The black and white coloring really adds to the dark fantasy feel of the game, where everything we see feels ominous, dangerous, and fascinating all at the same time, which just made me want to see and explore more. Music is also good even if it's not on my list of memorable tunes, it at least does it's job of giving the feel and adding to the dark atmosphere of the game.
Story in the game is good if nothing deep, it's like any other typical action RPG where the kingdom is under a threat of an evil force and it's up to you to stop it. Yes, nothing new but it's really in the gameplay that's important and it's really cool. From the overworld exploring and investigating, simply going from one place like in every action RPG. But I really like the platform action where it's linear but with some nonlinear elements like the hidden secrets in places. I really like the control you get, from your wing power which lets you fly in mid air but for a brief period of time depending on your gauge. Also you spit out fireballs, which can increase in range and power as you go further and level up.
But my favorite part is how you can jump to the sides of platforms and latch onto them much like "Spiderman" and his wall crawling. This really gives the platform action another dimension as you don't have to land on top all the time but can use the side to your advantage from taking out enemies from a certain vantage point to simply traversing to the other side with minimum difficulty. However, like in all platform action games you still must be careful from timing and landing on those platforms just right, let alone in the right position.
Though the game doesn't quite go high enough in altitude as the campaign is a little short, I personally wished it were longer. However, the same can sometimes be said about a lot of other action RPG games out there where the campaign is short or at least feels that way but it was a sweet journey all the same. And this fundamental problem was corrected in the second and even third game, so no problems for me anyway.
"Gargoyles Quest is a vintage gem worth the flight.
Rating: 3 and a half stars.