6.8 KiB
| date | title | tags | score | howlongtobeat_id | howlongtobeat_hrs | game_name | game_genre | game_release_year | game_developer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-09-17 | Goblins Quest 3: Mind-bending, Plot-twisting, Brain-teasing? |
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4 | 3969 | 6.7 | Goblins Quest 3 | adventure | 1993 | Coktel Vision |
In case you haven't noticed yet, this website partially serves as a homage to the quirky French puzzle adventure series called Gobli(i)(i)ns, where the amount of 'i's in Goblins determines the party size. Last year Pierre Gilhodes pleasantly surprised fans like us with Gobliiins 5, the first proper Goblins game since... well... this one: Goblins Quest 3 in 1993! (Yes, we too are ignoring the 3D mistake called Gobliiins 4).
It has been ages since I last replayed Goblins 3, and since it was the Adventure Game Club's game of July, it was the perfect moment to relive Blount's crazy adventures. I somehow never wrote about the third installment on the Codex, and although the second Gobliins game review originally written in 2006 is in dire need of a fresh coat of paint, I'd rather revisit Gob3: it undoubtedly has the best story, the best graphics and animations, and the best music. Whether or not it has the best puzzles is perhaps more a matter of taste.
The box cover states: Another mind-ending, plot-twisting, brain-teasing puzzle adventure, and I can certainly vouch for that. Contrary to more conventional LucasArts-style adventure games, the Goblins series has always been more about wacky puzzles that don't necessarily make sense---or a good first impression. Pixel hunting isn't the requirement here, but sometimes, trying-everything-on-everything is, which might sound aggravating, and it certainly is. Up to a point. When you're doing something wrong, you're always rewarded with a funny animation, which really is one of the highlights of the game: whether it's Blount getting his head smashed in, pretending to fall off an airship, blushing and not daring to act, or sneezing at pepper: everything that doesn't solve the puzzle will solve your bad mood regardless. Luckily, this ain't Sierra either: you cannot die in this game.
But that premise is not too different from the other Goblins games, so what is? It only has one 'i' in Goblins Quest 3, so are we playing alone here, instead of the happy trio of the original or the fifth game, or Fingus and Winkle in the second? 80% of the scenes, you'll be in good company, so the answer is no. Are there still annoying time-based puzzles where you have to get it just right and try again twenty times in a row? Yes, although less so than Gob2. Then what is different this time? That's harder to answer than I initially thought.
Goblins 3 is much more streamlined. In it, you mainly play as Blount, a journalist that somehow stumbled into a quest to try and unite two vastly different kingdoms. The story is a bit more coherent, meaning most scenes make more sense than last time's super-crazy amalgamation of colors and objects. Small things like iconography in the inventory instead of text and proper cut-scenes providing additional story info help make you feel a bit more immersed.
Speaking of immersion, the soundtrack yet again plays a major role to achieve this---provided you do not play the CD-ROM version that GOG by default offers. For example, listen to the audio of the first level, The Flying Ship:
- DOS floppy version
- Amiga 500 version
- CD-ROM version (until 0:38)
What a stark contrast. I have no idea why they decided to get rid of Charles Callet's amazing OPL-esque music for the CD-ROM re-release, but it's pretty awful. The GOG version still comes with the floppy edition, just make sure to download ScummVM and add the subdir FDD (Floppy Disk Drive).
The joker system is still in place, in case you get stuck---which is not a matter of "if" but of "when". I had a blast replaying the first two thirds of the game until I got to the throne rooms, and later, ended up in a maze. If a crazy puzzle adventure game that has you doing strange things calls a level a "maze", then you can rest assured that it'll be a proper one. Lucky for us, thirty years later, a quick check on Universal Game Hints is all that's needed to get unstuck. I highly recommend playing a Goblins game with a friend, and this one is no exception.
Contrary to Gob1 and Gob5, and just like Gob2, the levels are comprised of multiple screens, meaning you'll have to pick up something in screen 1 to exchange for something else in screen 3, only to come back to screen 1 and use that new thing in order to progress. I wouldn't go as far as calling all the puzzles logical, but the seasoned Goblins fan will surely start seeing patterns after a while. That said, again, this isn't a conventional adventure game: emphasis is on wacky puzzles and exceptionally beautiful sprite animation work.
Blount's characteristics will grow on you as you make your way to the throne room, and all elements are neatly tied together in a plot twist that I won't spoil here. His companions (and alternative versions of himself) that help out make several returns throughout the levels, and thanks to the sprite work, the audio effects, and upbeat soundtrack, playing this game is just impossible to do without a giant smile on your face.
Unless you get stuck, of course, and already have tried to put the thing in the thang, and the thang in the thong. Or does the order matter? But perhaps one of the companions should start doing the sequence. No, that's not it... Wait, did we forget to pick up the fluff three scenes back? Let's get back. No, that's not it... Argh! Make no mistake, Goblins 5 can be punishingly hard, especially past midway. I've played this game more than ten times and I always give up after level 14. If you're looking for an easy introduction, go for the recent Gobliiins 5 instead.
That being said, I still think Goblins Quest 3 is the definitive Goblins game. The cartoony vibe it has going on, the funny reactions Blount has after doing yet another stupidly wrong thing, the music, the amazing pixel art, all make up for a highly enjoyable adventure package. Puzzle adventure, that is---including the arbitrary hair-pulling illogical ones.
Good luck on your mind-bending, plot-twisting, brain-teasing adventure. Past level 14, you'll need it.