Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire

The Good
First of all, let me say that I am a huge fan of the QFG series. This series is definitely my favorite. I have played 1-4 repeatedly in the past and continue to replay the games because I enjoy them so much.

So, what is good about this final game? The setting is appropriate, this time the mythological elements are from ancient Greece. The story itself is decent and provides a fitting end to the series.

The interface is a very interesting blend of 3D graphics and works very well for an adventure game.

The music, which is one of my favorite parts of the QFG series, is truly wonderful as usual.

The Bad
The problem is not with the design, however, but with the game itself.

First, the RPG elements have been greatly increased - more weapons and armor to choose from, fighting multiple creatures at once, etc. This could have been a good thing but the combat system is clunky because of the 3D environment (the player often has to use the arrow keys often to get the right aim). Combat itself quickly degenerates into the player using heal potions constantly (or at least it did for me). And there is no option for "strategic" fighting like in the 4th game.

Second, the voice actors are terrible. Except for a few characters, the voice actors were trying too hard at giving the characters appropriate accents. I cringed every time I heard Elsa speak. This game in no way measures up to "Shadows of Darkness" in VA quality.

Third is the graphics. I like the idea of 3D graphics in a game like this and the scenery is wonderful. Most of the characters on the other hand looked too lifeless for my tastes. No expression to the faces at all. The close-ups should have been 2D if this is the best they could do with 3D faces. They also completely messed up Erana's character design. She looks nothing like she did in QFG4.

Finally, this game lacks a good end-game conflict. In all the previous games there was an interesting adventure game-styled battle where you had to use the items/skills that you had picked up during the game. In "Dragonfire" the final battle is much the same as all the combat. How much damage can you do in X seconds while using healing potions?

Minor points:

There are a couple of places where you can easily miss part of a quest and be forced to restore from an earlier but that sort of problem has always been in every QFG game.

Why in the world did the writers include Nawar of all people? Katrina, Erana, and Elsa make sense but including Nawar as a woman that the hero can marry felt extremely forced.

I like puns, but Ann's don't even make sense half the time. Like Nawar, the inclusion of this humor is forced. And not nearly as funny as the gnomes in the previous games.

The Bottom Line
If you really like the series, then you'll enjoy playing this game once. Maybe four times (one for each class). I haven't done so yet though. Instead, I'm currenly playing Hero's Quest (I have the original QFG1) again.

The Good
The hiatus between the previous Quest for Glory game and this final installment was the longest one for any Sierra adventure series. Lots of things happened during those turbulent five years: the entire genre has sustained devastating damage, falling from fame and giving place to first-person shooters and RPGs. However, besides a few nods to popular design elements of the time, Dragon Fire feels very much like a true Quest for Glory game in almost every aspect.

The core of the game is, like before, exploration of rich locations packed with detail and things to do. The puzzle-solving aspect is somewhat downplayed in favor of heavier role-playing elements, but that doesn't affect the familiar sensation of solving things with your wits and resorting to the sword only when absolutely necessary. Solutions to problems may not be as tricky as they sometimes were before, and you do fight much more in this game; however, you still need to think how exactly to deal with a situation instead of taking the more predictable routes of most "pure" RPGs. There are still text descriptions, experimentation, feedback to your actions, and that particular, volatile charm of thinking outside of the box and measuring your own skills against the logic of the game, which has always been a part of Sierra's great appeal.

Optional content is plentiful. There are many side quests to keep you occupied aside from the main quest you must follow. In a brilliant move, the game actually tells you what you didn't do just before it ends. Sierra used it in Larry 5 before, except that it didn't really matter there. I found out I missed quite a lot of interesting content in Dragon Fire. For example, there are three women you can marry (not all of them at the same time, of course), although my protagonist couldn't charm even one when I played the game. This adds a lot to the replay value, which is anyway quite high, since you can play the game with four different character classes.

Dragon Fire is undoubtedly more inclined towards role-playing than any of its predecessors. The game's manual even calls it an "action RPG" straight away, probably in an attempt to attract the nascent Diablo fandom. The role-playing in the game follows the same light skill-based system that was implemented in all earlier Quest for Glory titles, and brings nothing really new in this aspect, with the exception of the rather controversial decision to lower your skills if you don't practice them regularly. Personally, I liked this fairly realistic touch - after all, you don't expect to keep being in shape if you stop going to the gym. You also need to keep your character well-rested and not forget to feed him. I actually started envying the protagonist when I found out he could get some cheap gyros whenever he wanted to.

There is now a much larger choice of weapons and armor, and much more combat, which is also quite a bit more challenging than in any of the previous games. The combat system underwent the most noticeable change. There are no separate battle screens any more: combat takes place in the same area as exploration, which makes it much more fluent, realistic, and fulfilling. Often you will have to fight several enemies at the same time - something that never occurred in the series before. Certain places, such as, for example, the way through Hades, are so heavily populated by enemies that the gameplay there turns into a genuine dungeon hack with an almost Diablo-like intensity. You'll find yourself whacking skeletons and thinking when to use a healing potion or which sword might be the optimal choice against that particular kind of undead.

The series hasn't lost its sense of humor. Like before, there are plenty of lively and amusing characters scattered around the game - check out, for example, the innkeeper Ann or the merchant Wolfie, from whom I also borrowed the one-liner to this review - which, frankly, doesn't sound that funny when written and not spoken with the proper Indian accent. There is something majestic in the Greek atmosphere of the game, which I think fit the themes very well - although the longing Eastern European melancholy of the fourth game will always remain my favorite. The music, in particular, is excellent in this installment - and the visuals, while not perfect, do convey the sunny splendor and the proud spark of Ellada.

The Bad
The action RPG aspect may have alienated a few fans. Quest for Glory was never really about combat, but this last installment focuses on hostile encounters quite a bit more. It is particularly obvious during the final phase, which leads to a marginally disappointing, predictable battle instead of offering adventure-oriented challenge in the spirit of the previous titles.

The interactivity is slightly reduced. Mind you, it's nothing compared to what happened to King's Quest VII and the FMV adventures Sierra started releasing shortly afterwards; but I missed the variety of icons available in the earlier games. Also, the text feedback seems somehow less elaborate than before.

The voice acting is somewhat disappointing, particularly compared to the stellar performances in the preceding installment. And the visuals can be described as a mixed bag. The backgrounds are attractive, but there is something lifeless about the characters. I think close-ups of the characters' faces would have brought the game closer to the charming atmosphere of the hand-painted worlds of yore.

The Bottom Line
Dragon Fire is probably not the energetic, triumphant final chord that Love for Sail was for Larry; nor is it a controversial, boundary-pushing experiment like Mask of Eternity. Let us not forget, however, that as a whole, Quest for Glory has always had higher aspirations than those other series - and this lovely, engaging, brilliant game is a worthy closing statement.

The Good
It had the best interface, it had different classes to play as the charecter that best fits your personality. You could do things above and beyond the game. If you felt like it you could slaughter the town, which didn't need to be programed but sierra online had to much time on thir hands. There was an in depth plot, kind of contrived but certainly surpasses all vedio game standards. It had great graphics, and 3d charecters. It also wasn't to serious while throwing corny jokes everywhere. It also was realistic, where there are quests that you don't have to do, including get married!

The Bad
510 mb (pre-compressed) minimal installation

The Bottom Line
I have had this game for four years, and i am still having fun with it.