Follow novice Treasure Hunter Sei along on his journey in the virtual world of Nexus!
- JP release: 26th August 2004
- NA release: 18th January 2005
- EU release: N/A
- Developer: Sega, TOSE
- Publisher: Sega
- NGC Magazine Score: N/A
- Mods Used: Widescreen Code
An action RPG based on Virtua Fighter certainly sounds like an interesting idea, as you could have solid fighting mechanics combined with and interesting story and some deep levelling up mechanics. Unfortunately, none of that is seen in Virtua Quest and instead the game gives us a very watered down Phantasy Star Online.
You play as a digital treasure hunter called Sai. Him and his obnoxious buddy are really annoying, and Sei responds to everything by repeating it in a puzzled voice (even after he’s been told about something). It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just an occasional thing, but the game interrupts you with cutscenes (which have a loading screen before and after them) far too much – all for a terrible explanation of mechanics or for the nonsense story.
The fighting itself is also very dull. You have a few basic commands and you can unlock alternative versions of these. Some are used for smashing though certain obstacles, but in combat they don’t feel that much different. You also have access to a slow motion which is barely noticeable. It just doesn’t feel satisfying to punch any of the repetitive enemies, which just stand around most of the time. Linking the game to one of the classic fighting games does not help this in the slightest.
As you progress, you’ll find “Virtua Souls”. You’ll have to fight the data of a Virtua Fighter character (the tournament in the original supposedly only existed to scan their fighting techniques) and you unlock one move which is almost identical to what you already have. There’s just not much to this game.
Fine
Virtua Quest is hard to recommend anyone, given its poor controls, lackluster combat, and unenticing world. Fans of the Virtua Fighter series are likely fans because they enjoy tightly controlled, challenging battles, and those fans won’t find any of that here.
Bethany Massimilla, GameSpot
Remake or remaster?
Perhaps as a bonus in a Virtua Fighter collection.
Official Ways to get the game
There’s no official way to get Virtua Quest.
Europe
Japan
North America
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2002: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
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2004: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2005: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2006: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
