GENRE
	Real-Time Strategy
	DEVELOPER
	5th Cell
	PUBLISHER
	THQ
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	Yes
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Boy loses sister. Boy wants to find sister. Boy ends up saving world.

Sounds simple. And at first, the premise of Lock’s Quest appears almost mind-numbingly basic. As it turns out, looks are deceiving, for developer 5th Cell has crafted a unique adventure that employs tower-defense gameplay as the foundation for a real-time strategy epic. With the ambition of creating a Helms Deep-like experience, 5th Cell packs a lot of content on a small portable system.

visuals

Right off the bat, gamers are introduced to a charming, pixilated version of the titular character. 5th Cell does a wonderful job of bringing humans and clockworks (baddies) to life through detailed animation. All characters, for example, almost bounce or breathe with lifelike animation. In addition, each dialogue box attaches stylized character art that adjusts to the mood of the character. These small touches help draw gamers in and add soul to the story.

The appealing character choices also work well within gameplay, as the engine runs solid throughout. Even with tons of enemies, turrets and traps littered throughout environments, we barely noticed any hiccups regarding frame rate. Very impressive for a portable package.

audio

Just like the visuals, the audio contains that extra attention to detail that will pull gamers in. An epic soundtrack produces background melodies that increase the story’s scale and heighten the drama. On the other hand, battle music can be a little repetitive after a while. Even with this limitation, the audio is an aural delight for players.

gameplay

Lock’s Quest uses tower-defense as the base for gameplay, but builds upon the foundation in many areas. For starters, 5th Cell lives and dies by stylus controls. Players will maneuver Lock by tapping or holding a position on the bottom screen. This mechanic works well for the most part, but also can be problematic during intense battles. Lock, for example, may become hung up on an environmental object when attempting to combat clockworks or he might fail to correct the right turret during an invasion. But this hindrance does not relate to the control’s responsiveness; instead, the camera is at fault. Players view Lock and the battlefield from an isometric angle, which makes selecting specific units more difficult.

The stylus controls also work remarkably well in the tower-defense construction. Before battling, players will be given a few minutes to erect a trap-infested, steel and spiked domain. A slick user interface appears on the touch screen’s right side to open up multiple options –- such as turrets, helper robots, traps and walls. The game does a great job at handing out new weapons on a steady pace. We were delighted to see new upgrades even through the last few days of the story. The various building features also open a plethora of different strategies, giving gamers numerous ways to tackle each invasion.

The combat aspect, however, can become redundant. Players will continually build, defend a source well (think mana), then rinse and repeat this cycle several times. 5th Cell battles this monotony by instilling a few curveballs, such as boss battles or attacking the enemy’s source. The hand-to-hand combat also incorporates the touch controls in a meaningful way, with combo mini-games. Lock learns new fighting abilities, like sucking away clockworks’ life, through a sliding bars mini-game. As for difficulty, Lock’s Quest provides a considerable challenge for even veteran gamers; our egos were deflated more than once. Unfortunately, the game doesn't allow you to start back at the hub world after dying to load up on source, which proves to be an annoyance that will probably have many gamers lowering the difficulty setting.

The story really starts to sink its teeth into you and will keep you coming back for more Lock’s Quest goodness. The premise is pretty standard fare, but slowly unfolds to provide a multi-layered tale about war. The story successfully illustrates that nothing is black-and-white, but instead various shades of grey. Players will see new perspectives on every character, even the foul Lord Agony, which helps propel the narrative. We were impressed by 5th Cell’s ability to captivate a more mature demographic, while still easily catering to younger gamers.

multiplayer

Lock’s Quest features a multi-cartridge two-player game mode. Just like the Campaign mode, players are given time to construct their defenses, and then go into battle where they decide whether to stay behind their towers and turrets or attack. This is a nice option, but we wish the ability to go online or play with a single-cart was present.

overall

Lock’s Quest is by no means perfect. The touch controls have their drawbacks, especially when tapping specific turrets within the isometric view. The tower-defense genre is, by definition, a "rinse and repeat" cycle that may grow old with gamers. And the lack of online play is a bit of a letdown.

At the same time, 5th Cell has done a great deal right with an original property. The story is surprisingly deep and gripping. New abilities or turrets help mix up the gameplay and provide gamers with refreshing approaches to each invasion. The visuals feel alive, with great animation and style. And if not enough, the epic soundtrack heightens the plot’s sense of scale. All of this is wrapped up as a great package for any DS owner.

8.3/10