Somehow worse than the Addams Family games.
PLAYERS: 1
PUBLISHER: SunSoft
DEVELOPER: SunSoft
GENRE: Action/adventure
RELEASE DATE: September 1989
If you’ve ever been mildly interested in games for your NES, you probably know that Fester’s Quest is trash. Once one hears this about a game – any game, not just older ones – there are two options: to run for the hills, vowing never to play such an abomination; or to eagerly pick it up, wondering what horrors await you. Let me just say, I encourage the latter. Sometimes I encounter a game (like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) that is universally panned and I end up seeing some good in it. Each person’s observations and viewpoints about a game are different, thus one should judge each game for one’s self. That being said, never play Fester’s Quest. It is a broken, confused mess of a game that doesn’t even try not to suck. Enemies take too long to kill. Fester is slow and unwieldy. You only have one life and “continuing” involves starting you over at the beginning of the level. Since it’s technically an action/adventure, you have to figure out where to go through repeated trial and error. For those who are wondering and perhaps waiting for a full-blown review, it’s never going to happen. I played this game enough to get a taste for it, that’s it. No one should withstand such torturous, obscene game mechanics for the sake of the gaming community. Try to find the good in everything, I implore you. You’ll be a lot happier person at the end of the day if you make that your goal. However, for the sake of your happiness and the goodness you believe to be in other people, do not go near Fester’s Quest.
F
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16 replies on “#225 – Fester’s Quest”
“F” for Fester…
I actually really like this game, I’ve beaten it a few times. The only thing I ever had a problem with was how many hits the bosses take to kill 🙁 and how easy the last boss was compared to just about all of the others
Everyone has their favorites. Heck, I even found something to appreciate in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I don’t remember if I ever beat this game (I think that I did, but I’m not sure.), but I do remember that while this game was difficult at time, that it still was a game that I and my siblings enjoyed playing. I’ll have to dig it back out and try it again.
I love this game, bit I never beat it. I barely progressed through the game at all, but the sound effects ripped straight from blaster master, the upgradable guns and the occasional, pixelated cameo from the other Addams’s always held me captivated.
I think I’m gonna have to try this game again. I can’t believe how many people have fond memories of it!
I am with you on this one Dylan… As far as I was concerned this was a pretty bad game. Granted I haven’t played it in over 10 years, but I know what I liked in games even then and Fester’s Quest was not it.
I barely made it anywhere because of the horrible game mechanics. I guess if some people liked it good on them, but I always thought this was poop.
Sleepyweasel
Whats with the hate for Festers Quest. I remember gaming out on this as a kid. It was pretty fun especially with a tuebo controller. It at least deserves a C
I have noticed Fester’s Quest receives exactly two reactions: praise or scorn. I have obviously chosen the latter. I’m open to playing it again, but I do remember hating it at the time.
This game, along with the Legend of Zelda and Mission Impossible, really helped expand my horizons beyond platformers. I know it’s clunky at times, but between the overworld/underground exploration, the 3D first person mazes and the upgrade system, it’s a kick ass game once you get into it. Please go back and give it another try! You owe it to yourself!
Please rereview this game. I loved it as a kid and it is still fun today. It is one of my favorite nes games.
I agree this game deserves to have a better grade. A masterpiece like this deserves at least a little respect!!!
Well, the populous has spoken.
I will re-review this game. I will try and have an open mind, to be objective, to understand that many people love it. I will try… and that’s all I can promise.
Beat this piece o crap! After the10th try i literally beat it against the wall… Its like Fester learned his place, because after that in a single shot I completed the game…. It left me feeling hollow…. Never again… Everytime i see that grinning face in that shoe box i see painful dissapointment….
I have to totally disagree with your review. Maybe it’s because you didn’t play it at the actual time or maybe it’s my own nostalgia. It’s one that grows on you as you play it, as it can be frustratingly difficult and/ or its charm may not necessarily come right away in the game. I remember at the time, the local video store that also rented video games, had some sort of video game trial machine that had Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fester’s Quest, Super Mario Bros. 3 and one other one that I fail to remember right now. It might have been Batman…..this was late 1989 or so. Putting a quarter in would only actually get you a certain amount of playing time, like a couple of minutes or something.
Anyways, at the time, I really liked Fester’s Quest and I remember asking my parents to buy it for me for my birthday, and they did. What I liked about the game was that you could explore around, and that it was very difficult. Also what I liked was the 3D first person view, when you’d go into certain houses. Going into the sewers was fun, too. There’s something about the non-linear game play, the lack of music (to some it may seem like that “it” factor is missing, due to the lack of soundtrack) and the Blaster Master sound effects/ gameplay that still makes it fun for me to play. The opening intro sequence is kind of wonderfully goofy……Fester is moonbathing to keep his pale white glow, and aliens take over the town.
It may seem like a pointless, aimless game at first, but once you start finding some of the other Addams Family members, it starts to make a bit more sense. For me, also, the 3D mazes were groundbreaking at the time of this game, and if you found the right part of the maze, you’d find extra health. I only remembered seeing the 3D maze thing in Ultima Exodus before Fester’s Quest. In retrospect, Sunsoft may have been better advised to have some sort of legitimate levelling up/ RPG/ coins type of thing.
….but i’d agree with you on the one life thing. That was aggravating x infinity, especially coupled with the fact that it starts you off at the beginning of the level. Arguably though, that adds to the allure of the difficulty. Coming from the 80’s heyday of video games well before emulators and the options to save before a ridiculously difficult part in a game, one really had to get good at a game. My attention span isn’t there for these games anymore, but back then, that sort of aggravation of a difficult game really made me want to try that much harder. I remember that Fester’s Quest also was made significantly easier with a turbo button…..borrowed my buddy’s NES Advantage, and the bosses were way easier.