Costume Quest Review

Costume Quest is a charming Halloween-themed adventure RPG where you'll use costumes to save your sibling from the Grubbin that kidnapped them! 

Our story begins on Halloween night, just before the twins go out trick-or-treating. Through a small cutscene, we're presented with the option to choose either Wren or Reynold to take the lead for the night, which is just a clever way of allowing us to determine what twin we want to play as. Although this doesn't affect the gameplay at all, I very much appreciated being able to choose between the two! Once the twin is selected, there's one more cutscene depicting how the other one gets kidnapped by a Grubbin while trying to get some candy from a neighbouring house. 

This is when the real game begins, as you can now free roam, collect candies, make new costumes, and accept missions. Whilst you'll mostly be collecting candy and battling Grubbins, you'll also explore the world to get the items necessary for costumes. These charming outfits can be worn by anyone in the party and grant abilities in the overworld and during combat! As an example, the first one we get is the robot, which allows us to sprint in the overworld and shoots missiles in fights. Additionally, throughout the game, there are some roadblocks that can only be passed when you wear the proper outfit! 

I really loved this system. Not only was it intuitive to switch costumes (even among party members), but it was also a creative mechanic to keep the game fresh and exciting. It never got boring for me to get a new one, especially the more party members I had. Whilst there aren't many of them, they all offer a new mechanic to play with, both in the overworld and during battles. 

As for the quests, although they're on the simpler side — like finding fruit to make a pie or finding children who are hiding — I quite enjoyed them. I thought they fit well with the game's light-hearted Halloween theme, and it always felt like I was working towards something. In large part, it's because Costume Quest's missions usually tie in with one another, making it incredibly satisfying to finish them all. While completing every task is unnecessary, I would strongly recommend it anyway; you might as well go the extra mile and finish every quest to get as much candy as you can. 

The reason for sugar-hoarding is so that you can buy Battle Stamps, which give advantages to the party members when equipped; these benefits can range from a simple stat boost to abilities you can use during combat. Whilst the combat system isn't complicated or difficult, it's definitely more challenging than the classic RPG, as each costume has a different quick-time event you have to nail in order to deal significant damage. 

Although there isn't much to do aside from scavenge for candy, complete simple missions, and battle MOBS, I found myself engulfed in the gameplay for hours because of the combat system. It felt like whatever I was doing — whether I was hoarding candy, finishing missions, or battling MOBS — I was having a lot of fun.

Lastly, I absolutely loved the graphics and setting of Costume Quest. Although I didn't notice the audio design much, there's plenty of Halloween charm at every turn of the corner; from adorned houses and kids in costumes to a talking scarecrow. The game definitely exceeded my expectations!  

Overall, Costume Quest was a delight to play. The combat was very fun, the cute Halloween aesthetic was fantastic, and I definitely recommend the game to any fan of the spookies!