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Introducing Costume Quest

During his otherwise humorous keynote speech at Develop 2010, Double Fine Productions head Tim Schafer announced that there would be no sequel to Brutal Legend. Following Brutal Legend's mediocre sales, EA decided to discontinue rock-inspired RPG saga. That was the bad news.

Schafer's good news: to fill the development void, Double Fine had started work on a number of smaller titles; the first of which is Costume Quest, an adventure/RPG published by THQ and scheduled for an October 31, 2010 release on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.

Dreamt to life by Double Fine lead animator Tasha Harris, Costume Quest marks Double Fine's departure from triple-A brick-and-mortar Schafer-led titles. Harris is now one of a handful of Double Fine employees who will lead their own projects, with Schafer providing a supporting role where needed.

Make no mistake, though, Costume Quest is very much a Double Fine, or Schafer-esque, game. Set on Halloween night across spookified suburbs, rundown carnival rides, and a local mall, the story follows a young boy searching for his little sister. Costume Quest feels familiar -- like a lost SNES role-playing adventure ported in high-definition 3D -- and laugh out loud funny -- like Double Fine's catalogue.

Similar to Monkey Island's Guybrush Threepwood and Brutal Legend's Eddie Riggs, Costume Quest's hero is an everyman caught in delusions of grandeur. Or, in this case, an everyboy or everygirl -- the gender's optional.

Costume Quest feels quirky from the start. The campaign begins when the hero and little sister embark on a night of Trick'r'Treating. Lil' sis, dressed as a candy cane, comes across a monster with a sweet tooth, and things go south from there. The hero battles monsters (that appear to be summoned by his imagination) in a quest to save his sister -- and be home before curfew.

Not to say sweet-toothed monsters are Costume Quest's only obstacles. As they say, hell is other children. Completing the quest also requires befriending and outsmarting other kids.

One quest sees the hero left off the guest list to an exclusive "Patriotic Party." The game's isometric view (think SNES-era games like Earthbound and The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past with a 3D facelift) reveals the party is being held in a suburban backyard; its trees festooned with ribbons and American flags.

This is a costume party with a simple entrance requirement -- a proper patriotic costume -- initiating a quest to find the necessary trappings of a makeshift Lady Liberty. Perhaps a broom for a bristly torch, or bed linens as impromptu toga. Completing these mini-quests generally scores some candy or info on little sister's whereabouts, and turns off the light on the front porch (an "on" light inversely represents an open quest).

Exploring Costume Quest

For more complex missions, the hero has help from up to 4 A.I. buddies, each with their own special abilities pertaining to their Halloween costumes. The knight can guard from falling objects above with his trash can shield, while another boy has Heely-like shoes for zipping across the map. Pieces of other special abilities can be found across the maps, affording some party customization.

Some quests can't be won by just zipping around town, deflecting falling rocks, or dressing up as the Statue of Liberty. Some require a fight. Battle scenes grow the hero and his enemies to skyscraper sizes. The party costumes manifest literally: a shabby robot costume becomes a giant Mech, while the medieval sweater grows into a towering knight.

A parsed RPG menu system controls battles. One button selects attack, another block, and another, a special attack that accumulates over time and requires a Quick Time Event to deliver maximum damage. As battles are won and quests completed, the boy collects candy wraps (XP), increases levels (represented by a gold star on the HUD) and earn Trick'r'Treat cards that go towards rewarding achievements and unlocking bonus costumes.

What Harris and her team have concocted so far shows a lot of promise. It's not Brutal Legend 2, but it is unique, funny and warm -- a trait missing from the mainstream bloodfests that shares its launch window. With a Halloween release date, Costume Quest looks to extend the spooking season. And with possible DLC down the way, maybe we'll see other holidays covered. But for now, we're eager to take the adventure door to door from the comfort of our own home.