MINI QUEST REVIEWS (June 2025)
Generally, I don’t like tier-list type stuff for things like quests– usually my thoughts are pretty difficult to ascribe a rating or evaluation to, with the only “objective” measures– grammar, art, etc. being kind of boring to discuss. I’m not grading an essay here, after all. Neither is reptoid, to be clear, but basically every time people see his posts they take it as a judgement of quality rather than a mark of personal enjoyment, which I think is kinda inevitable in a hierarchical ranking. But, I do like reviews, so here are some of those about some of the NEW quests I’ve been looking at. (Of course, if any of you flake, the Curse will STRIKE YOU DOWN TWICEFOLD.)
Sightless Quest [GENRE: CIV BUILDER, DARK FANTASY, GRAND STRATEGY]
Sightless is a tight, minimalist quest about a leader who, having bargained for the freedom of his people from the Demon King in exchange for double their number in consenting souls, attempts to create a vast civilization with the means to gather 4 million willing sacrifices over the course of 10,000 years. As I stated before, the quest is pretty impersonal, with a greater focus on strategy and engine building than any sort of narrative or theming, leading heavily into the ‘game’ side of the fiction/game spectrum all quests sit on. That said, it is (as all of these are) early days, so those might develop in the future.
The quest’s setting is delightfully dark, unafraid to delve into the more gruesome aspects of the grim undertaking with which the sightless despot has been assigned. The world, while obviously not having time to be particularly fleshed out, seems to have more going on beneath the surface. The stakes of every encounter feel legitimate, with the possibility of loss and annihilation always just around the corner, but the consequences don’t feel unfair or random like in some other notable civ quests. If you’re in for a quick, snappy game of evil civilization building, you might get a kick out of Sightless Quest.
STAR WARS: Sith Ascendant [GENRE: FANFIC, SCI-FI, FANTASY]
Sith Ascendant is (obviously) set in the Star Wars universe, but takes place very, very distantly from the films and other main-line media, in an age with a fully-fledged order of Sith unburdened by the Rule of Two. The protagonist is Vulfstahn, a nameless, hideous orphan cast out by his own parents for his ominous red skin and general ugliness. Filled with resentment and born with a natural bond to the Dark Side, Vulfstahn embarks on a journey through the Sith academy, hoping to transform himself from a nameless nobody to a great and mighty Sith Lord.
The fight scenes are snappy and well paced, with the author evidently having an obvious familiarity with Star Wars canon in his description of the various alien beasts and force powers, and his placement of the setting far, far away from any of the most famous stories from the franchise gives the qm a lot of liberty in regards to what direction the story might go in. However, this removal is a double-edged sword: it also means that it lacks a lot of the ethos of the Star Wars films, in some sense almost feeling like a fanfic of a fanfic. This isn’t a bad thing per se, but if someone really loved Star Wars (the movies) without caring much for Star Wars (the universe) this quest may not be for them. Still, even if you know nothing about the franchise, it’s a well constructed, well written sci-fi fantasy romp that’s worth checking out regardless.
Father, Do You Love Me? [GENRE: DARK FANTASY, TRAGEDY]
Father, Do You Love Me? is a grim tale of a betrayed (formerly) benevolent ruler, the Crownless King, on a quest to bring his beloved daughter back by any means necessary after she was killed in a rebellion brought on by the ungratefulness of his people. As such, using his remaining right as a royal, he has sold his kingdom to a sinister eldritch god, hoping to resurrect his child using her dark powers.
The world of this quest in particular is fantastic, both aesthetically and mechanically. Far from ordinary spell-slinging mages, Ichorist powers take a far more visceral, folklore inspired view of magic: power in blood, power in flesh, power in admixtures and rituals, all bearing a sort of macabre wrongness about them even when used for morally neutral or even good ends. Not only this, but the factions, the cosmology, and the politics of this world seem to go far deeper than what we’ve seen as of yet. The dialogue has a unique feel to it as well, again feeling almost more like folklore or fairytale than a novel attempting to emulate more natural conversation. While it won’t be for everyone, Father, Do You Love Me? is a must-read for any fans of the creepy and macabre.
Dreadknight Quest [GENRE: FANTASY, ECCHI, VILLAIN MC]
Far from the broken, exhausted evil of the former quest, Dreadknight Quest’s Saligia Clearwater is a sadistic, gleeful participant in stamping down the forces of good for pleasure and personal gain. Following her exploits in service of the dark powers, Dreadknight Quest seems to be primarily focused on the personal battles and experiences of Salgia and her immediate inner circle than things like military tactics or grand strategy, though I assume those will come later as the quest proceeds.
Addressing the elephant in the room, Dreadknight uses AI images to supplement its story. While I personally don’t care for them, and would honestly prefer ms paint doodles over the use of AI, I don’t think it’s a particularly dealbreaking issue: one can choose to simply not look at the pictures if it displeases them.
That said, there is a lot to like about Dreadknight if it’s your kind of thing– the action is visceral and forceful in the brief instances it’s appeared, and the dialogue flows well. The quest also really puts you in the headspace of being the bad guy, but I will say that this sort of leads into the one aspect of the quest which I don’t personally like. Dreadknight is really horny. While the qm usually avoids the trap of the FeMC constantly sexualizing themself, it does seem to be the case that doing the deed with prospective (female) subordinates to subjugate them is going to be a staple of Dreadknight going forward. Not my thing, but like I was saying earlier, “Olympus QM doesn’t like this” is not the same as “This is objectively shit,” so if you enjoy those aspects then by all means check it out.
Hatch That Egg! [SLICE OF LIFE, FANTASY, COMEDY, ANIME-INSPIRED, DRAWQUEST]
Hatch That Egg! Is a delightful drawquest about a human guy happening across a big egg, hatching it, and raising the weeby little changeling that pops out. The drawings are incredibly charming, cute, simplified monochrome doodles that really sell the entire experience and help the reader bond with Tamako (the egg child) as quickly and easily as the MC does. There’s a new illustration just about every update, and they add so much to the story and the characters.
Speaking of the story, despite the simple surface premise, Hatch That Egg! actually has a lot going on under the hood in regards to its setting and mechanics, however I cannot explain them on behalf of spoilers. What I CAN say is that the dialogue is funny, natural, and occasionally heartwarming, and all of the characters we meet are really likeable so far. The worldbuilding (when it comes) is really novel and fun, and I really cannot recommend this quest highly enough to just about anyone. The only real knock is that it is admittedly a little weeby, but it’s really unobtrusive and doesn’t ever feel weird or voyeuristic in the way that “weeby quest about raising a daughter” might trigger you to fear.