Patch Quest

After spending almost a year in early access, it's finally time for Lychee Game Lab's colourful genre-blending Patch Quest to be unleashed on the world. It's Metroidvania meets Roguelike with a good dose of bullet hell mechanics sprinkled on top. All blended together and tightly packaged with a charming and distinct aesthetic that lends itself incredibly well to what is essentially a sprawling mix of ideas that have no reason whatsoever to interact as well as they actually do. So hang with me into the deep jungle and I'll explain the brilliance lurking behind the game's pastel exterior.

Patch Quest takes place in the mysterious world of Patchlantis, where you, the player, are free to explore to your heart's content based on your abilities. Because just like any other game based on the now almost worn out but equally damn constantly entertaining Metroidvania model, your ability to travel the world is tightly tied to your character's abilities, and Patch Quest is certainly no exception to this rule. Your starting base has four entrances, only one of which is open when you begin your adventure, but as you make new discoveries, new possibilities unlock and previously closed doors to new zones open up.

Patchlantis is divided into several unique biomes or zones if you will, filled with their own fauna, wildlife, secret caves and yes, of course, bosses. Each new area you visit is generated randomly which lends itself well to the spirit of adventure that so clearly permeates pretty much every aspect of Patch Quest and also encourages multiple playthroughs. You can venture through Patch Quest alone or with a friend next to you on the couch in split screen multiplayer. But what is undoubtedly the most prominent mechanic in Patch Quest is your character's lasso with which you capture, tame and ride all the various creatures you run into in the expansive world.

Each animal offers its own unique abilities which you inherit and can use while riding on its back. This allows for many interesting ways to get around the different areas and not least the bosses that more often than not present situations that degenerate into regular bullet hell and in a few milliseconds transform the game into a regular schmup. Albeit not on the same level as the genre greats Mushihimesama or DoDonPachi, but having said that it's worth pointing out that the game's later zones can offer on really intense, sweaty battles that make you absolutely buzz with glee.

These were challenges that I personally found a lot of joy in and that never felt either unfair or insurmountable. Instead, they encourage you to experiment with different animals to ride, perks and abilities for your character but most importantly different sets of equipment. The punishment for failing is also thankfully light, which also adds even more to not only the enjoyment of the game but also the desire to try out different combinations and explore even more of the game world, thus finding even more power-ups or other abilities to assist in the increasingly challenging battles.

In addition to the animals you can capture and ride, a large part of the game focuses on acquiring pets to take home to your base. Yet you can also collect fauna from your travels in Patchlantis, which you plant in clusters of five in order to reproduce a specific biome, something the wide variety of potential pets require to thrive. And yes, of course, you can also pet and cuddle your little friends, which actually has a positive impact on their health. This more playful side of Patch Quest presents a pleasant break from the occasionally rather intense exploration.

Something that Patch Quest really succeeds at, and an aspect of the game I would like to emphasize, is how it forces the player to constantly try out new animals and abilities. Because just like in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild where weapons slowly degrade the more they are used, the animals you capture and ride have a limited amount of uses or ammo if you so choose. For while you'll constantly find new ones out in the wild, they're quickly depleted during the many confrontations and this forces you to constantly be on the lookout for new potential steeds to lasso and master.

Whether you choose to tackle Patch Quest and Patchlanti's challenges alone or with a well-chosen friend on the couch, Lychee Game Lab's indie creation offers incredible variety and plenty of fun. There are more than fifty different animals to discover, plenty of challenging bosses, a myriad of interesting combinations of abilities, and a constant desire to push the envelope. The joy of discovery is simply very palpable and I genuinely found it difficult to put the controls down for long periods of time, which is just testament to how incomparably entertaining and well thought out the game's gameplay loop actually is.