Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

Metro Quester doesn’t do a great job of teaching the player how its various systems work, and it can be utterly merciless at times. Those who have the patience to get through the process of learning the game and can handle the occasional crushing setback will find a fairly unique and highly enjoyable RPG experience here. You’ll have to make your own story for the most part, but the game does a nice job of providing plenty of fodder for those with the imaginations to do that. I went back and forth on this game, particularly in those early hours, but in the end I have to say that I really dig it.

If someone were to ask me which KEMCO games to play, Metro Quester would not just be on that list. It would absolutely be somewhere near the top of it. While the nature of it means it isn’t going to be for everyone who typically goes for every KEMCO RPG, it’s a really special and challenging experience that makes you think about all your actions.

Metro Quester reimagines RPG gaming by putting numbers and statistics at the forefront, leaving behind flashy graphics. Set in a minimalist post-apocalyptic Japan, players must survive by collecting resources and food while taking on monsters. Its user-friendly interface makes it a perfect portable RPG, offering strategic combat and a laid-back gameplay loop. For RPG enthusiasts in search of a gameplay-focused experience reminiscent of classic text-based RPGs, Metro Quester hits the mark.

For all its warts, though, it’s also a genuinely interesting and intense mind puzzle. I have no doubt that Metro Quester will not sell as well as Kemco’s usual by-the-number SNES-era JRPG clones. It isn’t as instantly accessible or familiar. But if Kemco published more games like this it would be a publisher to respect and pay closer attention to. These kinds of quirky, different, and memorable experiences are what we need to see more of.