I’m not really sure how to sell someone on a text adventure game. Sure, you could liken it to a choose your own adventure book. For those unfamiliar with the text adventure genre, that’s probably the easiest comparison to make. You’re given a story and you type in various character actions in hopes of propelling your character and the narrative forward. It’s not about sparkly graphics or mechanics. It’s simply the text and your imagination doing the world building while also giving the player a sense of autonomy.
Run TavernQuest puts a clever spin on it, though. Rather than being the main player on a quest, you play as the Game Master, or rather the actual video game software, tasked with getting a player through the storyline of an RPG. The only issue is the player is Steve, essentially a sociopathic village idiot that can’t critically think to save his life. It’s your job to take Steve’s doofus text inputs, keep him alive, manage enemies and other NPCs within the game world, and somehow get him to the end of the story. I love the idea and frankly it’s what made me want to give Run TavernQuest a shot.
The only issue is the player is Steve, essentially a sociopathic village idiot that can’t critically think to save his life.
Gameplay Elements
Starting up the demo you’re immediately greeted by a satisfying green text that is reminiscent of PC’s from the 1970 and 80s along with some pleasant background music. If you have no idea what that text looks like, congratulations. Instead, I’ll point you to Fallout’s Pip-Boy font within the menus. Anyways, you’re greeted by the computer’s CPU who also happens to be your partner throughout the demo. The CPU explains your duties and it’s quickly apparent that said CPU loathes Steven.
Without giving many spoilers, the game called “The Malevolent Mage” starts and a fully narrated story begins to unfold. Steve, of course, butchers that story with ridiculous decisions but you do your best to circumvent Steve’s half-ass logic. For example, the quest starts in a shop where Steve is clearly supposed to leave with a weapon before continuing on his quest. By the time I had gotten Steve out of the shop, the shop keep was deceased and Steve only had a can of beans to use as a weapon. Not ideal.
There’s an interesting spin on battles because you know simple-minded Steve is going to attack with reckless abandon, opening himself up to all sorts of attacks. Therefore, one has to massage the battle in a way that will work in Steve’s favor. It’s really a unique experience thinking of an engagement from the video game software’s point of view.
If for some reason Steve manages to meet his Darwinian demise in battle, Run TavernQuest allows you to restart right before the battle, giving you another opportunity to change Steve’s fate. So, at least in the demo, you don’t have to replay through a large amount of old sections again. Also, if you’re strapped for time, you can always speed through the dialogue, which is a helpful option.
It should also be noted that this is exclusive content solely for the demo, so it’s not going to be seen in the full release of the game.
Conclusion
It’s easy to be dismissive of a text-based adventure in the era of AAA graphics. However, I left Run TavernQuest thinking text-based adventures are a unique form of storytelling. The way Silicon Sundial’s TavernQuest is packaged with voice acting narration, the soundtrack, and the premise of playing as the video game software rather than the protagonist creates a lot of interesting possibilities. There might be something here for you and it’s worth taking a look. Run TavernQuest is slated to be released in Q3 2025.
