DestinyQuest Gamebooks by Michael J Ward Review

[@living_the_mac_and_cheese_life]

I just started book 1 today. It's a blast from the past. It feels good to play a game while reading a story and not using any electronics.

[@Mr.Bassman]

Currently looking into book games and this one came up. Is it fairly replayable or once and done type of experience? Any others you've tried and recommend instead since this was posted? Cheers

[@living_the_mac_and_cheese_life]

@@Mr.Bassman These are the most current forms of rpg adventure books. there’s a bunch of classics like Fighting Fantasy and Deathtrap Dungeon.

[@RickGrundy]

The books continue to be produced, and the first three have been released on Kindle. Thanks for the video, I just picked up the Kindle versions. Wow, man, Covid has really changed my taste in downtime activities.

[@Codynstef21]

Definitely picking this up, your videos are very well done

[@allluckyseven]

Thank you for the video, Marco. Your reviews are always interesting and detailed, which I appreciate quite a bit. From your descriptions, the combat system seems like the Fighting Fantasy system with some modernized aspects. The special abilities of the enemies, though, sound like a great addition. (don't remember ever seeing them on any ff game books, so that is new to me.) Edit: Why does nobody add the "run away!!" mechanic to combat in game books? You could call them "strategic retreat" if you don't want the reader's character to look too cowardly. :P

[@marcoomnigamer]

+allluckyseven glad you liked it. This vid is longer than my usual but I REALLY wanted to expound on those combat aspects to give a good sense of the game experience. FF had only some rudimentary and occasional elements like that, as in: in this combat if you roll a 2 you get poisoned and you die, but they did not really translate in tactical options for the player.

[@RomanyRedPoppy]

A really good review. I've just started reading the first one I got from the library to try out. I will probably buy the series.

[@iconocast]

grew up in the 80s reading steve jackson & ian livingstone books ( loved them). interestingly there being re released on tablets.

[@kosterix123]

The new gen is far better.

[@Alandric1911]

Thanks for this and the previous video about game books. I have never heard of them until I saw your videos. I will be buying these now for sure!!

[@bloodrunsclear]

I'm glad these games are at least seeing a little resurgence! Nice review! New sub :)

[@ThePandionknight]

Thank you, Marco. I hadn’t heard of these books until I saw this video. I have now ordered all three books. FYI - the best prices for these in the UK is from Hive.co.uk who donate a portion of your spend to local independant book shops.

[@DriveThruReview]

Been looking for a new series after playing TIME Stories which left me flat but had me wanting to play an "epic" Gamebook series. Definitely going to check these out.

[@marcoomnigamer]

+Drive Thru Review for epics, you can't go wrong with these big bad boys!

[@DriveThruReview]

+marcowargamer Got the first one coming. Recommend any others? I've played all the old 80s stuff.

[@Joaquim.Oliveira]

+Drive Thru Review Joel , I have the first Destiny Quest book and it's really good , a bit long if you are used to the old FF books but many cool side quests .

[@DriveThruReview]

+J Oliveira Mine is at my doorstep as I type this. Need to get out of work! Arggh!! Stupid work!

[@virvum_cypher]

I am just about to publish my 3rd gamebook in a post-apocalyptic series that had a successful Kickstarter campaign last year. The first book is called Westward Dystopia and it's got a major focus on exploration with a dice-based combat system. My books aren't nearly as combat focused as the Destiny Quest books, but I think you might enjoy them if you are ever looking for another gamebook series. The ebook is on Amazon, there is an app on Google Play, and a softcover at greekwinter.com

[@CALPURNI0]

thanks for the video. great books. i've only read the eye of winter's fury and now i'm reading "the heart of fire". sadly, the last edition of "the heart of fire" don't include color maps.

[@Kieranofkyrenia]

Really good thorough review. Definitely going to check these out

[@rhubahb]

Marco - I love your game book (and all of your game) reviews. Just curious, how long did each in this series take you to complete? Is there a chance that you'll review the Fabled Lands book series?

[@marcoomnigamer]

+Tom Cohen probably 10 hours ro so. Yes, I'd like to review that series in the future.

[@rhubahb]

+marcowargamer Cool. Looking forward to it. Thx.

[@WhatHappenedFFS]

Some criticism I read described these books as being too combat orientated (literally moving from one combat situation to the next), rather than being 'adventure' orientated. Would you agree? If so, are there any of these books that are more exploration/puzzle solving in nature? Thanks

[@marcoomnigamer]

+Steve Nicholls there is a lot of combat, but of course you can skip it. The good thing with analog text is, you can choose your own dose of combat. There's story and prose of good quality around those combats those. For puzzle / exploration, yuo still can't beat Fighting Fantasy

[@WhatHappenedFFS]

Thanks Marco - I believe you said the latter title was the best to go for? If they're all much of a muchness then no problem.

[@marcoomnigamer]

3rd is the one with the most interesting items / weapons / upgrades etc, but it is also the most linear. 1st is more basic in game terms, but has the best plot imho and a lot more freedom of movement

[@WhatHappenedFFS]

Thanks Marco

[@jimsmith7445]

Marco... thanks for these videos. I am a writer and I find all of this very creative. Perhaps I might try to produce one of these... can I buy any of these at my local Barnes and Noble? Yes? Keep up the good work.

[@texus835]

hey does someone know how you fight those multiple enemys? I'm just not sure if I'm doing it right so far. I just fight the enemy I get shown and add the abilities, I'm not making 6 power our of 2 just because they are 3 thiefs for an example.

[@cartoon80s90s]

I like the fact they are combat-heavy (at least that's the impression I got from this video) so I'll probably try the series anyway, but I was wondering if they were available in digital form, like in play store for Android devices. Since the fighting system uses many modifiers, it would be great if the game took care of all the calculating. I searched but I found nothing.

[@nosoros]

+cartoon80s90s there is an app version. Look in the web page of Destiny Quest! the app is called Destiny Quest Infinite

[@cartoon80s90s]

Likidel Kaser Thanks for the info

[@isaacixtupe8983]

I would love to have something like this but in a Sci-fi setting

[@d.aardent9382]

Whhaaaa? I've never heard of these. I had a few FF books and had a few of Lone Wolf but I was going to begin trying to collect the Lone Wolf series again and its insane the prices they want for them. BUT! I found that there is a website for the Lone wolf adventures that the writer has made a online version of the books that you can play them mostly for free, and has downloadable action chart to print out and it all works just like the paperback but all in an online library files. I bought the Sorcery! story series on Steam and play that a little. I might have to look into these.

[@rockerdax]

Book 2 has a more appealing plot to me. Do you think someone unfamiliar with the series should start with Book 1 regardless, or would I have no problem beginning with Book 2?

[@frostbyte11]

Marco do you have a playlist of all the gamebooks you've made videos on? I'd like to find out some more on these series and it's hard to narrow it down from "gamebook" search. It typically pulls the DND and related books. If you have a list that you know of that is similar to fighting fantasy and these could you please share.

[@general-husky9100]

I WANT ONE. do you know any more gamebooks. I really want to buy the best gamebooks.. ThX

[@kavanpuranik98]

Does the story of the first book continue into the second and so on? Or are they all seperate books with separate stories?

[@texus835]

Ich hätte gern einen Hinweis zu einem Rätsel da ich nicht komplett schummeln möchte. Mir ist noch nicht klar ob ich überhaupt dann den "geschafft" Weg gehe, allerdings geh ich davon aus das ich es so beim nächsten mal auch noch nicht nachvollziehen kann. Hier und da hab ich auch Tippfehler in dem Buch. Ich bin bei der Speerquest im 2. Kapitel bei dem Runenrätsel. Aus 3 wird 1 doch befolg die Regel oder so. Sprich das Wort und die Truhe ist dein. Das ist wohl die Art Rätsel wo ich zu kompliziert denke oder so. Es scheint mir ja kein Schiebe/legerätsel und ich versteh die Idee dahinter grad noch nicht. Vielleicht kann mir Jemand der das Buch hat ja einen Tipp geben.

[@fastpoose]

Bought all four of these books. I have been slowly going through the first one. I really hope these get better... The first one for me is awful. No real story line, just silly shallow events which lead to really poor combat situations. The collection of items weapons armour really is just bloat and doesn't feel like progression. It feels like a silly early rpg computer game. A bit gutted I bought all four. The books are really well made and good quality. Thank you for your great reviews.

[@Aalling76]

do you ever play the online version of game books?

[@jc8322]

I'm reading 'Heart of Fire' and finding it really tedious. It's having to turn to a different reference each time you want ask a character about a different topic. And it just doesn't seem to matter if/what order you ask characters about things. I'm only at the first 'spear' quest but I'm already fed up lol

[@creationzikaz4836]

I find the video game influence *really* unfortunate. What's the need for it? It's not like they're not available already if that's what you're into. Makes you miss Creature of Chaos.

[@Bren71319]

I think it’s cool. Bringing an “on paper” old-school gamebook Into the new age...

[@creationzikaz4836]

Sorcery wasn't part of Fighting Fantasy though, it was part of ''Sorcery'' as a series. Unless you meant that they were both taking place in Titan.

[@Bren71319]

The Sorcery series was integrated into the Fighting Fantasy line in the UK.

[@popcornpeace5626]

thx nice video

[@kosterix123]

for actually useful info, for book 1 speed is the single most important attribute - see kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2mZqX-of6Z0a5Y esp. at the end. Now onto the current video: this review is all over the place. But what about the glaring spelling errors? 7:49 while I am against sleeving board/card game components, I would immediately laminate this book! 9:22 What a stupid design decision to put it in the middle. Put it in the end. I would have to cut up the book in order to scan it, then print.. And WTF is team battle? 12:42 yesyes branching bla, but does it have any memory, as in you check off certain decisions that will play a role later? Or is it simply memoryless branching and merging? 15:05 Keywords? What? How do these work? You approach reviewing these books as if they were video games. But without the snippets. You're too afraid to spoil.

[@fastpoose]

Coming from a gamebook background, I found these really bad...

[@lastofusclips5291]

thx wolverine

[@kosterix123]

The format is unfortunate. Books should be bundled separately by act. The large volume is hard to peruse.

[@PhilGerb93]

Get the ebook?