Power Quest, known in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 as , is an RPG

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

-based fighting game developed by Japan System Supply for the Game Boy Color

Game Boy Color

The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...

. It was published in Japan by Capcom

Capcom

is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

 on November 27, , and published in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 by Sunsoft

Sunsoft (company)

is a Japanese video game development company founded on April 16, 1971 as a division of Sun Corporation, itself a division of Sun Electronics, or in Japan is a Japanese video game development company founded on April 16, 1971 as a division of Sun Corporation, itself a division of Sun Electronics,...

 in December 1998.

In the game, a new craze had hit the town: fighting with model robot

Robot

A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...

s. The player would walk around the town as the main character, but would take control of the model robot during fights. There were six robot models available, each with different stats and special moves. The models are Max, Gong, Axe, Speed, Lon and Borot. Over time, the player could earn credits and buy parts to improve their model. In addition to the story mode, there was a simple versus mode that allowed the player to fight immediately.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Power Quest is a mixture of two genres: RPG

Role-playing video game

Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...

 and fighting game

Fighting game

Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

 similar to Hissatsu Doujou Yaburi, Tenkaichi Bushi Keru Naguru

Tenkaichi Bushi Keru Naguru

is a fighting video game developed by Game Studio and published by Namco. It was released for the Famicom on July 21, 1989 only in Japan. It is one of the earliest versus fighting games with RPG elements.-External links:*...

 and Metal & Lace: Battle of the Robo Babes

Metal & Lace: Battle of the Robo Babes

Metal & Lace: Battle of the Robo Babes is a 2D fighting game released by Megatech Software for MS-DOS on May 29, 1992. It was a localization of an all-female fighting game titled originally released by the eroge company Forest. It was later followed by a Japan-exclusive sequel titled , which was...

. You venture around the town in which you live on an overworld

Overworld

An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....

 map where you can go to different locations. Once you arrive at a location, a character appears on the screen with some dialogue. More often than not this dialog involves the character challenging you to a fight. After you are challenged by a character, the game switches to a one-on-one fighting game

Fighting game

Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

 engine. This is the RPG's battle system which differs from the usual turn-based battle engine's of the genre.

You can buy new parts for your Model which is how you gain experience throughout the game. You progress through the game by challenging a certain amount of people before the next event is triggered. Then special events pop up throughout the game after this number is met which usually involve a tournament or beating some strong boss

Boss (video games)

A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...

-type character.

The game also allows you to save your progress with a password

Password

A password is a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource . The password should be kept secret from those not allowed access....

 feature that is not commonly used in many RPGs. Due to the limited number of statistics that can be tracked, the password feature is able to track your parts, accrued money, and your current model.

Playable robots

• Max is the most basic model, with only basic combos, and is a good choice for beginners. Max is a blue model and many of his moves seem to be derived from boxing. Only two of Max's moves are kick attacks. Notably Max is used by Don Quixote and a few other modelers in the game. Max seems to be the most underused model.

• Gong is a "power over speed" model. He is a large, hulking robot with a gorilla-like build and his attacks deal large amounts of damage in comparison to the other models. Gongs are used almost exclusively by the main antagonists.

• Lon is based on various Chinese martial artists and his moves reflect this. Lon focuses on a unison of power and speed and has the most long range attacks of all the models. Notably he is used by most Asian stereotypes in the game.

• Axe, like Lon, focuses on a merge of power and speed, but unlike Lon, Axe's fighting style is very up-close and personal. As he possesses only one long-range move, Axe is notorious for a powerful and cheap slide attack, which some beginning players tend to abuse. He also has his trademark snake-like tongue, which he flicks after a victory. It is also reminiscent of Gene Simmons
  Gene Simmons
  Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
  
  .

• Speed is the only female robot. As her name suggests, she is a "speed over power" character and mainly fights with kicks. Notably it is used by Ann and other girl characters.

• Borot is the joke character of the game. Borot is a rather traditional looking robot, using Caterpillar track
  Caterpillar track
  Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...
  
  s to move instead of walking. Borot cannot jump, block, or perform special moves, and his only attack is a rather weak punch. "Borot" is an anagram
  Anagram
  An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
  
   of "robot." According to the Power Quest
  Power Quest
  Power Quest is a power metal band based in the United Kingdom.-The Power Quest Demo and Wings of Forever :Power Quest was conceived in March 2001 by keyboardist Steve Williams, who had recently departed London power metal band DragonHeart...
  
  manual Borot's punch is actually named，that name being "Borot Punch".

Characters

• The Protagonist is the player's character who has been swept up in the craze of modeling along with his friend Louis. At the start of the game he is very adamant about being a modeler, but has no money for a model. He finds out shortly after the opening that he won a contest and can choose any model as his prize. After that his journey begins.

• Louis is the player's best friend and 'rival'. Louis being either a crafty boy or short on cash has built his own model, Borot. After the player wins the contest and gains a model, Louis suggests that they enter the National Tournament together. Louis is a cheery lad, but is also a cry baby. He tends to deal with defeat by running away and crying, leaving his best friend to fend for his own.

• Ann is a girl at school who has a rather dislike for boys. She fights with a Speed type model and has a vendetta for the player.

• The Hyena Gang are a bunch of cheap sleazy modelers that cheat and bully kids out of money. They mostly use Gong type models and have cheap fighting AI. They all appear well over the age of a child, but are still referred to in the dialogue as 'children'. Named members of the gang include, Colonel, Scientist, and General who is their leader.

Opening scene

As the game begins, school is over for the player character (who is never named) and his friend Louis. Summer vacation has begun, and Louis hears about an upcoming tournament involving modelers and is excited about his chances. He is dismayed, however, when he remembers that the player's allowance cannot cover the cost of a model. He has been saving for quite some time and only has enough for one part. The duo then return to the player's house, whose Mother has a surprise for him. He has won the grand prize in the model contest that he entered. The grand prize is one model of his choosing. Filled with confidence from his new model, the two decide to enter the tournament.

Pre-Spring Tournament

Since the tournament will not be starting for quite some time, the two decide to warm up on the other modelers around town. After several victories, the two hear rumors about a no good group called "The Hyena Gang" who use cheap and under-handed tricks to win and steal people's money. Several Hyena Gang members eventually meet up with the player and are bested at his remote control. The last gang member that is defeated warns the main character that their boss will not be bested so easily. Heading to the playground the leaders of The Hyena Gang are found. The first member that is fought at the playground is the Colonel, a high leveled member of the gang (perhaps General's right hand man). The leader of the gang, General, then steps foreword to challenge the player and punish him for harassing his boys. First, however, he has the Scientist turn on a suspicious machine. General the defeats the player who leaves and goes to the local shop. Surprisingly, the shop owner knows how to defeat The Hyena Gang. He reveals that they use radio waves to disrupt a persons communications with their robots, making it impossible to beat them. However, he knows of a way to block these radio waves, by painting the player's robot with a special paint. The player then returns to the playground and defeats General, thus forcing The Hyena Gang to retreat from the town.

Ann Appears

After more bouts with the local modelers, the player and Louis are approached by a girl named Ann who challenges them. Louis loses quickly and runs away. Ann then proceeds to reveal her sexist ideals, and believes that modern men are weaklings. After Ann leaves, another girl approaches the player and mentions that Ann has never lost to a boy in a robot fight.

Spring Tournament and Japanese Castle

Later the Spring Tournament is held, and the player enters. The player defeats both Scientist and General again, and faces Ann in the finals. He defeats her, making the player the first boy Ann lost to, much to her own amazement. After the tournament, the player is summoned to a Japanese castle. The owner has heard of the player's exploits, and wishes to challenge him. After fighting through two overzealous bodyguards, the player meets the owner of the castle. The owner apologizes for what his underlings tried to do to the player, then challenged the player to a fight. Upon his defeat, the owner is excited, since he has not been defeated in such a long time.

Louis Departs

The player then returns to his home and discovers that Louis left him a message that says to meet him on the school rooftop. Upon arriving there, Louis reveals that he is moving and won't be able to compete in the upcoming tournament. He also reveals that he will not be able to see the player ever again, so he wants to challenge the player to a battle, model to model. Here Louis is shown to be the only character in the game to use Borot, the games weakest robot. Upon his defeat Louis gives the player an item allowing the player to use special attacks. He then runs away crying because he will never be able to see the player again.

The National Tournament

After all of the events thus far the player is ready for the National Tournament. The player arrives at the National Tournament and is greeted by three past competitors waiting to take him down before the finals. He is greeted first by General who is still sporting his Gong model. After the player quickly defeats General he says 'Hello' to Ann and her Speed model. They fight a slightly harder battle than General but the player defeats her in the end. The player is feeling pretty confident by now since there is only one opponent left to go. Next up is Won from the Japanese castle and his Lon model. They prove to be a tougher opponent for the player, but are bested at his model's tiny hands. Everything is going great and then there is one final opponent. A rather large man by the name of Don Quixote. Scientist and General are seen trying to rig the players model to fail. Don Quixote interferes and gives a speech to The Hyena Gang. After that, it's game on between the player and Don Quixote and his model, which is the same as the player's model. After the player beats him in a true contest of strength the game is over. The player is National Champion and his journey to the top is over.

Regional differences

When Gekitō Power Modeler, the original Japanese version, was localized by Sunsoft for release in North America as Power Quest, the only changes to the game were the addition of color and more detailed graphics, a different face on the title screen, a slightly different plot script to the Japanese version's, and multiple languages to choose from. Japan System Supply, the developer of it, was given no credit in the Japanese version, so Sunsoft gave it to them in the North American version.