Lock's Quest (2008). Play online

Summary

Lock's Quest blends real‑time strategy with tower‑defense on the DS in a way that feels fresh and frantic. I spend the first half of each match stacking walls, turrets, cannons and traps on an isometric battlefield before the clock flips to the action‑filled Battle phase, where I dash around as Lock, striking enemies and fixing structures via quick‑time "ratcheting" events.

The game pushes the DS screens hard: the lower screen shows the detailed combat zone, while the upper screen gives a strategic overview and the ticking countdown. Resource "Source" is harvested by defeating foes, rewarding aggressive play and letting me expand my defenses mid‑match.

Beyond the core campaign, there’s a side‑scrolling Siege mode that offers extra Source, plus a multiplayer skirmish where each player builds defenses on separate maps and sends customized enemy waves at the opponent. Even without online play, the optional minigame adds nice variety.

Critics lauded Lock's Quest for its vibrant sprite art, energetic soundtrack, and inventive mix of genres, earning an Editors’ Choice from IGN and a Best Strategy award at E3 2008. The controls and Lock’s path‑finding drew some criticism, but the overall consensus highlighted the game's originality, depth, and lasting appeal on a handheld.

Storyline

Lock's Quest takes place in Antonia, a kingdom built from a mysterious material called Source. The Archineers studied Source, and the greatest, Agonius, learned it could mimic life. When he began crafting living clockwork beings, the King ordered him to stop; Agonius refused, was banished, and returned as Lord Agony to wage war. Archineers Kenan and Jacob eventually defeated Agony, Jacob vanished, and Kenan became Chief Archineer.

Years later, Lock lives in the seaside village of Seacrest with his sister Emi and grandfather Tobias. When a new clockwork army attacks under a revived Lord Agony, Lock enlists as an Archineer and joins a 75‑day campaign that ends in victory. The climax reveals the new Lord Agony is Jacob, who had once found a frail Agonius and a clockwork child—Lock himself—inside the ancient chamber.

Jacob raised Lock as a human, disguising him as Tobias’s grandson, and created Emi, another clockwork, to give Lock a family. The King tells Lock that, despite his mechanical nature, Agonius gave him a soul, making him truly alive, while Emi, lacking a soul, will eventually fade. The game ends with Lock and Emi playing tag on the beach, a bittersweet reminder of their fleeting humanity.