Review – BodyQuest

BodyQuest is an educational action-adventure title from Artax Games where the player leads a team of scientists through the human body of their best friend Finn to save him from a mysterious virus. The player will journey through the different body systems, completing 25 missions, while upgrading skills, taking educational challenges and unlocking cosmetics. While the word ‘educational’ might put off some gamers, there is a good time here, especially for younger gamers while also learning about the human body.

The premise of BodyQuest is very simple and is explained in a short introductory video. A mysterious virus from outer space has infected Finn and threatens mankind. The player chooses from one of the four young scientists, Zev, Lia, Jin and Max, and uses nano technology to shrink down to enter Finn’s body and combat the virus which is attacking his body’s systems and organs. Each of the 25 missions has the player finding a nanobot which is vital to saving Finn and the human race.

BodyQuest’s gameplay is presented in an isometric view and has our selected scientist hero travelling the map to complete objectives. While the objectives vary, such as ‘Clear out the mucus’, ‘Collect the nutrients’, ‘Get through the nerve labyrinth’ and even ‘Clear out the stuck faeces’, each mission plays out in one of two way. The main way is the hero collecting a disc and returning it to the computer terminal to unlock the nanobot to fix the objective’s issue. The other way is where the player must collect a number of required items, such as nutrients, calcium or plasma to unlock the computer to release the needed nanobot.

Completing objectives is not as easy as described. Our heroes traverse the stages on a hover skateboard, which feels as smooth as it sounds, and have to avoid multiple obstacles, solve light puzzles, neutralise enemies with a type a ray and use certain items and equipment to progress. Players upgrade their hero by finding items and equipment, such as a hammer to break down giant rolling stones, a laser scalpel to make bridges and even a vacuum to destroy gastric acid. While these tools mix up the gameplay, they are not used enough and only needed a handful of times. It was not until the final level that I got to use more than one item and believe this is a missed opportunity.

The enemy types all vary, and the player will encounter new ones in different sections of the body, from enemies that give off an electrical burst if not taken down quickly enough, to those that split into smaller enemies. While the variety mixes up the gameplay, it was also a little disappointing that BodyQuest does not throw multiple enemies at the player until the final level and even my 5-year-old found most of the combat very easy, while the obstacles and puzzles produced some difficulty spikes for him.

The major educational content aspect comes when discs are collected. To gain the disc, the player must partake in a type of quiz. These quizzes are tests on the bodily system the player is currently in and are presented in a few ways. One quiz may have the player matching labels to body parts, while another might be a multiple-choice quiz, and some include flipping cards and choosing which statement matches the card. While the player cannot fail as they get infinite retries, completing these quizzes with minimum to no errors grants the player diplomas. These diplomas, along with blue orb collectables littered in every level allow the player to purchase cosmetics. Cosmetics include new hoverboards, sunglasses and different objects used emits the player’s attack ray. Each level also has one unique collectable, which are objects used or related to the medical profession, such as surgical gloves or mask. These are very easy to find and for nothing but replay value.

The presentation of each stage changes to match the body system the player is exploring. They system include:

• Musculoskeletal System, focusing on bones, muscles and joints
• Nervous System, focusing on nervous system, the brain, eyes and ears.
• Digestive System, focusing on the digestion process, food and nutrients.
• Respiratory System, focusing on the lungs and organs that make up the system.
• Circulatory System, focusing on blood circulation and the heart.

While the graphics are nothing to rave about, they are colourful and will grab the attention of their intended audience. The sound design, while bland and with no voice acting other than gibberish in the opening and closing cutscenes, does what it intends to do and is far from bad.

One of the best features about BodyQuest is how the educational content changes for different ages. While there are no difficulty levels, players put in their age and the game will adapt to 3 categories:

• For children aged 6-7.
• For children aged 8-9.
• And for children 10+ and adults.

This will make the quizzes easier for the younger ages and even test adults on the highest age group.  Throughout this review I did not notice any changes in gameplay between difficulties, even though I do not think it is needed to be any easier as the game offers  no permanent death and endless respawns.

There is no multiplayer aspect or need for an online connection. Sadly, having multiplayer would stretch the experience and would be great playing with my own children rather than sharing the controller. The overall campaign lasts about 3 hours for older players, and unless the player is wanting to unlock each cosmetic, the replay value is not high.

Pottsy for One More Game

7 – Good – This is an all-round solid game that delivers some features really well. It’s a game that most gamers will likely enjoy. If you’re not a fan of the game or genre then you may want to wait for a deal before picking it up.

Please click the link here for a full rundown of our rating scale.

BodyQuest was reviewed and available on Nintendo Switch.

The publisher kindly provided review code for this title. All thoughts on this game are ours and ours alone.