BQM: BlockQuest Maker

Ultimately, the success of Block Quest Maker lies in its community. With the game only readily available on Switch in Japan during my review period, I was greatly limited in the number of levels to choose from. Many of those that were playable were simple, forgettable affairs, which is a nice way of saying not worth the time it took me to complete them. But some creators out there took the tools to heart, crafting complete mini-RPGs with a story, dialogue, secrets, boss battles, and a princess to save.

BQM is a colorful adventure and dungeon game in which we will have to complete numerous puzzles and kill different enemies. The maps are almost endless thanks to the editor and community creations. Beat the time of other players and create your favorite dungeon with many elements.

BlockQuest Maker was a surprisingly intuitive, and easy going experience whether you’re interested in creation or just playing dungeons.

This is something I fear will be dead on arrival unless effort to connect the Switch community to other platforms is done in the future. For the asking price and the amount of developer-made levels available at purchase, Block Quest Maker is still perfectly enjoyable in short bursts, and better yet if you have a creative bone that you want to itch by making your own adventures. Just don't expect a long tail of community driven content like some of its more well-known contemporaries.

Overall, how much you love BQM will depend largely on how much you like this particular type of game. Super Mario Maker, despite fulfilling the dreams of many, was not beloved by all. User-generated content comes with a mixed bag of benefits and pitfalls, masterpieces and cow dung. That being said, BQM provides a robust game-making system, with untapped storytelling potential and an ever-expanding library of clever dungeon designs and fresh ideas. While it certainly has a few hiccups, including some unintuitive tools and the occasional glitch or freeze, BQM's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses.

Ultimately, BQM -BlockQuest Maker- is an incredibly enjoyable game maker for its budget price.

While we all wait for the inevitable porting of Super Mario Maker to Switch, BlockQuest Maker provides a perfectly serviceable alternative for anyone eager to create and share their own devious levels with friends and strangers alike.