Lock's Quest

Lock's Quest is a real-time strategy game that follows the adventurous life of a young "Archineer" (a mix between an architect and an engineer) named Lock. Lock's village is attacked by an enemy known as the "Clockwork." During the invasion, the story is set in motion when Lock's little sister, Emi, goes missing. Lock, his new friend Isaiah, and Lock's grandfather Tobias set out in search for Emi. Along the way, Lock joins the Archineers and Kingdom Force in hopes of defeating the Clockwork army and their leader Lord Agony.

The gameplay consists of two main modes of play: "Build Mode" and "Battle Mode." In Build Mode, the player has a limited amount of time to build defenses that will stand up against the approaching Clockwork army. Each defensive object costs a certain amount of "Source" (the game's currency). Many levels have protection objectives that the player must defend and prevent from being destroyed by the Clockwork. The player can build walls and gates of various material types (Wood, Stone, Metal and Spiked), unique "Turrets" that automatically fire at approaching enemies, "Traps" that can be placed in the battlefield and stationary "Helpers" that give nearby turrets specific buffs. Each player can develop a personal strategy that best fits his play-style based off of the current terrain and his choice of defences. New abilities, enemies and areas are constantly unlocked as the player progresses through the entire game.

Battle Mode begins when the Build Mode timer runs out, or when the player chooses to advance to the battle. The player is thrown into a real time battle and must defend the protection objectives for a certain amount of time while holding off the attack. Other objectives include: destroying specific groups of enemies, capturing enemy objectives, rescuing friendly characters and destroying boss enemies. The battles involve controlling Lock directly with the Stylus as the enemies attack. The player may engage the Clockwork enemies in mêlée combat. Doing so brings up various mini games which can increase Lock's attack damage or add a status effect, such as poison, to the Clockwork. Lock may also repair walls and turrets which have been damaged. This also brings up a mini game where the player must use the stylus in a back and forth "ratcheting" motion to fix the wall. Not only is the player able to control Lock directly, but he can move the camera independently from the character. This control scheme allows flexibility for the player to focus on repairing or attacking in one area, while looking at what's going on in another area.

The game is broken into 100 Build and Battle phases called "Days," covering a wide variety of areas and scenarios. The story is advanced through interactive free roam areas, villages and cinematic cut scenes which take place in between the battles. Plot twists and character development becomes the vehicle for pushing the game forward after the initial game play techniques are taught in an interactive tutorial. A multiplayer feature is also present in Lock's Quest using the wireless DS multi-card play. In this mode, two players compete head to head in a mix of Build and Battle modes where the players can choose the paths and type of clockworks their opponent will face.