Healer Quest Puts You in the Robes of RPGs’ Under-Appreciated Medics

The title screen for Healer Quest by Rablo Games says it all: A healer, elbowed out of the picture by his bigger, more “important” friends, stands on his tip-toes in a desperate attempt to make himself known. By nature, healers …

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The title screen for Healer Quest by Rablo Games says it all: A healer, elbowed out of the picture by his bigger, more “important” friends, stands on his tip-toes in a desperate attempt to make himself known.

By nature, healers tend to be soft-spoken and shy, easily looked-over when things get furious on the battlefield. They’re pacifists, not warriors, but their role is as important as any tank or magic-slinger. They heal the ouchies and boo-boos incurred by the party, so that the fight may go on. In other words, if there’s no healer, there can be no adventure.

Unless you’re one of those weirdos that likes playing Final Fantasy with a four-Fighter party. What is even your deal?

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Regardless of how you feel about healers, you play as one in Healer Quest, and that means your role is entirely passive. While your stereotypical (to the point of self-parody) RPG party stands up-front and dishes out the hurt to rats, thieves, and dragons, you stand in the back and administer a host of healing spells, as well as buffs.

It’s far more complicated than it sounds, because your somewhat reckless teammates have no regard for their personal safety. Plus, they have certain abilities that surface depending on their state of health. The Knight gets stronger if he’s kept in tip-top shape, but the Barbarian dishes out criticals like nobody’s business if he’s kept near the point of death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNQT9j4bRRM&feature=youtu.be

Of course, if the Barbarian actually dies, he’s of no use to the party. As a consequence, Healer Quest is a game of balance. You need to think about when to administer spells, and you also need to think about which spells you want to use while you’re in the thick of things, since you can only take four onto the battlefield.

Healer Quest really lets you appreciate the hard work of RPGs’ white-robed saviors. Give it a try; it’s free to download on the App Store and Google Play.

In the early aughts, Nadia fell into writing with the grace of a brain-dead bison stumbling into a chasm. Over the years, she's written for Nerve, GamePro, 1UP.com, USGamer, Pocket Gamer, Just Labs Magazine, and many other sites and magazines of fine repute. She's currently About.com's Guide to the Nintendo 3DS at ds.about.com.