Heroine’s Quest: The Herald of Ragnarok
Explore the rich world of Nordic mythology! Egther, last of the Frost Giants, has sworn to turn all the world to ice. A young heroine is called to fight him, but first she must survive the harsh environment, battle hostile trolls, and deal with many creatures and characters from the classic myths.
Heroine’s Quest: The Herald of Ragnarok is an adventure / RPG hybrid. Like in many adventure games, you have a world to save, and must use your wit, guile and inventory to puzzle your way through. Like in many roleplaying games, you can customize your character with various classes and skills, and must train yourself in combat to stand a chance against the fierce monsters in your way. Each class has her own solution to the numerous obstacles, where the warrior is the most straightforward to play, the sorceress focuses on smart solutions and finding the right spell for the situation, and the rogue cheats her way through life without getting caught.
The game is designed in the spirit and atmosphere of the classics, and strives to have the same high quality of art, music, and plot. With multiple character classes and several solutions to many puzzles, there are plenty of options for further replayability. The game has been voted voted 69th All-Time Best Computer RPG by RpgCodex. It is available completely for free, or as we like to call it, priceless.
“It’s great to see a female-centric heroic quest.” – Corey Cole
“The very definition of a labor of love … makes the world of Jarnvidr feel alive to a degree rarely seen in point and click adventure games.” – HardcodeGaming101
“I was still discovering new quests and things to do even on a third playthrough.” – Last Token
Game Discussion
Steam User 3
To put it mildly, it's insane this game is free. Often it is lamented online, 'What games are out there like the QfG series.'
And the cold voice of the internet says, 'None.'
Except this one.
Heroine's Quest could easily be a spin off from the Quest for Glory games, but manages still to be its own thing. Beautiful artwork, likeable characters, multiple solutions to different problems. I can't recommend it enough.
Steam User 1
Astounding level of quality and care for a freeware title.
Plays, looks and sounds like the old King's Quest games for the Commodore 64.
Most definitely grab this if you like point-n-click adventures.
If you can purchase the DLC to support the Devs, this group seems like it's deserving.
RATING: 4/5
Steam User 1
One of my all time favorite games. :))
This game is truly a love letter to the King's Quest franchise--the sense of humor is spot on, what with Monty Python references(!) echoing the snark of the narrator in KQ. Of course, the game is also meant to be a companion to the Quest for Glory games also. I'm still working my way through those, but as compared to the first two, this game is a noble descendant. You've got the point-based skill system which can level up throughout the game, the regional fantasy land to explore--as well as to save.
The story is great, far better than Crystal Shard's a Tale of Two Kingdoms. It's pretty hard to miss plot points in this game, but if you do, the story still feels complete. The callbacks to Norse mythology are FABULOUS. The game rewards knowledge of the stories they reference, again much like King's Quest. I'd presume the game is easy enough to complete without that background, as the characters give verbal hints all the time, but being familiar and able to recognize the stories they reference is a boon during gameplay. The characters have strong characterization, helped along by a great voice cast. Controls are intuitive and combat is easy to grasp. The only time I actually got stuck in a puzzle was because I knew how to solve it (what items, where the items would go) but I didn't know that they wanted me to click in a different spot to make the action happen. Overall, I have a much more positive impression of the gameplay here in comparison to A Take of Two Kingdoms once again, as the controls are much more intuitive. There's also definitely a replay value (that I haven't gotten around to) thanks to the three-class system borrowed from the legacy of the Quest for Glory games. This way the puzzle solutions can vary a lot from class to class, so I will definitely be coming back.
The play time for me was about half that of a Knights of the Old Republic game (my playtime for one game of HQ was about 24 hours), so it's a little on the smaller side for a game, but it definitely makes you think.
Should you pick it up? Yes! It's a free, small game! There's no downside, even if it ends up not being your cup of tea!
Steam User 0
Played this game (fittingly) after being snowed in and it was truly captivating and fun to get lost in. To this day this is one of the best free games I've ever played, with lots of different play options and a pitch-perfect Sierra-style presentation. This may be heresy but I might even rank it above some of the lesser Quest for Glory games. More please!
Steam User 0
I really like this game. For one, I think it's worth at least 15 dollars, and I didn't even realize it was free until recently. This game literally has most of the mechanics I would put into my own adventure game. So again, great game!
Steam User 0
Very fun, exciting game with a lot of replay ability. Reminiscent of the old Quest for Glory games with the common three different character choices. They released it free to show how much they love their audience and their love of old school, adventure games.
Steam User 0
An incredibly fun game in the vein of Sierra's Quest for Glory series. An adventure/RPG hybrid with charming pixel art, fun combat and puzzles, and engaging writing and characters. Highly recommended.