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Game
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Lock's Quest
Developer Digital Continue
Lock's Quest is a 2008 real-time strategy tower defense video game developed by 5th Cell and published by THQ for the Nintendo DS. It is 5th Cell's second Nintendo DS game. Players control Lock, a young man forced to help defend the kingdom of Antonia from an invasion of clockwork soldiers. The gameplay revolves around constructing defences such as walls and turrets on isometric battle maps, then controlling Lock to… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
114 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 27, 2026 · last updated Nov 4, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
37
Rotten
34 positive · 58 negative
95% range 28–47%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 34 | 58 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Negative
34 of 93 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
37% recommend · 34 yes, 58 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 92 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (60 of 142 positive).
Many players say the PC port has clunky and buggy controls. [1][2][3] Several reviewers note the port is inferior to the original DS version. [4][5][6] Some players still find the game enjoyable despite its flaws. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
I was kind of sad to see that this game got such poor reviews, even though it's an ambitious attempt to translate a great DS game (which sadly sold poorly) over to platforms that don't have touch screen controls. Yes there are issues with this port, including the omission of multiple levels from the DS version, buggy pathfinding, annoying cases of slowdown and some weird cuts that didn't seem to be needed (AI human …
- [1]
TLDR: PC keyboard mouse controls harder than the NDS version, 1st map unusually hard, other bugs, hard but playable, mixed recommendation but hopeful. Probably should wait to see new updates, caution advised. I was about to write an angry rant for my favorite NDS game remaster, but took another crack at beating the first map before I posted. I have now finished the game and updated this review. The controls on PC …
- [6]
I owned the original NDS version and it was (and still is) my all time favorite handheld game. But this port is not the same game. Overall, yes, it is the same game. The story is there, the mechanics are there. But in the hour I've played it, here are some things I've noticed + The music is catchy, it's not the original soundtrack that I adore but it still fits. + Some of the graphics have been redone to be HD, (IE …
- [14]
The game itself is excellent and a perennial favorite of mine on the NDS. It's a solid tower defense styled game with lots of little mechanics that work together to create a fun and memorable experience. That being said, this port is an rushed cash grab by a company that bought the rights and it's blatantly obvious with its numerous bugs and bad PC control scheme. Go download an emulator and play it on there for an …
- [15]
Good game absolutely ruined by a godawful port. Literally had the first gamebreaking bug in less than 10 minutes. After which that stayed about the same - roughly a bug or unresponsive control every 10 minutes. Did seem to be controller related cause it happened less often (like every half hour instead lol) using a controller than the mouse. Either way awful awful port of a good game. Go buy this on DS, don't touch …
Summarised from 34 of the 114 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Lock's Quest sits at 37% positive across 92 opinionated reactions from 3 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Lock's Quest was well-received by most critics. IGN praised most aspects of the game, and said that it was "one of the most original, inspired, and entertaining experiences" they played for DS, receiving an Editors' Choice Award and DS Game of the Month for September 2008. Nintendo World Report said Lock's Quest was "just a few design tweaks away from being a fantastic game", claiming that it is "definitely disappointing in light of all its great assets and originality". GameZone called it "unique" and "perfectly suited for the DS". GameDaily praised the story, gameplay, graphics and music, and called it "an excellent game". GameSpot enjoyed the "lengthy" single-player campaign, "exciting"…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 114 · most liked firstI owned the original NDS version and it was (and still is) my all time favorite handheld game. But this port is not the same game. Overall, yes, it is the same game. The story is there, the mechanics are there. But in the hour I've played it, here are some things I've noticed + The music is catchy, it's not the original soundtrack that I adore but it still fits. + Some of the graphics have been redone to be HD, (IE my profile image is a grayscale version of the original source texture), and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had a lot of interest and hype for this game leading up to the release. I purchased it immediately when it became available and began playing it. The first thing that jumps out at you when you start playing is how messy the controls are. They don't feel good. It's hard to explain but when you're clicking around and rotating walls and turrets it just feels sloppy. Combat is even worse when you're frantically clicking and trying to move around the map and fight off the invading army. This is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lock’s Quest is the modern remake of the original critically acclaimed Nintendo DS version from 2008. The game offers much of the same functionality that made it a memorable title on the DS, except the PC version has it’s frustrating moments with the controls and inconsistencies throughout. Gameplay & Controls Lock’s Quest is a 2D real-time strategy action/RPG game that incorporates some tower defense elements into the mix. If you played the original on the DS, there are some key differences…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TLDR: PC keyboard mouse controls harder than the NDS version, 1st map unusually hard, other bugs, hard but playable, mixed recommendation but hopeful. Probably should wait to see new updates, caution advised. I was about to write an angry rant for my favorite NDS game remaster, but took another crack at beating the first map before I posted. I have now finished the game and updated this review. The controls on PC keyboard and mouse for ratching and special attacks are indeed harder than the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today's video game for the Nintendo DS is Lock's Quest, developed by 5TH Cell and published by THQ! It was released on September 8, 2008. #DS #Nintendo #Gaming #RPG #Tactics
neutral · AI labelView post →*sigh* Okay. I dont want to do this. I love the games premise, the games style the games delivery. Tower Defense isnt really dead per se, but after the oversaturation its become kind of rare to see any of them anymore. And here I stumble over Locks Quest. It seemes cool, looked cool, sounded cool on paper. And Its a re-release for all other major outlets. but this version, as much as it pains me, I can not recommend. Because as good as the music is, as stressful as the battles get, as…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have played the original NDS Version and it was one of my most favorite games. But sadly, the remake is not as good as the original +: Same good old Story (Avoid the Trading Cards, one of them contains a spoiler) +: Good Soundtrack +: Nice Genre Mix +: XBOX360 Controlls are good +: Harder than the NDS Version You thought you know who is the boss of the game after Agony revealed his true Identity, you thought you know who is the boss of the game after you have beaten him, but after you have…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game is good but clunky keyboard and mouse controls might be a bit annoying for some. I tried using a DS4 controller and the native support is not complete or fully implemented(no way to choose wall or weapon types) so I needed to open the game while in Big Picture mode to automatically configure the controller. After that, I was able to use the DS4 with no issues.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played this ages ago on the DS, saw it on Steam and thought why not. It's a competent enough tower defense game but being a DS title it had a forced touch screen gimmick. At certain points in the game you have to perform a number of quicktime events by making gestures with your finger really really quickly. That.... did not translate well to this PC port. You only have a fraction of a second and if your mouse is just a few pixels off you instantly fail. So you can see where the problem is.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've already requested refund, for reasons below... Mouse controls seem finicky. comboing melee seems to ignore inputs that arent precisely in the middle of the button as opposed to just ON it at all - which would be fine if it wasnt so large and misleading. Makes the game on a computer artificially difficult - stacked on top of the poor resource system. A 650 turret can be soloed by a warrior only worth 110? add that to repair costs - the fact you lose resources for not being near something…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finishing off Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, then we're starting Lock's Quest after for DS Destruction tonight! It's a cross between an RTS and a tower defense game, and it's from the same people who made Scribblenauts and Drawn to Life! #goinglive #furrylive twitch.tv/Mr_Shasta
neutral · AI labelView post →Don't get all the negative comments about the controls (Mouse and keyboard), but I do agree that they are a bit harder than the DS version. However, I think it's also a bit of the developers fault not communicating it right. Not sure if it is said in the settings, but you can easily do the combo attacks with the number keys, you don't have to click every number with the mouse. The same with repairing. You don't need to drag the wrench or what that is around with the mouse, you can just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This port is as bad as everyone has said it is. A shame. Find a DS copy of the game or emulate it instead.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game itself is excellent and a perennial favorite of mine on the NDS. It's a solid tower defense styled game with lots of little mechanics that work together to create a fun and memorable experience. That being said, this port is an rushed cash grab by a company that bought the rights and it's blatantly obvious with its numerous bugs and bad PC control scheme. Go download an emulator and play it on there for an experience far superior to this, or, better yet, buy a DS and original…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →𝕀𝕥'𝕤 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 "𝕤𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕠𝕨", 𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕠𝕓! 𝕆𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕘𝕣𝕖𝕥, 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕤𝕦𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕒𝕝! Remember that awesome Tower-Defense RPG game from the DS everyone had been talking about when you were in high-school? I do, back in the 2000s, everyone in my highschool had a DS. While most girls were playing Barbie games on their pink DS consoles, my friends and I were all about trading Pokemon and running through Fire Emblem…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good game absolutely ruined by a godawful port. Literally had the first gamebreaking bug in less than 10 minutes. After which that stayed about the same - roughly a bug or unresponsive control every 10 minutes. Did seem to be controller related cause it happened less often (like every half hour instead lol) using a controller than the mouse. Either way awful awful port of a good game. Go buy this on DS, don't touch the Steam/PC version.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who adored Lock's Quest when it came out on the DS, I can't recommend the PC port as it has a few extremely obnoxious and sometimes gameplay-crippling bugs, and sluggish controls. Playing up to the village evacuation, I've noticed Emily's sprite disappearing near the edge of the screen, I've had a turret that I selected, but not placed, in the build phase not get its source refunded when the timer went to battle, and I've had a wall that I can't place down after I've selected it,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lock’s Quest, a beloved game from the DS years, makes its way onto Steam. When it comes to ports there are two ways to look at it. The first usually is, “Hey that game I loved is coming to a new platform I have access to, cool!” The second is, “Oh sweet dear lord what is this buggy mess!” I feel we have more of the former then the latter, but that isn’t to say I haven’t ran into bugs. Lock’s Quest originally released on the Nintendo DS back in 2008. If you aren’t familiar with Lock’s Quest,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Today’s Black Video Game Character: Isaiah (Lock's Quest) Requested by @richendaenigma.bsky.social
neutral · AI labelView post →Official re-releases like this are why emulation will never die. This version of the game is basically unplayable. I don't just mean the missing content- they bungled the controls so badly that it is likely you will end up in a situation where you actually cannot do anything. Both the mouse controls and gamepad controls have severe issues targeting objects. The missing content is just the icing on the anti-sundae. It's not just story; the pacing of the gameplay suffered badly. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In the newest episode of The Old SwitchAroo, comedian @jackiekashian.bsky.social and game designer Andy Ashcraft join us to talk Lock's Quest (Nintendo DS, 2008) in a very special Lite Switch episode. Find it anywhere that you get your podcasts or at www.theoldswitcharoo.com/liteswitch-l... 🎮
neutral · AI labelView post →Genuinely so cool that there's a Mario & Sonic game that plays like Bomberman Land Touch. That was a lot of fun! Time for Lock's Quest now, made by the Scribblenauts and Drawn to Life devs. This game's genuinely super good from what I remember playing it years ago. Excited to show y'all this 💙
positive · AI labelView post →I was kind of sad to see that this game got such poor reviews, even though it's an ambitious attempt to translate a great DS game (which sadly sold poorly) over to platforms that don't have touch screen controls. Yes there are issues with this port, including the omission of multiple levels from the DS version, buggy pathfinding, annoying cases of slowdown and some weird cuts that didn't seem to be needed (AI human units are severely reduced and the multiplayer mode is gone entirely). But with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well the little bit of the game I played was okayish gameplaywise. It seems like this is an interesting tower defense game with some poorly executed action rpg mixed in. I am not sure if this a port issue or what but wow the controls are horrific. At least as far as the keyboard and mouse are concerned. Maybe gamepad is better but I'm requesting a refund while I'm still in my window. Also it seemed like I source was magically disappearing between battles. It was either a bug or a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/31884377-If-It-Is-Insane/]Check out my curator page for more awesome reviews TL;DR Lock’s Quest was one of my favorite DS games. This port butchered it, took the corpse, shredded the pieces and then realigned them to make it vaguely looking like Lock’s Quest. Not that many hours? Yeah, because the game bricked. And I mean bricked, that I could not reset it. It was actually more than hardlocked, even restarting my PC did not help. So I started…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →4/10 its playable really fun Nintendo DS game moved to pc with a bunch of new content that new content being a buttload of bugs, thats it. nothing new as far as i know also runs really poorly, once you get a decent bit of towers it lags hard... 16 gbs of ram and an SSD. it lags!!!!
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a fan of the original DS game, this port is very underwhealming. For fans of the original game: Just play the DS version, it has a lot more polish is terms of gameplay and overall presintation. The soundtrack is also underwhealming, some of the songs are still good, but the original songs feel a lot better, maybe it's nostalgia, but I'm not feelin' it. The gameplay, in combat and in build mode feels off, but that's probably thanks to the transition from DS to PC, but I'd hopped for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The comments regarding the controls are for the most part true, but they get easier to use over time. Otherwise the bugs in the tutorial are real frutstrating, but after that the game does get really nice, even if I'd say it's all together inferior to the DS version.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love how on day 1 both the enemy and myself got stuck in a wall and I couldn't even go to the menu to restart so I had to close the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In the end, no one wants to read a 400 word long essay about a game. You should know what kind of game Lock's Quest already is, and you should also know how great its concept, art and music is. Sadly the game falls apart because of the PC, PS4 and XBONE ports. If you cannot get your hands to the DS game (emulators don't really work with touch controls), then this is the best version for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →God awful port into a pc game.... controls are super junky and have latency issues. Not to mention within the first 5 minutes of me playing it I had two infinite looping commands that I couldn't back out of even pull up the menu. Literally the first wall you place in the game I placed it infinitely looped me into placing it over and over in the same spot and never moved on with the mission and locked me in that first objective.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DS Hidden Gems: Advance Wars Days of Ruin, Aliens Infestation, Bangaio Spirits, Big Bang Mini, DQ Rocket Slime, Henry Hatsworth, Infinite Space, Izuna 1&2, Lock's Quest, Might and Magic Clash of Heroes, Monster Tale, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, Orcs and Elves, Retro Game Challenge, Speed Racer
neutral · AI labelView post →Build and battle in the ultimate construction game to help Lock defend his kingdom from the evil Lord Agony and his clockwork invaders! You can now play "Lock's Quest" for the Nintendo DS with achievements over at RetroAchievements. retroachievements.org/game/14800
neutral · AI labelView post →Nice game but i fond difficult to put the defense tour system . Using a mouse and keyboard is a pain. Really sorry to post a negative review because the story and the characters are charming. I never been able to get futher than the 8 th battle (even on normal difficulty), it is simply to complex to move the character and place the defense plus you have a timer of 2 min before the battle and that is not enought !!! There is also some bugs in the game and i had to reboot ... i dont have a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A poor port of the DS game. Turrets fail to shoot enemies right in front of them and sound effects persist long after an enemy or turret dies, such as multiple healer enemies still playing their healing sound effects for the rest of the wave despite being long dead. Sprites also seem to glitch out, either popping straight out to the foreground or getting stuck on one animation for the rest of cutscenes. No point playing this version if you've already done the same on DS, this is just way worse.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Horrible experience compared to the original nds game, shouldn't even be allowed on steam... Just terrible, what a scam.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played the game when I was a kid on the DS and now that I am playing it again I got 2 things to say *The Game is great, the story is deep and I need more *The port is terrible I bet anyone could port it better with a blindfold on. STOP RUINING MY CHILDHOOD GAMES!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oh yeah btw we finished Lock's Quest on Wednesday, so I'm actually going to play Viewtiful Joe: Double Trouble in a couple hours. Other than Red Hot Rumble, I've played every other Viewtiful Joe game before, so I'm actually super excited about this! See y'all at 7pm Central!
neutral · AI labelView post →Lock's Quest is a hard game, but it's definitely interesting! I think I can beat it this week 💙I haven't played an Assassin's Creed game since high school, and Altair's Chronicles is a prequel to the 1st game, so that's intriguing. Also might play another furry game this week if there's time uwu
neutral · AI labelView post →Great game, awful port. Wish they'd make a Lock's Quest 2 just for PC.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →nostalgia, childhood memorys. But the port is terrible 🤡
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As much as I loved playing this as a kid, I wouldn't recommend this game to someone who's never played it. The game prolongs itself by using repetitive content and the game is surprisingly hard/unforgiving given it's target audience of kids. The sprite-work is great but the mechanics are lack luster. If you played when young try picking up for cheap to enjoy :)
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →High-speed incoming attacks, Timed EVERYTHING, tedious movement, best defense requires player to be locked behind walls and unable to attack incoming (leave a hole? WATCH IT!), and the money to build well is ridiculously absent. Oh, did I mention the absurd combat where you need to click a sequence of numbers to attack better? Just stay behind the walls and play something else like, IDK, maybe Tic-Tac-Toe? Overall rating? ICK! Sprinkled with a heaping dose of UGH! Three battles in, and not…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just discovering this was a thing and I was giddy with excitement. A port of one of my favorite NDS games. But I was let down to say the least. The controls are janky, and I've discovered many bugs, some having to reset the level to fix. Thankfully i'm buying this during a sale, so 3 bucks isn't bad at all for what I got. But I don't recommend paying full price. You're better off buying the original. This has been out for a few years and nothing seems to have been fixed since release.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I loved this game back in 2008 when it released on the DS and I was so looking forward to playing it on PC. I'm thankful I got this while it was on sale for $3 because if I had spent $15 on a game with keyboard controls this clunky I would have been extremely upset. This game is so buggy and glitchy that it should still be considered as being in beta, the controls are god awful to the point that if you misplace a single piece you're more than likely going to have to restart the level because…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bought this game because nostalgia wouldn't recommend if you haven't played the nintendo version before.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So I start off from a standpoint that I have played this game on the NDS, not just a little time I was deleting day 100 saves to start a new one and it has to be my favorite NDS Game. Now I didn't dislike the PC Port But I must stress it is not entirely the same game. Sure the main story is similar but not the same important parts of the game have been removed or replaced for instance turret parts removed now they just give you the turret, Kenan test removed, And Antonia guard minigame…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I managed to bug the game so hard that i cant play it anymore even after installing it completly new so right now even if its hard to say because i loved the game on the DS i wouldnt recommend it until the controlls are better and the game got checked so you wont run in bugs like that so fast
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →shoutouts to Lock's Quest for the DS! - It had the best dev room I had ever had the privilege of witnessing for myself :3 I remember sinking hours into the game while I was still a wee lad. I can recall bits and pieces of the gameplay in my head, but I remember it being a lot of fun back then <3
positive · AI labelView post →Originally played this game on the NDS years ago and is the game I have the fondest memories of. However, the controls don't translate well to PC. The controls are bad. Shockingly bad. No effort has been made to adapt the controls for PC and this makes the game frustratingly difficult to the point that I can't play it anymore. May have better luck with a controller.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have played this game on the DS many many times. I was excited for an updated computer port of the game and was sadly disappointed. Pros- +Music and sound- I like the new music and sounds +Graphics- The game looks pretty good Cons- -Controls- They feel really weird and janky. Its hard to be precise and move around correctly. -Removed audio cues- Audio cues in the DS version played to indicate when a structure was being damaged and how damaged it was. This was super helpful and its…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tower Defense meets RPG, what a blend indeed! Lovely deep story as we are used to with RPG's, but then with building walls, towers and traps to defend that what is most important of life: Water. Set in a world infested with Steampunkish evil robots heavily influencing the storyline. After playing a while, you find out it's not always just building defenses, sometimes it requires offensive measures. That your character has to go out and demolish some of those campers out there, risking it's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So im going to start off by saying that I love this game. I played it when it first came out and have held it as one of my favorite games of all time due to the amount of nastalgia and happiness I get from just seeing the title. However ill continue by saying that the people making this game have done it a huge dis-service. the game feels buggy and half finished, I am tremendously dissapointed and feel that if your looking to play this game go out get a DS and play it like it was meant to be…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The best game ever released on DS in my opinion.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Needs a bit of polish, but overall I had a good time
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →EDIT: As it currently is, this game is so much worse than the original. I was originally going to recommend this (with the review below), but there are just so many things wrong. Animations are missing or bugged, the controls are horrible (expected of keyboard and mouse but small tweaks could make it better) and the soundtrack, while overall a lot less limited than the original and of high quality, simply lacks the dramatic effects and doesn't create such a tense atmosphere in a lot of scenes.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lock's Quest is one of those rare handheld-era titles that still holds up thanks to its mix of real-time strategy, tower defense, and light RPG storytelling. You play as Lock, a young Archineer tasked with defending towns by building walls, traps, and defensive layouts before battles begin, then jumping into combat yourself once the attack starts. That blend of planning and action remains the heart of the game, and it’s surprisingly engaging even today. Missions constantly introduce new enemy…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The better game is Lock's Quest obviously
positive · AI labelView post →Continuing Lock's Quest for DS Destruction. It's a mix between an RTS and a Tower Defense game, and it's super neat! That being said, dang the devs really made things hard early on lol. I've at least figured out some stuff that should help tonight! #goinglive #furrylive twitch.tv/Mr_Shasta
neutral · AI labelView post →Not a Switch game, but A DS game... But one of my favorite tower defense games is a game called Lock's Quest. Actually has a really good story too.
positive · AI labelView post →
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