JRPG Mechanics 02 - Side Quests

Questing is something that isn't necessarily exclusive to JRPGs, or RPGs in general, but it’s a mechanic used in many JRPGs to prolong the length or the game, or perhaps add to the replay value. Generally the main story isn't considered a quest, although technically speaking it is - it’s the main quest, or objective, of the entire game.

Side quests, however, are diversions from the main story that allow the player to perhaps learn more about the NPC characters that interact with his or her main group of heroes. They could relate to the main story, or be completely separate. Just as the typical episode of a television series might have several story lines (an "A" story, a "B" story and even a "C" story perhaps), this could be the purpose of side quests in a JRPG, as well - to explore various aspects of the characters that we might not see in the main story because that story may not focus on them directly.

Are these tiresome throwbacks to an era when gamers in general didn't radiate a "must have now" attitude, or are they still relevant in new titles? I very much think they're still a relevant mechanic and a solid, acceptable method by which to lengthen game play - if done correctly. To be done correctly, these side quests, in my opinion, need to have either an interesting story and/or objective or have rewards that the players actually want. Too many times I see side quests in console RPGs fall into the MMORPG mold of "go kill 10 wolves and get back to me". Now, an objective like that might suffice if - and I stress if - the rewards are good. If all you receive is a handful of common healing items that are easily available, you might save a bit of game currency on purchasing them, but that's about it.

In a mostly linear JRPG, side quests are usually created to be done at certain points in the game where the developers know that the average player would be able to do it easily. But, if you come back to do it at a much later point in the game, the reward isn't even worth the effort because your gear has far surpassed what you might receive from the quest. My solution to this problem is to have a pool of quest rewards geared toward the player character's current level. Regardless of how easy the quest is to complete, time was still put into actually completing it, so the rewards should be something that the player can most likely use at their current level. To take that a step further, if a higher level player comes back to do a lower level quest, gear the objective of the quest to that player's level.

Example: An NPC in town lost her son in a nearby cave, she's scared to go in too deep in to find him. The objective is to find her son, but to get to her son you have to defeat a boss (which appears only when this quest is active or is summoned by an item, much like in an MMORPG). If you do the quest at level 10, the boss is a comparable level. If you do the quest at level 50, it will be a challenge for you then, as well. (Note: This should really only apply to side questing, bosses related to the main story and regular creatures in the field should remain at a static level, there are other ways to give the player a challenge and allow them a relatively easier ride if they just want to see how the story plays out. Side questing is one of them.)

It gets very grind-y when the bulk of side quests are nothing but "kill X amount of X monster" or "collect X amount of X item from X monster". Perhaps thinking more along the lines of an MMORPG are in order. There's nothing to say that side quests can't, in themselves, have major story lines that culminate in an epic battle. Perhaps its not for the fate of the galaxy, the planet or mankind, but maybe to protect a town or something along those lines. In MMOs there are often quest chains that start off small, perhaps with a "kill X amount of X monster" quest, then build up to include more and more interesting quests - escorts, reconnaissance missions and large-scale battles.

In addition to the way side quests are designed, I'd like to see them play to the exploration aspect of many JRPGs and hide them places. There are many nooks and crannies in typical RPG maps ripe for optional quests, dungeons and other hidden, yet profitable, dangers to discover. Don't concentrate everything in the towns, spread things out, make exploration important, let us really find out what its like to be a resident of that area, or put in quests that are designed to let us learn more about our party members beyond what the main story tells us. Again, give us variety of quest objective and location.

One last point I'd like to bring up in regard to side quests - make them feel just as important as the main story. It is quite disheartening, in this day and age, to see the main story of a game include full voice acting and cut scenes, then when you accept a side quest, that immersion is interrupted by a text box popping up on your screen. What's this? I have to actually read this story? Why, when the main story includes voice acting, do side quests not? It tosses immersion right down the crapper and even interrupts the pacing of the game overall (although, I admit, the very nature of side quests make the idea of "pacing" in an RPG a laughable concept).

As you might have assumed, most JRPGs don't live up to my lofty ideas of how side quests should be included. This doesn't make the concept outdated in itself. There are completionists who will attempt to do every little thing in an RPG, no matter what it is - myself included. This isn't even to mention the importance this generation of gamers places on achievements or trophies, which may be unlocked by completing these menial tasks. My hope, though, is that the idea of side questing may evolve to a point where it can be more than just grinding and actually integrate well into the main story any given RPG is trying to tell.