ThorusGER

A Quest for Heaven 1 Extended Review

This is an extended review, therefore it contains spoilers. Although i try to keep to keep the spoilers down or at least as unrevealing as possible, for the later quality/stability review some spoilers are necessary. If you have not finished the questline, you should not read this review because i will not mark every single spoiler.

A Quest for Heaven - Secrets of the Past
Reviewed version: Final Release 1.06 + EMP rifle Scope patch
Requires: Fallout 3 1.07, Broken Steel, ArchiveInvalidationInvalidated, (FOSE recommended), Waters of Life completed

AQFH 1 was first released in late 2011 by the now deceased modder Firelady. The mod takes the player on a journey into the past as he uncovers the long forgotten mysteries of the Heaven-Project which left its traces all over the Wastes. The mod takes the player to a variety of large and very detailed new places and has a gripping story from the beginning until its very end. As the player searches the numerous facilities and locations for clues about what Heaven is and where to find it, he encounters new faces, monsters, weapons, equipment and countless new mysteries. The mod is heavliy based on exploring derelict ruins, most of which lie dormant since the war and have been deserted for well over a century. As the player explores this ruins, he is faced with a myriad of riddles and puzzles to continue with his quest and has to look in the most unexpected places for clues. The search for heaven is not an easy task, and certainly dangerous. The player is faced with stronger and more powerful monsters and an unforgiving environment as he continues to search the wastes for clues...

Story:
The Story mainly consists of hunting for clues to what the Nexus and Heaven Operations are and also introduces the first main story characters via holotapes and terminal entries. Nearly every Location that is visited is derelict and needs some puzzles to be solved before becoming completely accesible to the player or to fulfill his objectives. As the player slowly uncovers the first mysteries behind the heaven project, he is drawn into the Story of a single survivor which steps he follows from tracking command all the way to the final location of the story, who left behind a trail of notes and entries almost 200 years ago. Follwoing in his footsteps, the player searches long abandoned military ruins, outposts and underground facilities before being trapped in what soon proves as the ultimate struggle for survival in a facility wihose entrance seals tight behind you.
The Story is extremely well done and written, nearly every station visited has a backstory which can be learned by reading the tapes and terminals scattered everywhere. The text and dialogue are sometimes a bit awkward, but that does not impact the atmosphere. The Story is careful in not revealing too much and is thrilling until the end. The Story is Lore-friendly and does in no point interfere with the canon.
10/10, because there is nothing left out or unfinished.

Gameplay:
AQFH adds a bunch of new locations, a new weapon and stronger enemies, as well as a lot of cutom-made interior. The locations are very detailed and atmospheric and a good soundtrack with new music is the cream topping for that. The puzzles can be a little hard, but each of them can be solved within a few minutes of common sense, although it is easy to miss an item on the first look. The enemies are mostly ghouls and bots, both have been made considerably stronger and durable, which provides a new challenge to higher level characters. Also some of the areas are heavily irradiated or hazardous. The player should be at least level 15-20 and needs to have the "Waters of Life" quest completed to start, although the level requirement does not need to be met necessarily (Quest starts directly after "Waters of Life"). The new weapon added might seem a little too powerful, but on higher levels becomes invaluable. The weapons scope may bug, a fix has been provided and can be downloaded on ModDB.
The game itself has very few bugs, only one nasty bug can occur when the player has to get an ID for a Robot, if that robot is spoken to BEFORE the ID was acquired, it blocks out story progress by not displaying a dialogue option. Also some textures may not work correctly due to multiple reasons dependent on the user/system.
9/10, everything is very well done and made except a few little bugs, but one can break the game, therefore only 9/10

Textures and Levels
AQFH's levels and textures are extraordinary. Every level feels exactly as it should, the astonishing amount of details put into the levels is extremely great and the interior design is fitting and goes perfectly with the style of Fallout. All textures are in high resolution or from the original game, and no location ever looks the same. The soundtrack and the detailed interior design as well as the notes left behind makes the levels feel very deserted and sometimes maddening, pulling the player into the dark, derelict world of Nexus and the heaven project.
10/10, this is a prime example how it should be done.

Overall Review:
AQFH is an extraordinary mod in all categories. A very gripping story combined with lots of new places and tasks which never let the player rest, simply because you will be driven to reveal the secrets you discover. Although some bugs can occur and some textures may not work properly, the mod runs very stable and shows little to no CTDs. There is one major gamebreaking bug, but it can be easily avoided and is only annoying the first time you encounter it. The puzzles are easy, but can be challenging at some times, because many switches and keys are well-hidden. The enemies prove a challenge, but except the master security bots, which are mini Liberty Primes, are not too hard. Levels are a marvel and well scripted, nothing to add there.
If it wouldnt be for the possible gamebreaker and some issues with the EMP rifles textures which may or may not occur, depending on the system/quality settings, this mod would be perfect. Despite the minor issues, this mod can be rated:

10/10

EMP Rifle Scope Bug:
If the EMP Rifle for any reason appears to have glowing or "funny" textures, check if you have ArchiveInvalidation Invalidated active. Sometimes installing the mod for some reason can reset it or cause the game to validate again. The Scope is bugged, there is a patch for it in the ModDB download section that fixes the problem.