Quester
| Quester | |
|---|---|
Advertising flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Director(s) | Shinji Noguchi |
| Producer(s) | Toru Iwatani |
| Designer(s) | Toru Iwatani |
| Composer(s) | Shinji Hosoe |
| Platform(s) | Arcade |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Block breaker |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Quester is a 1987 block breaker arcade game developed and published in Japan by Namco. Controlling a paddle-like craft, the player is tasked with clearing each stage by deflecting a ball towards a formation of bricks towards the top of the screen. Power-up items are hidden in some blocks, which can increase the size of the player's paddle, a barrier that prevents the ball from moving off the screen, and a forcefield that will release eight other balls when touched.
The game was produced by Toru Iwatani, known as the creator of Pac-Man. It was created as a response to Taito's 1986 arcade title Arkanoid, which helped revive the block breaker genre and inspire waves of its own clone games. A special version of the game was released shortly after the original's release, Quester: Special Edition, featuring levels designed by readers of Namco's press literature. It was released to the Japanese Wii Virtual Console in 2009, where it was renamed to Namco Quester.