I adore Homestar Runner. The quirky web cartoon from the early aughts is something I think about on a near-daily basis. The site began in January of 2000, and over time developed a serious cult following. The official Twitter account of email-answering wrestle man Strong Bad has nearly 100,000 followers, and the Brothers Chaps are still working on and producing new cartoons.
One thing that made Homestar Runner great was the multi-media approach the creators took. The cartoons, particularly the Strong Bad Email series, took precedence, certainly. But the site was always more than that and one of the best parts of the entire site was the games. Flash games were a novel concept, especially when I discovered the site in middle school but what’s struck me recently is how well one holds up.
If you’re familiar with Homestar Runner at all, it’s probably because of Trogdor. The beefy-armed dragon with his own theme song had a life above and beyond the site itself. His titular theme song was even featured on Guitar Hero 2. Peasant’s Quest tells the story of Rather Dashing, a peasant whose thatched roof cottage has been “burninated” by none other than Trogdor himself! Taking control of Rather Dashing and adventuring through the land of Peasantry, he seeks his revenge against the vile dragon.
Peasant’s Quest is an adventure game mixed with some SCUMM elements. The game wears these inspirations on its sleeve, even making direct references to series like King’s Quest and Zork throughout. The controls are very simple, walk with the arrow keys, type commands on the keyboard. Like anything the Brothers Chaps worked on, there are plenty of secrets and dozens, and dozens of great jokes. The game is absolutely littered with things to discover, tallied by a handy score counter in the corner of the screen.
Peasant’s Quest is available to play for free, right now! Even if you’re not familiar with Homestar Runner, Strong Bad, or even Trogdor, the game is well worth your time.
