Before the likes of Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and The Witcher arrived on the scene, RPG fans got their dungeon-crawling fix with games like Lands of Lore, Eye of the Beholder, and Dungeon Master.

These grid-based first-person RPGs featured relatively crude 2D visuals but delivered a level of immersive gameplay that had never been seen before. QuestLord is an affectionate tribute to these titles, delivering solid gameplay and authentic, pixel-heavy visuals to boot.

Before you begin your epic quest to save the realm, you select which race you wish to be - an act that decides the initial statistics of your character. Once you're into the game proper you can explore various towns and converse with a wide range of non-player characters, many of which will offer items for sale or ask you to embark on various quests.

Be my fantasy

QuestLord's controls are a pretty faithful replication of those seen in the likes of Dungeon Master, with movement being controlled by directional arrows. You can access sub-menus to customise your gear, peruse maps, and select spells, and combat is a case of swiping across the screen to swing your weapon at enemies.

The world you're thrust into is impressively vast for a mobile game, and although the locations, scenery, and character sprites are replicated quite regularly, it really does feel as though you're exploring an expansive environment.

There are also plenty of quests to partake in, many of which drive the story forward. The allure of building up your character, purchasing better items, and learning new skills maintains your interest effectively.

Unfortunately, there's very little variety in the actual mission objectives themselves. You're typically tasked with locating a certain enemy and putting him to the sword, and it rarely gets any more demanding than that.

Retro no-go

Another unexpected drawback is the retro aesthetics: while they do a good job of channelling the spirit of the classics, they're possibly a little too authentic - by which I mean 'blocky'. There are moments when they really impress - the animation on some of the enemies you face is genuinely striking - but it wouldn't have done any harm to have a bit more clarity and definition on display.

Ultimately, though, such concerns don't detract from the overall quality of QuestLord. For the asking price it offers plenty of entertainment - just trotting around the fantasy world is an enjoyable exercise, and if you harbour fond memories of past RPG classics then chances are this homage will hit the spot.