I Played the Wendy’s Roleplaying Game and It Was Definitely Worth It for the Free Food Alone.
November is an incredibly important month for video games. Last week, Nintendo released the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Switch 2 , and the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI is just around the corner. But the game we’ve been most anticipating also released this month: WendyQuest , a free-to-play RPG from Wendy’s. (No, that’s not a joke.)
Despite the absurdity of a fast-food chain releasing a full-fledged video game (complete with Wendy’s puns), the game is actually quite good—even if it’s ultimately just a promotion. The main goal of WendyQuest is to offer customers coupons they can use for real-life purchases, though it does require some effort. It took me just under an hour of play to get my first coupon, while Wendy’s claims it takes about 15 hours to complete the game. All in all, it’s a rather unique marketing campaign.
“WendyQuest” may be a gimmick, but it’s a pretty good game.
I was surprised when I launched WendyQuest on my iPhone. The game doesn’t feel rushed. On the other hand, the quality is quite high. The music is excellent and very much in the spirit of traditional RPGs; there are even three save slots, if you plan to return to this RPG again and again.
The game even has a plot, albeit a rather banal one (no pun intended): as the game explains, the “Four Great Spirits of Taste” created Savoria, a “paradise rich in food.” All was well until Mech Corp, led by the evil Dr. Mechborg, created robots to take over Savoria. The plot is far from gripping, and the writing is a bit overwrought in places, but I’ll give them credit for crafting a full-fledged story here.
You play as Wendy, “the embodiment of true culinary perfection and taste dictated by the four ancient spirits of taste.” Wendy (or simply Wendy, as she’s sometimes called) is tasked with saving the world by traveling between villages and meeting new characters along the way. There are even “real” Wendy’s locations throughout the game world that you can visit. They act like inns and shops in other RPGs, allowing you to recuperate and purchase equipment.
Like other RPGs, WendyQuest uses a turn-based combat system. You need to charge your attacks but stop before they reach 100%, otherwise you’ll miss. (It took me a while to master the timing.) I’m quite impressed by how challenging some of these battles can be, though you’re quickly given the opportunity to obtain an amulet that gives you a huge advantage in combat. You’re not required to take it, but it makes fights easier if you’re just participating for the coupons. This, combined with the shovels the game offers you to buy, allows you to mow down enemies. You can also use your companions: for example, “Frygor” can either attack enemies with a hail of fries or use those fries to create a shield to protect you.
WendyQuest is essentially a coupon game.
Although there are many enemies, the main ones are the “mechanics.” There are five of them, and defeating each one rewards you with a coupon. Spoiler: the first mechanic drops a “Frying Stone,” which rewards you with a coupon for a free medium fries—though you’ll need to purchase something and use the Wendy’s app to get one. That’s where I stopped in the game for this article, but the other four coupons are:
-
Free Mini Classic Frozen Dessert
-
10 Free Chicken Nuggets
-
Free cookie or croissant (I didn’t even know Wendy’s sold cookies and croissants).
-
Release Dave’s single
Again, it’s incredible that WendyQuest’s campaign is over 10 hours long and contains over 1,000 lines of dialogue. I’m not sure I’ll finish this game, but I admit, it’s a funny marketing approach from Wendy’s. Sure, they could have run a promotion in the Wendy’s app with coupons, but instead, they created an entire RPG. I respect that. The game is available for iOS, Android, and Steam.