Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first thing Brian Bloodaxe/Revelation/Quo Vadis asks of you is not mastery, but a choice. This is a compilation of three titles, and that changes the rhythm immediately: you are sampling separate games rather than building momentum through one long, carefully shaped journey. That can be refreshing when you want variety, especially on a machine as tied to short-form experimentation as the Commodore 64.

The compilation format is both its hook and its limitation. Moving from Brian Bloodaxe to Revelation or Quo Vadis gives you a reason to keep poking around when one selection has not grabbed you, but it also means the package does not have one central gameplay identity to carry it. You are buying into three different propositions, not a single game with a steady learning curve.

That makes this an easier recommendation for a C64 enthusiast than for someone hunting for a dependable all-night game. Treat it as a period anthology: spend time with each title, see which one catches, and do not expect the package itself to turn three separate works into one cohesive play experience.

Graphics

Brian Bloodaxe/Revelation/Quo Vadis is a Commodore 64 compilation rather than one newly illustrated game, so its imagery belongs to the three included titles individually. The 1986 release sits squarely in the machine’s home-computer era, with each game carrying its own look instead of contributing to a shared world.

Story

There is no one story binding this release together. Brian Bloodaxe, Revelation, and Quo Vadis remain separate titles inside the same box, so the compilation does not build toward a common cast, setting, or conclusion.

That separation matters if you are choosing it for atmosphere. You are not signing up for a linked trilogy or an escalating narrative; you are getting three independent starting points. The payoff is freedom to try another game whenever the current one is not landing, rather than a larger tale that gains force over time.

The Brian Bloodaxe name has some extra context for curious retro-game diggers: the related Brian Bloodaxe entry is worth a look if that is the title drawing you in. Even so, this release works more as a collection of separate curios than as a story package.

Overall Experience

This is a modest but appealing artifact of Mindscape bringing three UK-developed games to the American Commodore 64 audience. Its strongest quality is simple variety. With three titles on offer, there is a better chance that one will suit your mood than in a one-game purchase, and there is a real pleasure in encountering a compact cross-section of the era.

The tradeoff is focus. A compilation can feel generous, but it can also feel uneven because no single title gets to define the entire experience. If you want a game to pull you forward with one sustained arc, this is not the natural pick. If you enjoy loading up older software to explore, compare, and occasionally be surprised, its structure makes much more sense.

Brian Bloodaxe/Revelation/Quo Vadis is worth a look for Commodore 64 collectors and retro historians who value the import-compilation context as much as any individual game. Everyone else should regard it as a niche sampler: interesting for its time and place, but not a must-play cornerstone on the strength of the package alone.

Retro Replay Score

5/10