Plot

The plot of the game according to the back of the box:

"A brand new adventure based on the arcade classic! The hero Rolsted is back for a new adventure.
Chaos has once again conqured the land. The seven mystical elements have taken a hold in this world, set to destroy it.
The only one who can stop them is the mighty sorcerer, Rolsted. Travel through the seven realms of Kos,
find the elementals' power source in order to stop them.
But watch out! The Ruler's henchmen are loyal to him and him alone. They'll stop at nothing to stop you in your Quest."

History

Little is current know about the actual development of the game, though it most likely began some time in early 1989 with it being cancelled is late 1990 or early 1991. We have yet to see anything later than mid 1990.

There is currently only three known cartridges of Dark Quest in circulation, all in private collections. Two prototype cartridges (version 0.4 and version 0.8, respectively) and one final (possibly retail) cartridge, complete with box and manual.

The most well documented of the two prototypes is the 0.4 version, which was given to Pro Games Magazine to review and was seemingly never returned, despite the directions on the cartridge's label. It's believed that this early version is the source for both the screenshots in the magazine's November 1990 and January 1991 articles on the game.

Despite the date on the cartridge's label being 26/07/89, fans have speculated that the beta content in the screenshot could only have come from the earlier (0.4) build, given the noticeable difference in the title screen. It's worth noting that the 1990 copyright shown in the photos seemingly contradicts this theory. It's possible, albeit unconfirmed, that the magazine may have recieved more than one cartridge.

Development

Photos taken by developers of planning documents and early sketches of sprites.

Early 1989-1990 "Flask" sprite.	Recently found early sketches on graph paper of various sprites. Most cleary visible is an earlier version of the flask item as it appears in the Nov. 1990 Pro Games article.
Early sketches of "Rolsted," date unknown.	Low-quality picture of early sketches of the main character, Rolsted. They were found in the background of another photo taken by an unknown developer, so it is hard to make out any finer details. The sprites are very close to the final ones we know of.
Early version of the Fire world map, 1990.	Early hand-drawn layout for the game's fourth world, the "Fire" or lava world. We've never seen any final versions of this map so it's impossible to know what differences there may be in the final release. Though being from around mid 1990 it is unlikely there were many noticeable differences.

Screenshots

Screenshots of gameplay from a later build of the game.

The top row are photographs taken off of a CRT display the game was rumning.
The bottom row are scans from a gaming magazine.

Both sets are from a later stage of development, but not from the final build.
The scans are likely from an older build whereas the photographs are believed to be much closer to a final version.

Title Screen	Overworld Map	Enemy Encounter with Clothwork Demon
Save Screen	Item Shop, Buying Elixir	Victory Against Phantom Mask

Scans taken from a 1991 issue of "Pro Games Magzine," photos taken from user "mccartypro" on an NES web-forum.

Prototypes

Scans taken from the November 1990 issue of Pro Games Magazine. These screenshots were shown in the "Upcoming" section of the magazine, along with another game with very little known about it, "Legacy of the Ninja" by Japanese publisher Otoshi.

The photos used in the magazine were taken off of a CRT running the game and shot on film and are believed to be beta versions, either version 0.4 or version 0.8.

This is the second earliest build of the game we have screenshots of, most likely from the 0.4 version. The earlier screenshot. The earlier screenshot's source is currently unknown, having been found in a now defunct web-forum.

In the scan we see a screenshot of a much earlier version of the game. The gameplay greatly differs from the final build, looking to be much closer to Castlevania-esque gameplay, as opposed to the more Final Fantasy I-esque gamepplay it would later end up having. This large change midway through developement may have contributed to the game's cancellation.

Very litle is known about this stage of developement. A slightly later screenshot of this level exists, suggesting that DreamSoft stuck with the aforementioned Castlevania-esque gameplay until at least late 1990.
The later screenshots shows a much more finished version of this level and features a very different background and different moon, as well as a tweaked GUI.

Despite the screenshot clearly saying "Stage 1-1" it is still unclear if this is the first or second world.
The level is visually much closer to what we know of the second world, the "Stone" world. This discrepancy could simply be due to the game chaning directions midway through development and the team chaning the order of the worlds.

Lastly, a slightly earlier photo of title screen was found, predating the image just above. It was clearly taken of the game on a CRT directly and not from scans like the above images.
Believed to have been taken far more recently thought its source is unknown.
One notable different is the font for the copyright date being different from both the Pro Games beta as well as the final release. The logo also appears to be slightly thicker.

Gameplay

Low quality screenshots of someone play what is believed the be a finished version of the game.

The first screenshot is of what appears to be the same overworld area as in mccartypro's photo, albeit a more finished version. This is likely the first world. The different between the two versions of the world 1 map lends some credence to the idea that there are far more copies of the game in circulation than is currently known. The second screenshot is likely of the first world's castle/temple level.

Scans taken from the game's manual showing gameplay mechanics as well as a map of worlds 1 and 2.

On the left we can see an illustration of the "Grave Knight" enemy and a brief explination for how the magic system in the game. This is some of the only absolute information we know about any of the game's mechanics, aside from fan speculation.

On the right are black and white maps showing the layout for the first two worlds, what we know as the "Nature" and "Stone" worlds, their names coming from the names of the titular "Mystics". Nature, Stone, Water, Fire, Metal, Magic, and Death. "Death" itself is currently believed to have been the final boss of the game, possibly who the castle in the box art belongs to, though that is entirely speculation.

From articles we know that the story of the game is that six of the mystical gems that hold the land of Kos together were corrupted by the 7th Mystic, Death (it is uncertain if his name was just "Death" or "The Ruler," as is mentioned on the box). He brings the gems to life, giving them physical form (likely the bosses of each world) and it brings chaos to Kos. It is up to the player (Rolsted) to defeat the bosses and return their gems to their respective castles/temples, restoring the land back to normal.

Though this is just speculation from fans, the common consensus on the ending is that Rolsted would seal Death back into his gem and the darkness surrounding his world would disappear, bringing peace back to the world.

Promotional Material

Recovered promotional material made for the game before its cancellation.

1990 magazine ad for Dark Quest: For the Seven Mystics	An advertisment for the game featuring a higher quality scan of the game's full box art and its 1991 release date. It is currently unknown what magazine this scan is from, though it is unlikely to be from Pro Games Magazine.
	Hopefully more soon! :-)

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