This thread is very strange to me because it assumes Vision Quest is held up as some sacred cow beyond reproach, when most prominent members of this community have their own share of criticisms for it. It’s a well liked hack, especially for its legacy. But it’s never been treated as a uniquely good hack, one that surpasses its peers in all aspects of quality. Pandan himself even has a Youtube video where they describe some things they wish they had done differently.
What Vision Quest is, and has been for the past four years, is a really effective choice for a starter hack. For the longest time, the Last Promise was treated as the automatic starting point. While I think the Last Promise holds up fine, it’s what you’d expected a fan project to be. Its design is very similar to Fe7 while trying to be a harder game. There are some spots that can cause frustration. The story, while enjoyable, is very juvenile in presentation and framing. I do think it’s overstated, but there is a reason why Kelik edgy memes have survived the test of time.
Vision Quest, by comparison, tells a solid and grounded story while having gameplay that’s more in line with modern hack sensibilities. Even if a newer hack player doesn’t complete the rather long campaign, there’s a much higher chance of them looking for other hacks they might enjoy. The reason Vision Quest is recommended so often is because it shows vanilla Fe players what hacking is capable of while being safe enough to not alienate newer players.
As more hacks are being [Complete], Vision Quest might lose this status. I personally think the newly released Dream of Five is a great pick for a starter hack, albeit perhaps a bit too difficult for a casual vanilla player. If this thread had been titled “Is Vision Quest the best starter hack?”, I imagine this conversation would have been more productive and interesting. Although I doubt productive conversation was the original goal.