The show features a similar narrative/reality game structure to the 2014 series, but focuses more heavily on the scripted narrative, with all players now teenagers.
[4] A group of teenagers participate in an immersive scripted adventure in a high fantasy setting, the kingdom of Everealm.
Unlike the 2014 series, the reboot is presented almost entirely in the mode of a traditional scripted drama, with minimal use of reality television devices such as confessionals or eliminations that would disrupt the immersion of the players in the adventure scenario.
The accumulation of talismans is used in determining the Paladins who may seek to claim the Divine Crown's fifth gem, the Kingstone, revealing themself as the "One True Hero" with the power to save Everealm.
"[12] The actors were complimented on both their handling of the scripted material, as well as their apparent improvisational skills when dealing with the teenaged players.
[11][12][10] The enthusiastic, positive, and collaborative attitudes of the players was commended as a refreshing change of pace for a reality series, and wholesome for the intended young adult fiction audience.
[13] While praising the scripted fantasy aspect of the show, a number of reviewers expressed disappointment at the limited attention drawn to the players, with the little opportunity to distinguish them or explore their individual stories—which was attributed to the shift away from a reality TV presentation style.
"[12] From a scripted sci-fi/fantasy perspective, Nelson Acosta of Fiction Horizon called The Quest "a TV series that is trying to be two things at the same time," and deemed the series a failure on nearly every level from conception to execution—criticizing the believability of the players' behavior as "clearly directed," the acting as "pretty bad overall," and the story as "so incredibly generic that it is laughable."
Acosta argued that having the entire season available to view all at once eliminates any suspense to a reality competition, and attributed the decision to an lack of faith on the part of Disney—an attempt to dispense with the series as quickly as possible.