The original King’s Quest was without a doubt one of the most influential adventure games of our time, one that laid solid groundwork for the adventure games to come. Now, three decades later, a future where digital marketplaces and cutting edge discs have all but stepped on floppy drives, so Sierra has brought back King’s Quest, renovated with today’s standard on the PC, PS4 and Xbox One gaming.
One marvellous thing that kept standing out to me amidst my time with the game was how approachable it all was. There was something for everyone here. A compelling and well told story for the adults and a mixture of classic cartoon humour and effects reminiscent of the Disney/Hannah Barbara era for the kids. Truly a game for all ages.
Not only that, but the game is relatively easy to control with an elegant art style that gracefully guides the player along the way. Whatever words I try to conjure up in order to describe how the game looks, it falls extremely short, as even calling the visuals breathtaking would be an understatement. The music and sound effects thoroughly complement it as well, with memorable themes that not only include all new and original composition, but also brief throwbacks to the original game’s score.
Furthermore, the game has enough interesting set-pieces to keep the player invested for the entirety of the experience, even if the plot development starts lacking behind by the end. The game begins with our brave hero, Graham, venturing through a very familiar cave from the first game, filled with all sorts of treasures, which is of course guarded by a mighty fire-breathing dragon. There is always a dragon.
After navigating through the treacherous obstacles, Graham is successful in obtaining the precious item he came for. It is then revealed that this was a tale that was being told to (now King) Graham’s granddaughter in the future. An interesting recollection of the heroic events, or not, depending on your decisions, that detail how Graham came to be a knight.
While nothing major or game changing in the first episode, the player is usually given choices whose outcome determines whether you bravely faced your challenges or cowardly slugged through the hardships. It is an interesting dynamic that makes the storytelling feel more alive. What I particularly like is that when you die, the king can be heard giving various excuses along the lines of, “That’s what would have happened if I did that.” It definitely managed to get a few chuckles out of me.
What truly make the compelling are the characters, of which the stand outs are definitely Graham and especially his granddaughter Gwendolyn. From her curiosity ladened questions to the enthusiasm of her actions, the writer has done a great job of bringing the character to life, with help from the actors’ tremendous performance of course.
The gameplay isn’t strictly point and click this time around, and it plays more like a Telltale adventure game, where you have full control over the character’s movement through the left stick or the various different buttons in order to interact with both the environment and dynamic obstacles. Sandwiched between the game are conversation choices as well, also similar to the Telltale series of games.
The game functioned properly for the duration of my gameplay, and very rarely did I come across any sort of game breaking bug or glitch that would ultimately hinder my experience. The only small problem I had with the game was its over reliance on multiple scenes. By the end of the game some sections require you to go from one screen to another by entering one, and exiting another.
It isn’t a bad mechanic per say, and is in fact one of the most common mechanics used in most adventure games such as Broken Sword or fixed camera angle games like the original Resident Evil’s or Silent Hill’s. However, where it gets a bit frustrating is when a particular section overstays its welcome and makes the experience repetitive, in a sense.
Still, I will be perfectly honest with you. I had a marvellous time playing this game, as its charm and wonderment imbued a sense of comfort and joy in me. Something that I had felt as a kid watching some of my favourite cartoons, and listening to bed-time stories from my mother, who was without a doubt, a masterful storyteller to me. I enjoyed the first episode of King’s Quest, and I was overjoyed to see the iconic cave section from the first game, and ultimately cannot wait to see what is in store for our brave Knight-to-be Graham, and his high spirited granddaughter, Gwendolyn.
Let’s hope the second episode builds up on its predecessor’s best parts and does away with some of the annoyances no matter how inconsequential they may be. I will wholeheartedly recommend this game as an experience that is suitable for the entire family.