Videogame Review: King's Quest
- by Rory
- Jan 9, 2017
- 2 min read
Way back in 1980, a video game named Wizard and the Princess, also known as Adventure in Serenia, came out. This was the prelude to the King's Quest series, which many children of the '80s onward would come to treasure deeply in their hearts. The King's Quest (KQ) series is a collection of point-and-click adventure games with hilarious dialogue, puns, challenging puzzles, folklore-inspired stories, puns, terrible voice acting (until KQ6 anyway), memorable music, and even more puns. I must admit, I played these games rather out of order, beginning with KQ6 - Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow, then KQ5 - Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!, on to the remake of KQ1 - Quest for the Crown, then KQ7 because my father bought it for me for my birthday, noting that not only was Rosella's name similar to mine, but her appearance and personality were, as well. I became obsessed with the game, memorizing the song in the opening sequence, and repeatedly drawing Rosella in her er, new form. I played the others using walkthrus, just to experience the story. King's Quest was a wonderful homage to the old games, with a modern twist. The puns and fairy-tales remain, but the storyline is remarkably deeper, showcasing love in all its aspects while throwing out the old and overused "love at first sight" trope. My inner child was touched by all the throwbacks, while as a young adult I also appreciate the newer generation's humor, even if some memes may have been overused. (Seriously, "leg day" jokes aren't that funny.) I also really appreciated the Telltale-style gameplay. In brief, you have a choice between intellect, brawn, and heart. My partner and I chose to go with intellect, though we're going to play through the other paths at some point simply to witness the alternative dialogue. TL;DR: Felt like a good mix between the traditional KQ games and more modern Telltale-style games. Bring tissues. Pro-tip: Before big choices, back-up your save to another save-slot before continuing. It will save you a lot of time. Noteworthy: Big-time actors Christopher Lloyd (Dr. Emmett Brown in Back to the Future) and Wallace Shawn (Vizzini in the Princess Bride) voice King Graham and Manny, respectively. My rating: 8.5/10.0
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