King’s Quest 1 – Help Sir Graham find the 3 magic items that will give Daventry its former glory

One of the nostalgic giants of the genre that truly embodies the first golden age of adventure games: King’s Quest. The overarching premise of the series is to draw the player into a fantasy world in search of three magical artifacts to restore the kingdom to its former ruffled glory. An excellent example of being faithful to adventure roots whilst also trying to breathe life into a dying genre with a modern sensibility is King’s Quest.

It was this title that helped cement the adventure game genre in its heyday. King’s Quest, which turned once more heads of both fans of the old and players new, fills both of those roles – nostalgia bomb and synthesis of the genre for new generations. A Knight to Remember is the ninth entry in the series so far. But, for many gamers, that’s the first they’ve heard of King’s Quest—so it’s hardly any wonder that the name is a little distant. After all, the series has a long history, starting with the original King’s Quest games being released before many players were even born.

• King’s Quest I: Quest for the Crown Setup
• File size: 101 MB

A Tale of a Series and How it Came To Be

The inaugural King’s Quest, Quest for the Crown, debuted in 1984 via Sierra On-Line. An absolutely gorgeous adventure, providing players with a world to traverse and challenges to solve. The series is over 30 years old but went silent for over a decade after the eighth, and as it turns out the last, title Mask of Eternity was released in 1998. Nonetheless, the series was reported as returning this time with a fresh style.

If you’re new to the franchise, don’t worry; you won’t need to complete the previous eight games to play A Knight to Remember. The game strikes a balance that keeps veteran fans happy while providing a perfect welcoming in for newcomers. But those gamers who are eager to know the series better can start by buying the old King’s Quest games on GOG to discover this magical universe.

Contemporary Accents and Graphic Design

As for the new King’s Quest game, its graphic design and visual art style are especially eye-catching. This game has been flying under the radar since its announcement at last year’s Game Awards until a little while back when Odd Gentlemen, the developer, shared a video that put it back in the limelight. The video is primarily a graphical showcase of the game, highlighting that the ambiance of the old titles has been maintained and evolved-through-to-next-gen technology.

The art team focused on bringing a modern visual style that remained true to the heart of the old King’s Quest games. They then created a new technique: each leaf was painted by hand with watercolors, and those painted images were mapped onto 3D models of leaves. This is part of what has helped give the game a coarse, but distinct visual style. Anyone who views the video will instantly realize how much work was put into the game making process, and just how profound and striking the fruit of that labor is.

Release

To be in line with existing trends, the new King’s Quest will be episodic. It’s coming later this fall and will be out on PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360. As such, both players on classic consoles and on modern devices will be able to enjoy the game.

Gameplay Dynamics

As King’s Quest games are traditionally all about exploration, puzzle-solving, and storytelling. The new game carries these elements over, while building upon them with new features. Players will navigate non-linear maps and face imaginative puzzles designed to push players brains to limits.

There are many levels of challenges throughout the game, so it is great for veterans of the genre as well as people just getting used to the genre. For a more leisurely pace, you can turn off some of the challenges which would otherwise have you returning to the same point over and over again. But if you like a bit of a challenge, you can turn these features on to go full classic King’s Quest.

Pros and Cons

On a more holistic level, the game feels balanced in both positives and negatives.

Pros:

Range From No Dead Ends to Too Many Dead Ends: Customize your experience with the option to turn dead ends on or off, so that it can be as easy or as hard as you like!

Inventive Mini-Puzzles — The game presents you with clever and fun-to-solve mini-puzzles challenges.

Exploration Driven Map Design: There is a pleasant combination to exploring a well-designed, easily accessible number of locations on a map.

Cons:

Old school Graphics: Some players might find the high-pixel modern retro graphics a little too vintage.

Version-based Launch: The fact that the game launches in versions can also be painstakingly dry for some gamers who would like to consume the entire title as a single release.

King’s Quest: Passing on the Torch

King’s Quest isn’t just a series, it’s a huge chunk of video game history. Longtime fans can certainly be impatient for the release of this new game but it also brings up a lot of excitement in AHS for the next generation of players who will be immersing themselves into this magical world and together. One of the most obvious standout qualities of the series is its innovative and story-heavy development.

KING’S QUEST: A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER is a solid demonstration of how to combine the spirit of old school gaming with state of the art technology. It retains the nostalgic vibe of the classic-old games but also works as a bridge with visuals and gameplay innovations for new gamers. By moving forward with King’s Quest in this way, it shows a grounded respect to both the series’ past as much as its future. The King’s Quest series is a must play if you enjoy the adventure genre, or if you are even considering getting into it.