Posted on: August 12, 2020
nitrogenfingers
Spiele: 330 Rezensionen: 48
Held up surprisingly well
I sat down with a few friends to play through the Kings Quest series, and to my genuine surprise, these games are quite well. Although prototypical, very simple and comically dated in appearance, the puzzle solving is robust (if unsophisticated), and the maps feel expansive and enjoyable to explore. The first two games are very similar and quite simple- you play in a field of about 24 tiles, collecting items, examining the environment and occasionally using items to solve puzzles (of which, surprisingly, there aren't very many). Most puzzles support multiple solutions, to my surprise- you might discover there's an item you haven't used that would lead to a "better" solution, but this means you're rarely blocked, which is great for pacing. The first game has a few sections, like the beanstalk, where precise movement is required, something the SCI engine is not well suited to and is extremely frustrating to navigate. But there besides, they're very simple games, only taking a few hours each to complete, but well constructed and enjoyable. The same can't be said for the more ambitious third title, which adds timed events, many more areas where precise movement is needed, and somehow, fewer puzzles. Most of the game is spent tracking down and collecting lots and lots of items used as components in spells, and then casting those spells, using very precise commands under a time limit, which is both monotonous and frustrating. Lengths of the game are also spent waiting for an event to occur (like a wizard leaving the house, or a pirate ship arriving at port), which is both boring and robs the player of agency. But even though I didn't enjoy it, it was still entirely playable, and it's early attempt at in-game storytelling is laudable. I was really surprised at how well these games held up. They're quite different to more modern adventure games, relying on environments rather than characters to engage, but what they do, they do quite well. Well, the first two at least...
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