The Legend of Kyrandia (Book One)

If you play adventure games for the gameplay, this is one to skip. Almost every area is a maze of empty, recycled screens with only a couple points of interest. The majority of "puzzles" are pure trial and error, because there are no hints or clues of any kind (other than the occasional NPC telling you exactly what to do). Feedback in response to your actions is often vague, if you receive any feedback at all. Limited inventory space exacerbates the problem: without clearly defined goals, it's impossible to know what's important to carry. So much blind guesswork, backtracking, and reloading to undo failed solutions. The interface is fine, with only a couple rough edges; the game automatically determines what action to take when clicking on something, and there's a concise text description of each screen and inventory object. It's usually obvious enough when something will lead to death or dead-ending the game, but saving early and often is a must. The story (most of which is given in the instruction manual) is thoroughly standard fantasy fare; the humor is sporadic and anemic. Detailed graphics, pleasant music, and competent voice acting improve the experience, but not enough to recommend the game.

If you look past your nostalgia goggles, you'll find a horrible design here. Sure, the graphics are the best darn VGA graphics I've ever seen. Westwood somehow nailed light and shadow in a way that nobody else did. The graphics put both Sierra and LucasArts to shame. But outside of this narrow domain, the game is a flop. The Westwood style of adventure has no observations or descriptions outside of a few critical things on screen which robs the game of immersion. Without some comment from the protagonist (or narrator, in Sierra's case), it's really hard to know how to make sense of their unusual fantasy world. Characters pop out of nowhere and talk to you, assuming that you know who they are. Pixellated items have some use in the designer's mind, but it's nothing you'd be aware of. It's fortunate that the graphics are as good as they are, but it's just not enough. This style persisted all the way to Blade Runner, where at least knowledge of the movie helped the player interpret the meaning of game objects. In this game the world is foreign, and the limited interaction in the game doesn't help you figure it out. The worst sin committed in this game, though, is the inclusion of randomized puzzles. These puzzles actually dominate, and they involve no rhyme or reason -- just trying items in different combinations until they work. Unless you know this, you'll try to figure out a pattern -- some kind of meaning in a nihilistic world. But there is none. A limited inventory system means most of the game consists of trips to bring all reagents along to the puzzle site so you can save and reload until you get it right. It's the worst consciously bad puzzle design I've ever seen. Add in a maze or two, and you really get the idea that these guys hail from the Sierra school of bad game design. Even Sierra never stooped to 'puzzles' about random item usage, though.

When I saw Kyrandia series on GOG, I nearly fainted. This was one of the most magical games of my youth. The (somewhat pixcelised, but who cares) breathtaking scenery, the great colours, the witty dialogues... I the game is still great today for all these things. These games added to the adventure games genre a depth never before imagined possible. And since the game was not easy, it was also a good challenge (and not as today's games have - if you're lost, the arrow will point you to your goal). When was is last that you actually lost sleep trying to figure out what to do in a specific game and felt the extreme heat rush when you have come up with the answer to the riddle? I missed this a lot and here it is. Wow!

I remember when Kyrandia first came out and it was a gorgeous game - one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen. I vaguely remember playing it then - i think I played until the part you meet with that sleepy mage and his dragon friend. Now I played it through and...sadly it is NOT a good game. The game starts easy - too easy in comparison with other adventure games from Sierra and LucasArts - but I'm kinda ok with that. But as the game follows, it's difficulty increases not by inventive puzzles, but by lots of boring mazes where you must collect random spawned items that you may or may not use in the near or far future. And because of the limited slots inventory system, you got to keep track of WHERE you left that certain item that you dropped hours ago and somehow is needed now. Lots of try-and-error puzzles, some dead-end situations (save often!), endless repetitive mazes, and the payout is an "ok" fairytale at best. Kyrandia 1 is not a good game, by any means.

It certainly isn't the strongest adventure ever created, but it is nonetheless my favorite game of them all. If I had to select only one game to play for the rest of time, it would have to be this one. From the beautiful background artwork to Frank Klepacki's mesmerizing score, this title oozes an atmosphere that is unique and highly engaging. It truly creates a world you want to visit, and even though I have the entire sequence of events long committed to memory I never get tired of revisiting it. The two sequels expand and add further delight to this interesting world, but the one that started it all is a true "Kyra" gem.