I was a huge fan of Maniac Mansion, so my excitement was palpable when they originally announced that Day of the Tentacle was being released as a sequel. PCs had just started using that new fangled technology called CD-ROMs which allowed them to make a "talkie" version of the game, which was mindblowing at the time. Fortunately, the game lived up to the hype, as it's one of the most revered adventure games ever written. It's a mix of weird b-sci-fi horror with plenty of humor packed into puzzles which fall inbetween not impossibly difficult, yet not so obvious that the challenge is lacking. Now, as far as the Remastered aspect is concerned, Double Fine has done a fantastic job! A number of people were skeptical that the game was just put through a filter (like you'd find in the Lucas-Arts based emulator SCUMMVM), but after playing the game, I can say that this is not the case. There's a number of little details added that those filters can't add. On top of which, there are a number of little additions that add even more humor to the game, such as being able to read the actual letter Green Tentacle sent to Bernard. There's also some editions to the sound, such as an improved soundtrack (I kind of like the charm of the original, but that might just be nostalgia talking). The most impressive aspect is that they had access to the original masters of the audio, meaning that they no longer had to go with lower quality compressed sound that the original had to go with. Try toggling back & forth using F1, and see for yourself! Finally, there's some nice bonuses like developer's commentary, concept artwork, and I even enjoy the various hidden achivements that come from messing around in game. The UI is also improved, allowing for full screen presentation. I'm currently using the Steam Controller with it, and it feels natural. All in all, a really well done version of the game! Finally happy to have an official rerelease of the game!
While King's Quest III is my personal favorite, KQ IV-VI are debatably "the best" of the series. KQ IV was the first real "jump" in technology in the series, King's Quest V had the biggest jump, & King's Quest VI is the shinning masterpiece. KQ IV developed a new level of cutscenes & storytelling, while also introducing some compelling characters to the series. Rosella, the daughter of King Graham, is the 1st female lead in the series. She's quite the strong character. KQ V brought VGA graphics & a CD "talkie" version & while the voice acting is amongst the worst I've heard, it was rather unique for the time. Plus, you'll want to strangle your owl "friend" Cedric, who is a constant coward, but somehow, you end up loving hating him. The puzzles range from straight forward-logical to "how did people solve this without a hint book?". Regardless, the story told is quite good, and Mordak makes for a fantastic villian. KQ VI isn't just the "best" of the King's Quest series, it's considered to be one of the best adventure games to this day. The voice acting is stupendous. The plot & character development is also at its pinnacle. From the quirky & weird, to the dark & macabre, KQ VI brings a wide range of characters & emotions. Be warned though, it is possible to reach some "dead ends" where the game is unwinnable, but your character remains alive. That being said, the puzzles are rational without being too obvious to be a challenge.
Originally developed to show off the IBM PC jr.'s abilities (a 1984 home computer), King's Quest I was the first adventure game to feature moving characters instead of static images. Yes, we may mock its graphics now, but this was cutting edge stuff at the time. As for the games themselves, it's hard for me to be impartial. It will no doubt frustrate players who are not used to this era of gaming (enjoy trying to communicate to the program what you thing those blobs of blocky pixels are!), but once you can get past that, there's plenty to enjoy. Think of it like a graphic novel where you have to use your imagination to fully realize the world the author created. Some of the puzzles are quite clever, but there are some that will certainly not be obvious. With all its flaws, it's still worthy of a 5 star rating, especially King's Quest III, which is one of my favorite games, even to this day.
