I just fininshed playing through the Gabriel Knight Trilogy. I loved the first 2. Amazing games. This third entry had a lot of potential, but is a bit too broken to live up to the previous two. First things first. The game is completely broken on modern Windows. Do a Google search for Gabriel Knight 3 on Windows 10/11 and you'll find the information you need to make it work. After a few minutes of work, it works fine with no real issues. I do feel like I need to deduct a star for that though. Getting into the game is a bit of a shock. The Graphics have aged badly as per all early 3D games. The control scheme is deeply unusual and takes some getting used to. However I eventually got used to both. The story is good, but not at the same level as previous two. Instead of following 1 strong lead, you're jumping between various leads throughout the game. This obviously is closer to a real investigation but makes the story more disjointed. Finally, I found the puzzles in the first 2 games to be largely very logical and intuitive with only a few exceptions. This game relies a lot more on timed encounters, and you have to genuinely investigate a lot more to get your next clue (a lot of time spent on the ingame computer). To be honest, some sections I just couldn't get through without a guide. Still (with the help of a guide), it is a fun game with an interesting plot and locale. I can see what the development team was trying to achieve and applaude their effort in pushing the envelope. Unfortunately it also feels like they bit off more than they could chew or what the technology of the time could provide. Still worth a play.
I just finished playing this. Just wow. I was around during the peak of the CD-ROM FMV craze. I have fond memories of such games, but this game is something else. The acting is great for an FMV game from the 90s. The plot is another great mystery for the series, with some tense moments. How I managed to not play this until 2025 I will never know! Only small negatives I can point at the game are: - Low resolution photo-relaistic backgrounds can make pixel hunting for interactive objects hard sometimes. - Game relies on particular sequences happening in order and you can get stuck and not know why because you failed to click somewhere. The above are nitpicks though. This game is amazing. Highly recommended.
The Gabriel Knight series had been on my radar since the early 90s but somehow I never got around to playing the games, even though decades later I bought all 3 and the 20th Anniversary Edition of GK1 on GOG. Eventually the time came, and since I had the 20th Anniversary Edition I decided to go with that. Just wow. This game is amazing. I have to admit it started a bit rough for me. Had to get used to the game, its locale, plot, style and gameplay. It was not what I was expecting. By the end of Day 1, I was hooked. The game is just amazing. The Plot is engaging. The puzzles intuitive. I was hooked playing for hours every day until I completed it. What a ride! Highly recommended. Cannot wait to play the rest of the series. Hope it holds up to this!
I loved this game. The idea of a casual fishing game mixed with Lovecraftian elements and plot is gold. The gameplay itself manages to be laid back and at the same time have tense moments come out of nowhere. Good story, atmospheric while never crossing the line into genuinely stressful. The game is also the perfect length. It never overstayed its welcome. I highly recommend it.
An enjoyable, well animated and well narrated quick delve into the wonders of H.P. Lovecraft. Plus it is free. No reason not to give it a go. Would love to see more of this.
Everyone and his mum recommended DUSK to any and all classic FPS fans. I was interested but not convinced. I bought the game but it took me a while to actually play it. I must say, DUSK is amazing. The game is not what you expect. It starts off very much on the beaten path, making you think it is just another new FPS trying to be the original DOOM or some other game from that era. This could not be farther from the truth. The game lulls you into a false sense of security, only to surprise you and challenge your expectations time and time again. The combat and movement feel great. The atmosphere is great. The game can at times be really unnerving, and it achieves this in the best of ways. Not through cheap jump scares or overly explicit gore, but through a constant gnawing feeling that things are not what they seem and that something is not quite right. The game achieves this masterfully. I will not elaborate so as not to ruin the experience, but it is indeed an experience any fan of this sort of game should experience. If I could point one negative, and it is a small one, I have to say that the ending did not quite do it for me. It is absolutely fine, but the build up to that point had been so amazing that the finale itself left me a bit disappointed. But I am nit-picking. Get DUSK. Play it. You won't regret it.
A game one really has to experience. A snapshot in time. Still fun and rewarding to this day. Allowing for customization of controls would have been nice as it took me a while to get used to control scheme. Other than that, a huge thumbs up!
