King’s Quest : Episodes 1 and 2 – Sierra – The Odd Gentlemen – PC/PS4/PS3/Xbox One/Xbox 360 – 12.16.2015 – $39.99
Sierra has allowed The Odd Gentlemen to release one of their trademark adventures not only with a gorgeous face lift, but with a new story as well. Playing as Graham, a knight hopeful working his way up in Daventry (told by an old man who clearly has some status now) this game allows you to not only view the relationship between a knight and his kingdom, but also a grandfather and his family.
Episode 2 has some heart-wrenching decisions to be made.
The tie of Graham to his granddaughter is one of my favorite mechanics. As you make decisions throughout King Graham’s story you will see her use those “lessons” that you teach her to make her own decisions. While many games are focused on having your choices impact the outcome of the story, it was exceedingly interesting to see how my choices were directly impacting Gwendolyn while she dealt with small pieces of her day-to-day life. This mechanic which has been prevalent through Episode 1 and 2 is the first instance of what The Odd Gentlemen did absolutely right. The next instance is the heart rending decisions required in Episode 2. As you find a way to escape the hold of the goblins, seeing your decisions cause suffering to your peers is not only frustrating but emotionally jarring. Each time I found myself dreading heading back to my cell knowing that the following day would bring disappointment for one of my co-prisoners. The way the game handles the Goblins is also a lot of fun. While not being your usual group of sword-wielding baddies they are, in fact, fun to interact with. Many of the puzzles in this episode had me smiling while I tried to remember clues from childhood fairy tales to solve the labyrinth piece-by-piece.
Never Trust Goblins….EVAR
While episode 1 had quite a few unique landscapes (at least enough that the short run time didn’t feel repetitive too much) episode 2 is definitely set with a singular tone. Instead of jumping between an underground dragon’s lair, dark forests, cliff tops and fields, you are, 100% committed to hanging out underground in a blue/grey rock cave. This is, by far the worst part of episode 2. While the character interactions and voice acting helps cover it, you do feel at times to be stuck in a cyclical nightmare, which only motivates you to want to escape the caves that much more.
As a whole, episode 2 would definitely be considered a 7/10
Shorter than it’s predecessor Episode 2 feels positioned as a bridging chapter in this story and Episode 3 or 4 are hopefully poised to move the story of Graham forward more aggressively. While the second installment wasn’t quite as long or enthralling as episode 1 it wasn’t spending as much time introducing me to the colorful world of Daventry as much as solidifying your love for the elderly king There is also a lot of fun to be had solving the puzzles tied to the Goblins love of fairy tales. The fact that many of these are tied to my first gut instinct as I remembered some childhood favorites was also exceptionally rewarding.
As a whole, episode 2 would definitely be considered a 7/10, but when combined with Episode 1 the two combine an experience that thus far I would rate an 8/10. The next episode will definitely have to be pivotal in this series to keep the masses, but this fella, is excited to see it hit.