A Nod to King’s Quest

by Chelsea House, guest GGR correspondent

Whenever I think back on games that really formed and shaped my future of gaming, King’s Quest is, and forever will be, the first game title that pops in my mind. This series of 9 games literally had it all (with the exception of 8): romance, adventure, beautiful characters and plots. It constantly kept you on your toes and left you breathlessly waiting for what was going to happen. Not only that, Sierra and Roberta Williams, the creators, worked hard to keep these games going as ground breakers for the gaming industry. Graphics wise, game play wise, they were always trying to stay on top, and it shows. Roberta even worked closely with Disney and Jim Hensen on these puppies, which should be a clue in itself that these games are pretty awesome.  Every lover of adventure games should give this series a play-through and I’m going to list my top 5 reasons why. 

1: The Gameplay Consistency 

The King’s Quest series closely follows our main protagonist, King Graham, and his family. There is so much to love about this! You get to see first-hand as Adventurer Graham get crowned King Graham and follow him in his quest for a wife. You also get to share in his joy of finding his long lost son, and breathe a whimsical sigh of romance as his children adventure to find the loves of their lives.  This gives you such a true bond to the characters. It almost makes you feel like you’re sitting by a fireplace listening to the royal family of Daventry tell you their tales of victory and woe. Each game pretty much piggy backs on the last, but always with a twist of who exactly you’re going to be playing so that you’re not always playing King Graham. This gives you an intimate look into the personalities of Prince Alexander and Princess Rosella as well. Who doesn’t love point of view switches? (My favorite is Prince Alexander. Just saying.)

2: The Fantasy 

From sensory-challenged guardian gnomes,  to talking owls, and to unicorns that can only be tamed with golden bridles, King’s Quest games have always boasted rich characters. Almost every gamer knows Cedric’s “Watch out, Graham! It’s a poisonous snake!”, even without ever playing the games. (And you thought Navi was annoying.)  It is truly rich in fairy tales, mythology, and so much more!  Each screen or destination always leaves you excited about what character or beautiful landscape you’re going to encounter next. They almost all leave an impact on you as the player with the quests they make you go through, some ridiculous, and some more time consuming. Your adventurer at the moment will enthusiastically leap forward to save fairy queens, King Poseidon, and even save damsels from the dreaded Minotaur! 

3. The Romance

Ahh, Romance! Sigh! Swoon! Who doesn’t love a good story of conquering dragons and evil fairies all in the name of love? King’s Quest has some of the absolute best romance stories (KQ 2, 4, 6) and the best part is that it’s not just the princes that get to be the heroes! Even before Disney started making strong female role models, King’s Quest had Rosella foraging through haunted woods and turning down proposals for the sake of adventure! This also ties into the game’s consistency and the feeling of being swept away into a novel or someone telling the story. At least in the cases of Prince Alexander and Princess Rosella, you meet their love interests before they actually decide to tie the knot. And that said knot-tying takes two games to happen. So, it turns out these royals also believe you can’t marry someone you just met…you just go on epic adventures for them. Duh.

4. The Puzzles

King’s Quest offers some of the best puzzles! If you’re not a big puzzle person, no worries, it’s not the whole game. But for those of you who appreciate a good head-scratcher, or those of you who know what it’s like to pull out a pencil to scribble down hints or draw out a rough map, you’ll love the added layer of the puzzles in these games! Some are as simple as trying to get through screens and screens of desert areas. Others are more logical and filled with riddles. Others still are like Indiana Jones where one wrong step gets you a dart through your chest. Regardless of the puzzle, each game is sure to have at least one doozy that makes you question whether all games are worth playing without a walk-through. (I see you there, you anti-walk-through Nazis!) 

5. The Puns 

With game titles like “To Heir is Human”, “Absence Makes the Heart Grow Yonder”, and “The Princeless Bride” coupled with death sequences like the narrator mocking a dying-from-thirst Graham by saying “Dying for a drink, Graham?”, you can’t beat the puns that run through the veins of these games. These were the things that made the incredibly frustrating death end with a chuckle. If you’re into puns, then this series will leave you with a quite a few to pocket. 

All in all, this series is just an awesome series. It’s got a little bit of something for everyone. If you’re a true adventurer, go get yourself a hat with a feather, hunker down, and give these games a go. I am beyond positive you won’t regret it!