E3 just ended and we were there taking in all the new video game sights and sounds. You’ve already heard about the big budget titles that dominated the show floor. One title I wasn’t expecting to see at E3 this year was the new King’s Quest game from Sierra/Activision and developed by The Odd Gentlemen.
Hidden in the Microsoft area next to the Halo 5 Warzone line, there were two kiosks for Kings Quest. I was super surprised to see the game and chatted with the staff in Sierra t-shirts.
From what I’ve learned about the game’s story and the trailer, King Graham is telling his grandchildren his story from when he was a young adventurer prior to being a king and a knight in King’s Quest I. Here, Graham has heard about Daventry recruiting new knights, and he has traveled there to enlist. Since it’s King Graham retelling his story, there is plenty of humorous dialogue and terrible puns about trees (bored, timber, ect.) There are definitely a lot more liberties taken to have fun with his character, and it works really well.
The gameplay is more modern and streamlined similar to how Telltale Games makes their games like Wolf Among Us. There aren’t any more typing simple sentences like KQ 1-4 or clicking everywhere like KQ 5 – 7. It’s more streamlined like KQVII’s interface. Graham can click on points on interest in the world to interact/talk/pickup like the more recent games. He still has an inventory screen where you can puzzle solve with items.
I had to budget my time because I could have easily spent all day playing the show floor demo. I found an axe (used responsibly of course) and snuck Graham over the outer wall into Daventry to “borrow” a round table to repair a broken merchant’s caravan. We actually see Graham wave his cape over the table and see it disappear into his inventory. In a bakery shop, Graham was able to restrain from buying and eating what I’m sure would be a game-breaking pie like in King’s Quest V.
The new episode King’s Quest game is coming out in July. I’ll be buying it for the nostalgia mixed with poking fun at the characters. Share your thoughts on the game in the comments and how you feel about the new series.
