King's Quest - A Knight to Remember
Overview -
'King's Quest' was first released for IBM computers in 1983. It was developed by Roberta Williams, a pioneer in the genre of adventure games and founder of Sierra, a publishing house that nearly died when Activision merged with Vivendi in 2008. Adventure gaming hit a steep decline in the early 2000s, but have recently been making a comeback on both console and PC. Sierra has been resurrected, and so has 'King's Quest', although now it is being developed by The Odd Gentlemen studio as a five-episode series. 'King's Quest - A Knight to Remember' is the first episode.
Video Review
![](http://cdn2.highdefdigest.com/media/2015/07/30/660/59142/knight4.png)
'King’s Quest' has a very distinctive visual style. The characters have an animated look reminiscent of pre-computerized rotoscoping, like 1978’s 'Lord of the Rings' and even some of the mid-20th century Disney stuff. The rotoscoped characters are then superimposed on a more modern background. The environmental textures tend to pixelate up close, almost to a 'Minecraft' level, but the fluid, almost surreal movement of the characters is a success. It gives the game a nostalgic feel, like I’m playing an old fairy tale cartoon.
Audio Review
![](http://cdn2.highdefdigest.com/media/2015/07/30/660/59143/knight5.png)
'A Knight to Remember' has a top-notch voice cast, led by none other than 'Taxi' and 'Back to the Future' actor Christopher Lloyd. Wallace Shawn (the excitable t-rex from 'Toy Story') plays young Graham’s mentor during his knight pageant. Twelve-year-old Maggie Elizabeth Jones does a great job as Gwendolyn. The soundtrack is lovely, and like the video, evocative of the animated epics of yore.
Final Thoughts
![](http://cdn2.highdefdigest.com/media/2015/07/30/660/59144/knight6.png)
The first entry in the new 'King's Quest' has puzzles, a fun visual style, and a lot of laughs. This is a very carefully crafted game - The Odd Gentlemen have managed to carry forward the essence of the 'King’s Quest' series into the modern age without sacrificing any of its charm. 'A Knight to Remember' is a solid first entry in what will hopefully become an excellent series.