King's Quest (2015)
Review Pt. 5 - Partial Payoff
I struggled to figure out how I felt about the final chapter of King's Quest for a long time. On the one hand, there are story beats from early on in the game that are completely forgotten (don't expect the dragon to show up here), and most of the environments are copy/pasted from Chapter 1. On the other hand, the things that are resolved are beautifully handled, and retreading old ground with a much older Graham is surprisingly moving.
When it comes down to it, this finale feels rushed and underfunded. It makes me wonder if all the money went to Christopher Lloyd and Wallace Shawn. Compared to the obvious love and care that went into every detail of A Knight to Remember, this feels very underbaked. Chapter 4 suffered in a similar way, but at least took place in a new location. I can't help but wonder what they would have done with more time and money.
But all that being said, the final confrontation and the way the story resolves absolutely worked for me. If you're a longtime fan of King's Quest, some of the character interactions here will really hit hard.
If you enjoyed Chapter 1, I'd say play all the way through to Chapter 5 and its epilogue, but just be aware that the ending is much smaller-scale than the beginning.
Review Pt. 5 - Partial Payoff
I struggled to figure out how I felt about the final chapter of King's Quest for a long time. On the one hand, there are story beats from early on in the game that are completely forgotten (don't expect the dragon to show up here), and most of the environments are copy/pasted from Chapter 1. On the other hand, the things that are resolved are beautifully handled, and retreading old ground with a much older Graham is surprisingly moving.
When it comes down to it, this finale feels rushed and underfunded. It makes me wonder if all the money went to Christopher Lloyd and Wallace Shawn. Compared to the obvious love and care that went into every detail of A Knight to Remember, this feels very underbaked. Chapter 4 suffered in a similar way, but at least took place in a new location. I can't help but wonder what they would have done with more time and money.
But all that being said, the final confrontation and the way the story resolves absolutely worked for me. If you're a longtime fan of King's Quest, some of the character interactions here will really hit hard.
If you enjoyed Chapter 1, I'd say play all the way through to Chapter 5 and its epilogue, but just be aware that the ending is much smaller-scale than the beginning.