Finished the game last night.
It reminded me of the first time I completed the game. In those days I had no internet (no walkthroughs!
) and the game took me
months to complete, possibly even a year (or at least it felt like it!) thanks to the difficulty of a couple of the puzzles and also missing the snake scale from the fortune teller's scarf (that took me ages and a few different goes to get!).
Anyway, I enjoyed the game so much, and in some strange way it had become a part of my life for such a long time, that when I completed it I was overcome by emotion and nearly cried! Partly because it is a great game and partly that I had put so much time and effort into playing it I didn't know what to do with myself next (gaming wise). I know it's sad and I fully own up to being a complete nerd, but well, I was only about 15 at the time and the old hormones were everywhere! At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
Overall, the story of GK1 is a very adult story with some very serious and adult themes like love, betrayal, duty, destiny (both good and evil), self-sacrifice which is put together with the mystery of voodoo and "black magic" all wrapped up in a wry and self-depricating humour (which seems a very English style to me personally) which ends up with a game (and later series of games) that is unique in many respects.
Firstly Gabriel is a genuinely really likeable player character who I honestly care about and sympathise with whilst playing, quite rare in games. Secondly all the characters (mostly) are well formed and believeable (within the constraints of the story of course) and this leads to a massively immersive game with people, places and situations I really care about.
Also the story is coherent, original and very well written. Many games really fall down here (i'm looking at you Chronicles of Mystery!
) by trying to do a "save the world from impending disaster" type storyline that just doesn't work and leads to a rubbish and dissatisfying ending. Here the stakes are not so high as saving the world, but the battle against evil, together with internal battles in Gabe, Malia, Wolfgang and even Mosely, are more gripping and tense. Also it leaves room for a sequal, as after saving the world, where do you go next?
I suspect i'm in a minority here, but GK1 is far and away my favourite of the series, the characters, the story, the puzzles, it all seems pretty much perfect (8-icon verb-coin aside!) and, following on from Kings Quest VI, was the game that cemented me as an Adventure Game player above all else.
Above all, I think it is the journey Gabriel goes on, from ne'er-do-well lazy writer just doing the easiest thing to get by, taking up the challenges presented by his family history and the situations in which he finds himself, to acheiving so much more and becoming a much more responsible and strong person, whilst keeping all the humour and charm he had in the first place. It really is an exciting and beautiful story which always satisfies and never goes too far, leaving you wanting more!
So, only two things left to say for me.
1. Thank you Andrea for another brilliant playthrough, your comments and insights are invaluable and really benefit the game playing process. Also thanks to everyone else who has played along and commented, it's always so interesting to hear new thoughts/ideas on a game you know and love.
2. Bring on the GK2 playthrough!
