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Lagomorph · 12-03-2010, 08:58 PM

King’s Quest III: To Heir Is Human (1986)

There’s a famous anecdote that when King's Quest III was released, Sierra initially received many complaints of how the game departed from the story of King Graham. What has always struck me about this anecdote is the revelation that fans cared so deeply about a one-dimensional character from something as simplistic as the first two King’s Quest games. Ironically, King’s Quest III offers a significant step in the direction of creating a more multi-dimensional world and doesn’t in fact make as serious a transgression as fans had initially presumed.

Though the plot remains pretty basic, for the first time something with originality is attempted. Gwydion’s struggle is more personal and unique than the more generic ones of Graham. What’s perhaps more important is how the gameplay and story become more closely intertwined. The addition of a time element represents an attempt to anchor interactivity to the linear nature of story. There are events that occur without the player’s doing. Mannanan’s unpredictable reappearances frustrate the player’s efforts, and not only add an element of realism, but also an element of tension and plot conflict. The player must battle an antagonist that acts (in some ways) like the player himself does. While this is more common in other genres, it is still rather rare for adventures.

Unfortunately, the real time element becomes less important as the game progresses. The game makes a somewhat awkward and underexplained transition and returns to the more traditional structure of its predecessors. I would have liked to see the end section fleshed out more, with perhaps the conflict tying back in some way to Mannanan and Gwydion’s origins. I think adding a real time element at the end would also have helped to create tension where it is needed most.

King’s Quest III takes major steps in shaping the King’s Quest universe into a unique one. Apart from the odd inclusion of the three bears, the game steers away from the direct adaptation of fairytales and instead contains characters that feel more at home with each other. The music this time is also mostly original. Graphically, the game is a major step up. The artwork is actually quite nice to look at in all its pixilated glory. Navigation is also drastically improved by the addition of the magic map that removes most of the tediousness of walking back and forth. We are also introduced to one of the best incorporations of copy protection that I’ve seen. The spells seamlessly fit in with the rest of the puzzles. The spells are also fun in how they allow the player to manipulate the game world in unusual ways.

King’s Quest III is a milestone of the genre and the best of the series thus far. Though it remains primitive in many ways, it holds up pretty well after 25 years.

Additional Notes

Hardest puzzle:

Spoiler:
Finding the key—Who would think of looking at the top of the wardrobe? It doesn’t even look like you can reach that high! Apart from this, the game was not too hard. I was stuck on the pirate ship for awhile until I realized you just had to wait.

Dead ends:

None encountered.

Best part:

Spoiler:
Learning the secrets of magic while escaping Mannanan’s detection

My final score (in the game): 195/210

12-03-2010, 08:58 PM	#16
Lagomorph Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 51	King’s Quest III: To Heir Is Human (1986) King’s Quest III: To Heir Is Human (1986) There’s a famous anecdote that when King's Quest III was released, Sierra initially received many complaints of how the game departed from the story of King Graham. What has always struck me about this anecdote is the revelation that fans cared so deeply about a one-dimensional character from something as simplistic as the first two King’s Quest games. Ironically, King’s Quest III offers a significant step in the direction of creating a more multi-dimensional world and doesn’t in fact make as serious a transgression as fans had initially presumed. Though the plot remains pretty basic, for the first time something with originality is attempted. Gwydion’s struggle is more personal and unique than the more generic ones of Graham. What’s perhaps more important is how the gameplay and story become more closely intertwined. The addition of a time element represents an attempt to anchor interactivity to the linear nature of story. There are events that occur without the player’s doing. Mannanan’s unpredictable reappearances frustrate the player’s efforts, and not only add an element of realism, but also an element of tension and plot conflict. The player must battle an antagonist that acts (in some ways) like the player himself does. While this is more common in other genres, it is still rather rare for adventures. Unfortunately, the real time element becomes less important as the game progresses. The game makes a somewhat awkward and underexplained transition and returns to the more traditional structure of its predecessors. I would have liked to see the end section fleshed out more, with perhaps the conflict tying back in some way to Mannanan and Gwydion’s origins. I think adding a real time element at the end would also have helped to create tension where it is needed most. King’s Quest III takes major steps in shaping the King’s Quest universe into a unique one. Apart from the odd inclusion of the three bears, the game steers away from the direct adaptation of fairytales and instead contains characters that feel more at home with each other. The music this time is also mostly original. Graphically, the game is a major step up. The artwork is actually quite nice to look at in all its pixilated glory. Navigation is also drastically improved by the addition of the magic map that removes most of the tediousness of walking back and forth. We are also introduced to one of the best incorporations of copy protection that I’ve seen. The spells seamlessly fit in with the rest of the puzzles. The spells are also fun in how they allow the player to manipulate the game world in unusual ways. King’s Quest III is a milestone of the genre and the best of the series thus far. Though it remains primitive in many ways, it holds up pretty well after 25 years. Additional Notes Hardest puzzle: Spoiler: Finding the key—Who would think of looking at the top of the wardrobe? It doesn’t even look like you can reach that high! Apart from this, the game was not too hard. I was stuck on the pirate ship for awhile until I realized you just had to wait. Dead ends: None encountered. Best part: Spoiler: Learning the secrets of magic while escaping Mannanan’s detection My final score (in the game): 195/210 Last edited by Lagomorph; 12-05-2010 at 07:28 PM.