[CrimsonBlue]

Originally Posted by youfightlikeadairyfarmer

The pie in the face is the stupidest puzzle they can find in KQV?! I thought that one was pretty good and kinda funny without being too off-the wall. The pie is the only thing that costs a nickel, it's not too far-fetched to think you have to buy it. I hate getting stuck because I didn't do something a ways back, but that's a much worse problem in other puzzles.

How about the timed puzzle where a cat is chasing a rat in front of said pie-stoor and you have one chance for two seconds to throw a boot that you found in one single section of desert at it?
If you throw the stick at it instead, you save the rat, but you're stuck. Because you need the stick for something else, but not the boot.
If you go further in the game and didn't save the rat, you get stuck and die.
You have two seconds to act, and you have no reason to stop a cat from eating. Similar problem to the Yeti, but way worse I'd say.
How about going to one section of land, waiting for a while, and then jumping into the talons of a bird to get to the midget island?
I'm not complaining about the list, just actually I am.

To me it sounded like the author of the article didn't know that King's Quest was a comedy game, and not a dead serious, fantasy rpg/adventure hybrid.

[ozzie]

Just because you perceive it as a comedy game doesn't excuse the bad puzzle design.

There are many things wrong with the puzzle which aren't funny.

• You didn't buy the pie, you're stuck in a dead end
• There are many other possibilities to logically solve the situation, but the game doesn't accept them. I haven't played KQV that far, but I guess from my experiences with it that it doesn't even give you a hint why they don't work.
• You probably get no hint why the pie makes the Yeti so confused that he falls off the cliff. You know, he should be capable of wiping the pie off his face. At least the game could give you an idea why this is the ideal solution. Maybe the smell of the pie makes the Yeti so nauseous that he loses all senses?

I must say, KQV can be irritatingly unfunny for a comedy game.

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by CrimsonBlue

To me it sounded like the author of the article didn't know that King's Quest was a comedy game, and not a dead serious, fantasy rpg/adventure hybrid.

Totally agree with you.

[vivasawadee]

That article was great. Credit to the author and he did say in the comments that he loved adventure games and misses them. Hey mate, they are still being made!

Those puzzle equations were hilarious. The GK3 puzzle still does my head in every time I think about.

[Gretulli]

I prefer a mix of crazy illogical and straightforward logical puzzles. It wouldn't be fun if every puzzle was 100% realistic and logical and vice versa.

[Three Headed Jacket]

Step 1: Claim adventure games are dead

Step 2: Confirm claim with others

Step 3: Scare company into not releasing adventure games, due to public perspective on them

Step 4: Return to step 1

[youfightlikeadairyfarmer]

Originally Posted by ozzie

Just because you perceive it as a comedy game doesn't excuse the bad puzzle design.

There are many things wrong with the puzzle which aren't funny.

• You didn't buy the pie, you're stuck in a dead end
• There are many other possibilities to logically solve the situation, but the game doesn't accept them. I haven't played KQV that far, but I guess from my experiences with it that it doesn't even give you a hint why they don't work.
• You probably get no hint why the pie makes the Yeti so confused that he falls off the cliff. You know, he should be capable of wiping the pie off his face. At least the game could give you an idea why this is the ideal solution. Maybe the smell of the pie makes the Yeti so nauseous that he loses all senses?

I must say, KQV can be irritatingly unfunny for a comedy game.

I don't think anyone ever said it was a comedy game (I don't think CB was serious, but I didn't really understand what he meant), and I don't see how anyone could think that. Most of the small amount of humor in it is unintentionally lame humor or terrible jokes from the narrator. All I said was that there are worse puzzles in the game. Before I realized the internet had walkthroughs, I played through that game a million times and always got stuck at the desert. But every time I played it, I bought one of the lovely custard pies because it was the only thing that cost a nickel, I was like 9 years old and I knew that. I also saved before certain puzzles and tried using every item on an obstacle. When the pie killed the Yeti (which I may have cheated to find out), I probably thought that was kinda retarded, but I definitely didn't think it was the stupidest puzzle in the game, and not in the top 7 stupidest puzzles of all time.

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by youfightlikeadairyfarmer

Before I realized the internet had walkthroughs, I played through that game a million times and always got stuck at the desert. But every time I played it, I bought one of the lovely custard pies because it was the only thing that cost a nickel, I was like 9 years old and I knew that.

You are right. I don't see how a player can overlook the custard pie, since it's the only thing he can purchase.

I agree that throwing it to the Yeti isn't perhaps the cleverest solution, but surely I don't see this particular puzzle as a potential dead end.

[ozzie]

@youfightlikeadairyfarmer: I adressed CrimsonBlue with this post, not you. It's true that it isn't the most frustrating puzzle in the game. But I guess the reason why the people at GamesRadar picked the pie puzzle over the rat one is that while the setup of rescuing this rat in a short time frame with a certain item or you're stuck in the game sooner or later is very.....annoying, the puzzle in itself still makes kinda sense, a bit, at least.
Hm.

@AndreaDraco83: Since you have the possibility to not buy the pie it is a potential dead end. Heck, I'm not complaining, afaik I always bought it. The problem I see with it though is that you have to buy the pie even while you have no idea for its use yet. At least in KQ6 you can avoid some of the dead ends when you think ahead (though not all of them). And then, in KQ5, you're in the situation with the yeti and you could think of many much more logical solutions, but they all don't work. Instead you need to have that pie with you because it's the ULTIMATE WEAPON!!

[Josho]

I'm not sure why the pie is considered such a ludicrous puzzle. If something were coming toward me, I'd throw whatever I had at it. And certainly, given that "pie-throwing" is a time-honored cliche, it would occur to me quickly.

I'm sorry, my vote for the most *illogical* puzzle in KQV (as opposed to the most unforgiving, which would be the shoe-throwing) HAS GOT to be the cheese in the machine.

--Josh

[Kazmajik]

As long as we're on the topic of KQV, I think squeezing the honeycomb onto the ground to trap the elf is a definite stretch in logic.

[BucketBot]

Andrea, I think the article was written for amusement. You know? Haha.
It wasn't supposed to ruin your whole day. Chill.

[AndreaDraco83]

Originally Posted by BucketBot

Andrea, I think the article was written for amusement. You know? Haha.
It wasn't supposed to ruin your whole day. Chill.

You aren't a tad just bit late?
Yes, I know amusement and, hey!, I didn't find it in the article.

Chill.