"The Legend of Kyrandia: Fables & Fiends" Review
Nice review, Michael. Whilst I'm not actually a huge fan of the original (the sequel, Hand of Fate, is much better if you ask me; which you don't!), you did persuade me to dig out my CD collection of these games to give them a whirl. So thanks for that :).
|
Quote:
|
I's nice to see how this series actually got better as it went along, instead of the usual scenario where sequels just get worse. Hand of Fate was a definite improvement, and Malcolm's Revenge was, arguably, the best of the series*
I always lamented that Westwood didn't do more adventures (and RPG's, though unfortunately the later Lands of Lore games were not at all that good I'm afraid!). And now they're dead. Sad turn of events, that. At least we've got some mighty fine titles thanks to them! *Arguably, because it's quite a departure from the established themes, but very qualitative overall. |
Wow, four stars for Kyrandia I? That's, um, very generous. ;)
|
Quote:
|
Kyrandia 1 was great. 2 was a bit better, and I never really got into the third at all. 3 1/2 or 4 stars is justified, I think.
|
Quote:
|
Well, it's an interesting discussion. Kyrandia II is generally regarded as a superior game than Kyrandia I. And, since Kyrandia I got 4 stars, that should in theory make Kyrandia II a 5-star masterpiece. Except it's not. Which is just another way of saying that 4 stars for Kyrandia I seems inflated. I mean, 4 stars should be reserved for a nearly flawless game--and Kyrandia I doesn't approach that. It's a nice little game that tried to mimic King's Quest at a time when King's Quest was the bestselling series of all time. It succeeded in some areas and failed miserably in others. Two, maybe 2.5 stars, tops. My two cents. ;)
|
Quote:
As for another game being better, well, there are two ratings above a 4, but even another 4-star game could be considered better. The stars represent a range, and having the same score doesn't mean those games are equal. |
It's a nice little game that tried to mimic King's Quest at a time when King's Quest was the bestselling series of all time.
Kyrandia was not only one of the most beautiful and breathtaking adventures for its time, it was also innovative. It's silly to say that it was a clone of KQ games, because both have very little in common. Of course, there is a kingdom, based on fantasy universe, and you have to save it. That's all. The same senario was in Simon the Sorcerer, in Death Gate and Shannara, in Dragon Sphere, Redguard, Eternam and many more. Where they all clones of KQ (which, by the way, was more of a fairy tale, then fantasy)? Not, for sure. |
Quote:
|
Very good review. I think you gave it a good rating. This was one of the first adventure games I played and I loved it, although I never managed to find the sequels.
|
About the rating...
Granted, Kyrandia 1 is heavily flawed, but it still has got something magical, especially the graphics: even though the game is old, they don't look outdated, and give the game a special atmopshere, much better in my opinion than any King Quest. |
I played a bit of Hand Of Fate years ago at a friend's computer. Blonde bland chick running through the woods. At least, that was my impression of it. :D I'll give it another try.
|
Quote:
Seriously, even though you begin in woods, you end up visiting the whole world and beyond (well, some small part of it, anyway). And Zanthia is not bland :pan: , and she not running. |
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
The only really big flaw in Kyrandia is the gameplay, and more precisely the puzzle design is stupid. |
Haha, I only now suddenly realized I didn't even LOOK at the ratings. Seriously, it's all so redundant. Read the text and you'll get a far better grasp of the reviewer's intention than some silly rating. That's only good for rather pointless debate over comparisons between stars or percentages.
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
So... who would win in a fight to the death between Malcolm and Gandalf if you keep in mind that magic was weakening in Legend of Kyrandia 1? Oh, nice review and personally I'd give it 3.5 out of 5. |
Kyrandia 1 was commissioned by Virgin to be a KQ clone. Virgin at that time had dreams of being the next Sierra, and they asked Westwood to make them a game to compete with KQ.
I also think 4 stars is extremely generous to the game. It has a number of serious flaws (including a large number of walking deads) that really should disqualify it for the rating. Hand of Fate might deserve 4 stars, but not this game, in my opinion. On the other hand, it doesn't really bother me that the reviewer thinks differently. |
chapter11studios
I didn't enjoy the maze nor Brandon, I agree with you here. As for the plot: it was actually a linear plot, told as one large story. Unlike KQ games, where you were given one main goal and tons of different scenes/characters etc that had nothing to do with the main story. You just walk around and help everyone in their needs, moving with little steps to your goal. Your sub-quests had nothing to do with the main story, which could be actually characterized "some trouble - hole - victory". In Kyrandia the hero was actually solving his own problems for his own needs. He didn't even want to save the whole kingdom from Malcolm - just his grandfather. And the story actually was centered around his personality - this is how the real plot should look like. Other characters were very interesting and unique (unlike persons in KQ games, which were stolen from different fairy tales), the was a very good ballance between serious fantasy and humorous, and it was actually a separate world, not just an abstract, "dead" universe. And, by the way, the world of Kyrandia appeared in 1988 as some little known text game, long before the first game. And it was meant to be a separate universe, not a KQ clone. As for other ascpects, the pick-n-drop system was unique for adventures; the number of special abilities (the magic amulet) was unique; the puzzles weren't standart, not just "pick everything and use on everything", but mostly had a very unusual construction, with a dose of physic puzzles, and that use of "randomness". Their construction is also a unique feature, and a reason why many gamers consider Kyrandian puzzles bad - they are just not ordinary inventory-dialogue puzzles. And graphics were symply brilliant. I was simply hypnothised by the beauty of the screens at that time, so I just sat and admired the for minutes. |
All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:47 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Design & Logo Copyright ©1998 - 2017, Adventure Gamers®.
All posts by users and Adventure Gamers staff members are property of their original author and don't necessarily represent the opinion or editorial stance of Adventure Gamers.