Reader reviews for Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned page 3

Thankfully, Tim Curry is back as Gabriel Knight in this 3rd game of the series (he wasn’t in the 2nd one). but i’m even more glad they didn’t do another full-motion-video game (like the 2nd one was). I would’ve been happiest if they’d returned to an updated version of the 2D style of Gabriel Knight 1, but instead they opted for full 3D environments and characters—and this was the only thing I didn’t appreciate about the game.

I’m not totally opposed to 3D games, but the technology of the time this was released (1999) had not progressed to the point where it was possible to make an attractive looking 3D game. There is nothing visually in this game that I could call even remotely beautiful. The characters have a distinct lack of polygons and therefore look very blocky. The environments are also very blocky and the textures are sometimes downright ugly. They’ve done the best they could I guess, but I would’ve preferred a 2D experience.

The interface controls are great tho and the puzzle design—especially the ‘le serpent rouge’ geometric stuff—was outstanding!

Also the control mechanism is not to everybody’s taste. It was brave to try something new here but it was quite hard to get used to and I don’t think I was really comfortable with it by the end.

Personally it was great to see the “real” Gabe and Moseley back and whilst Tim Curry has come under fire for his performance here I thought it was fine, or at the least I was so pleased to see him back I didn’t care!

The other big change in this game is the feeling of space and time. It is set in a sleepy French village and the pace of the game really reflects that with time seeming to stand still throughout most of the game. However, this is not a bad thing. The story, and at least one of the puzzles, are probably the most complicated in any game, there is a lot to get your head round and the relaxed pace helps with this. That said, there is not the same sense of urgency, moving around and getting things done that the first two had. In short, the game is different from the first two in many ways.

It is, however, still a really good game. The characters are not quite as dynamic this time but are still interesting and the slight loss of personality really comes from the blocky 3D rather than less good writing on Jane’s part.

The feel of the game verges more on an “experience” in some ways than a game, but it is a good one and one in which you need to immerse yourself in to really get the most of this game. Having said that, there are no lack of puzzles, characters and everything you would expect from a traditional AG. Casual players may well give up on this within minutes, but if you enjoy a challenging and involved AG then this is a must.

Despite the criticism above, this is a very good game by Jane Jensen, and that really tells us all we need to know.