Let's Play Sierra Games - Quest for Glory IV

[Tawmis]

Hello, finally getting around to doing the Commentary of my play through of Quest for Glory IV Shadows Of Darkness! It includes a silly intro by me as well! #QuestForGlory #QuestForGloryIV #ShadowsOfDarkness

Part 1.... (of I think 5... working on part 2 now...)

[Tawmis]

Here's part two of my #QuestForGloryIV #ShadowsOfDarkness Commentary version. Like the previous one, it has my silly custom intro for the 1,000 subscriber goal I am trying to hit!

[Tawmis]

All right - here's part III (of V) of my Quest for Glory IV (lots of numerals!) - we start getting some business done! If you're so inclined, please drop a LIKE, COMMENT, SUBSCRIBE and/or SHARE! It would help me reach my goal! What goal? Check out the custom intro all of the QFGIV commentaries have for some silliness!

#QuestForGlory #ShadowsOfDarkness

[Rath Darkblade]

Reactions to the latest video:

The hawk is just there for background. So you can safely ignore it. Sorry.

She is the fortune-teller ... because how she's dressed isn't enough of a clue.

Yes, I know where to use the Aura spell. If you don't want to be spoiled: Aura is a defensive spell. It shields the Hero against the cold draining effect that certain Undead can inflict on the Hero by being nearby.

To be more specific: This spell comes in very, very useful towards the end of the game ... when you have to fight the wraiths. They have the Dark One rituals you need. For the Paladin, you also have to fight one very specific wraith, to find Pyotr's sword and return it to the Burgomeister.

I'm surprised (and impressed) that you managed to beat the wraith without the Aura spell. And you walked away?! Without looting that area?! What kind of hero doesn't pick up everything that isn't nailed down?!

It's the Rusalka, not the Rasulka.

Give the Rusalka something she truly desires. OK ... *presses fast-forward; the hero gives the Rusalka some clothes*

I shall also fast-forward through the tarot reading, because I know it very well.

Can I please say that the Leshy's riddles (especially his character) are really annoying? The whole "Nyah nyah" thing is much, much, much more annoying than Keapon Laffin.

"I was so confident la la la..." Yes, you need to wait 'til nightfall before sweeping the grave of the Rusalka's murderer.

Yes, the floating lights are will-o'-wisps (technically, will-o'-the-wisps). Modern science explains the light aspect as natural phenomena such as bioluminescence or chemiluminescence, caused by the oxidation of phosphine (PH3), diphosphane (P2H4) and methane (CH4), produced by organic decay. But the folklore explanation is more fun - and a better warning for the kids. Stay away from the swamp, kiddies - or you might fall in, and sink ... and your parents would get mad, and start crying, and you'll feel bad and ... well, it won't be pretty.

Thanks for the videos, Tawm. (And nice job superimposing your face on the various characters).

I hope your air-conditioning gets fixed soon. Why not use a fan? Or would it be too noisy (and interfere with your recording?)

[Tawmis]

Reactions to the latest video:
The hawk is just there for background. So you can safely ignore it. Sorry.

Someone commented - if you throw a rock at it and you're a Paladin - it will hurt your Paladin abilities. I don't wanna find out.

But it just seems so weird that it lands... like it's waiting. It doesn't just fly by.

Yes, I know where to use the Aura spell. If you don't want to be spoiled: Aura is a defensive spell. It shields the Hero against the cold draining effect that certain Undead can inflict on the Hero by being nearby.
To be more specific: This spell comes in very, very useful towards the end of the game ... when you have to fight the wraiths. They have the Dark One rituals you need. For the Paladin, you also have to fight one very specific wraith, to find Pyotr's sword and return it to the Burgomeister.
I'm surprised (and impressed) that you managed to beat the wraith without the Aura spell. And you walked away?! Without looting that area?! What kind of hero doesn't pick up everything that isn't nailed down?!

Yeah, evidence I am an idiot sometimes - and clearly not using a walk through. I do correct that error.

Can I please say that the Leshy's riddles (especially his character) are really annoying? The whole "Nyah nyah" thing is much, much, much more annoying than Keapon Laffin.

Not sure if he's worse than Keapon. Typically because Keapon ... uh, well, keeps on going on on on.

"I was so confident la la la..." Yes, you need to wait 'til nightfall before sweeping the grave of the Rusalka's murderer.

I love saving my game with silly names.

Thanks for the videos, Tawm. (And nice job superimposing your face on the various characters).

Best part, it's the same exact picture I use for all the thumbnails.

I hope your air-conditioning gets fixed soon. Why not use a fan? Or would it be too noisy (and interfere with your recording?)

Oh, we have an AC. But my office has... three computers running, pretty much all the time, and the door stays closed (when I am not home), so the dogs don't get in here. (Especially Penny who loves to chew on new things she finds!) And the room sits just as the sun is rising so it bakes in here really quick because there's a window there just taking all that sun and heat in, despite two things covering the windows.

So I typically have a fan in here, but when I record, I tilt it away from me, so it's at least circulating air in the room.

We try not to run the big AC, because we're now a single income house, since the wife doesn't work since June 2020 because of her disability... and the cost of living in San Diego is atrocious... and when everything happened with the wife and she lost her job, bills stacked up, we had to pay to keep rent and food and gas... and everything else went to the way side... so a lot of things went into debt... to debt collectors, to lawyers, to garnishing...

Since 2020, my life has been an epic hell in regards to finances.

Which is why I now have been pushing to try and get 1,000 subs on the YT channel, since before I didn't think it'd be possible - it was a hobby - but it gets steady views and new subs trickle in every month.

[Rath Darkblade]

Someone commented - if you throw a rock at it and you're a Paladin - it will hurt your Paladin abilities. I don't wanna find out.

But it just seems so weird that it lands... like it's waiting. It doesn't just fly by.

I wasn't even aware you could throw a rock at it. What if you try casting a spell on it? Or throw a dagger at it (if you're a thief?)

(Disclaimer: yes, these are horrible things to do ... in real life. But it's impossible to hurt a bunch of pixels)

Can I please say that the Leshy's riddles (especially his character) are really annoying? The whole "Nyah nyah" thing is much, much, much more annoying than Keapon Laffin.

Not sure if he's worse than Keapon. Typically because Keapon ... uh, well, keeps on going on on on.

The whole point of Keapon's character is to make puns (and sell magic). But the Leshy... ugh. I know it's the game's way to encourage you to explore the forest and read the guides/books scattered around, etc... but "nyah nyah nyah" is just immature.

I hope your air-conditioning gets fixed soon. Why not use a fan? Or would it be too noisy (and interfere with your recording?)

Oh, we have an AC. But my office has... three computers running, pretty much all the time, and the door stays closed (when I am not home), so the dogs don't get in here. (Especially Penny who loves to chew on new things she finds!) And the room sits just as the sun is rising so it bakes in here really quick because there's a window there just taking all that sun and heat in, despite two things covering the windows.

So I typically have a fan in here, but when I record, I tilt it away from me, so it's at least circulating air in the room.

We try not to run the big AC, because we're now a single income house, since the wife doesn't work since June 2020 because of her disability... and the cost of living in San Diego is atrocious... and when everything happened with the wife and she lost her job, bills stacked up, we had to pay to keep rent and food and gas... and everything else went to the way side... so a lot of things went into debt... to debt collectors, to lawyers, to garnishing...

Since 2020, my life has been an epic hell in regards to finances.

Which is why I now have been pushing to try and get 1,000 subs on the YT channel, since before I didn't think it'd be possible - it was a hobby - but it gets steady views and new subs trickle in every month.

Good luck with your finances and getting to 1,000 subs. *thumbs up*

[goatmeal]

(Disclaimer: yes, these are horrible things to do ... in real life. But it's impossible to hurt a bunch of pixels)

Unless they are dropping snakes on you...

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/09/us/texas ... index.html

[Rath Darkblade]

Sheesh, poor lady. Glad she's OK.

What if a bald eagle drops a tortoise on you?

[Tawmis]

[Tawmis]

It's still processing the video (so only the low res 360 version is ready as of this posting... but should be done for the 1080 in like an hour or so!) of part V of V of the Quest for Glory IV commentary! I wrap it up! It has my silly intro I made for the Quest for Glory IV commentary - hoping to reach that 1,000 sub mark! (I am at a hair over 700 currently! So still a ways to go!) If you haven't, consider giving a LIKE and a SUB! Both help the channel get more visibility! (Also feel free to share it!) There's also a metric ton of other Sierra games I've already played on my channel so you can check those out and see if those are enough to tickle your fancy and convince you to subscribe! Already, enough rambling, eh? #QuestForGlory #QuestForGloryIV #QuestForGlory4 #ShadowsOfDarkness

[Collector]

You forgot #QfG #QfG4 #SoD

[Rath Darkblade]

The Baba Yaga screen ... a dead body just hanging out. *groan* Wait a minute ... is that a reference to the start of GK1 (with the dead hanging body)?

LOL. Bonehead the Hard-Boiled Detective.

Hero Sandwiches or Hero on a Half-Shell ... oh, no. A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reference. I can't believe I never recognised it until now. *facepalm*

What's the difference between a mortar and a cauldron? *cracks knuckles* Well, yes: a cauldron is the one that sits on the fire. :-)But most mortars are not as big as a cauldron. Just about every alchemist, apothecary, and pharmacist (even Freddy Pharkas) used to use a mortar and pestle to grind ingredients into powder and make pills.

Also, just about everybody who cooks can and do use a mortar and pestle to grind or smash ingredients for a meal. (One of my favourites is peeling and grinding garlic to paste, mixing it with other things and using it when frying meat ... hmm - Chinese garlic chicken. Here's a recipe.)

HINT: The spell Baba Yaga gives you is useful, but the 'other thing' she gives you is absolutely indispensible. You need it to finish the game. You can trade garlic for it.

HINT: If you are locked out of the inn, late at night, you can climb up to your room. But yes, sleeping next to the staff gives you weird dreams.

Yep, RL will-o-the-wisps disappear in the morning. That's why they die in the game during the day.

Will-o-the-wisps live in the swamp because they do so in real life. (I agree, it would be a nice paladin-y thing to free him).

When Igor falls into the grave, I'd say his hammer falls on his head. So I guess he gets ... hammered. YEAH!

Thanks, Tawm! That was fun.

[Rath Darkblade]

It's still processing the video (so only the low res 360 version is ready as of this posting... but should be done for the 1080 in like an hour or so!) of part V of V of the Quest for Glory IV commentary! I wrap it up! It has my silly intro I made for the Quest for Glory IV commentary - hoping to reach that 1,000 sub mark! (I am at a hair over 700 currently! So still a ways to go!) If you haven't, consider giving a LIKE and a SUB! Both help the channel get more visibility! (Also feel free to share it!) There's also a metric ton of other Sierra games I've already played on my channel so you can check those out and see if those are enough to tickle your fancy and convince you to subscribe! Already, enough rambling, eh? #QuestForGlory #QuestForGloryIV #QuestForGlory4 #ShadowsOfDarkness

Gee, the dungeon scene? The game tells you (twice, if I remember) that going down there isn't a good idea. The two monsters guarding it are goons, the same species as Otto, the sheriff's assistant from QfG1. (If you're a thief creeping around the sheriff's house in QfG1, and you get caught, Otto jumps on you).

The lightning strikes and the grave bleeding is just an atmospheric thing.

By the way, when you meet Katrina for a 'date' (whether by the castle or by the town gate), yes: you can only ask her so many questions (three, I think) before she walks away.

And yes, Erana is pronounced 'Eh-RAH-nah'. (That's how they do it in the game).

Heh. The best part about Dr Cranium, I found, was his outrageous accent. "Ah yes, Z-SCIENCE!"

When he talks about scientific experiments, and finishes "And then you have a pizza" it always cracks me up.

SPOILER: If you haven't already woken up the domovoi-in-the-monastery, Dr Domovoi Cranium can help you.

Can't hear Corky barking in the background, sorry.

As I was saying before: the guy that hides in bushes and asks riddles (and says "Nyah nyah") has no purpose, other than to make you learn about the game world (and be really really really really really really annoying).

SPOILER: The "yellow bird" means that you can snag the bonsai bush by throwing rocks to dislodge it, climb up to the ledge above the bush, and use your rope and *grapnel* to draw the bush up.

Vampirism is definitely a word. You didn't make it up.

CASTLE HINT: Before opening a door, you can listen at the door to get a clue if it's dangerous to open the door.

And Toby dies. (Which always makes me cry. Who's cutting onions?

I'm not sure about the innkeeper saying that Toby had a heart and mind of great kindness. Toby's heart is obviously in the right place, but I don't know about his mind. ;)He doesn't always get the point of things that people say to him.

As for the innkeeper 'going to the castle and driving a stake through the heart of the Vampire that kidnapped his daughter' - that'd work whether Katrina was a vampire or not.

Quick question: Tanya seems to be the only kid in Mordavia. Where are all the other kids?

As for the oil: you only need to buy it once. You can use the same canister of oil on all the doors. But it's oh-so-nice that you donated so much money to the general store. (Maybe the game should give you Paladin points for that).

As Baba Yaga - you can give her any kind of food, as long as it's disgusting (or savoury) enough. Goo will work. So will garlic. Baba Yaga can give you a magic spell to make you invisible, which comes in handy if a tough monster almost kills you and you have to run away.

As for what happens if you don't take the hammer and stake before you go down to see Katrina: the same thing happens. (By the way, in the screen where Katrina whips you, her black catsuit has sleeves, but in the close-up of Katrina in her catsuit, it's sleeveless).

Isn't it grand to beat that monster thing at the bottom of the Dark One's cave? (I think that's what happened to the High Priest of the Cult of Avoozl. Little Hint: Worshipping a Dark One is a Really Bad Idea(TM)).

I wouldn't use the word 'twitchy orifice'. I'd say the door is pulsing.

YAH, AVOOZL! I will now do some amazingly stupid stuff, because this game will not proceed until I do!

Ah, yes. The blood-acid-lava thing. The best thing to get you ... fired up. (Yeah!)

I wouldn't call them sphincters. Those are muscles that have to do with ... bottoms. To put it ultra-politely.

"That one blows".

The Heart Ritual sounds a bit like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Do you agree? I'm thinking of the whole "ripping hearts out of chests" thing.

I've never seen the staff turning into Ad Avis.

Well ... huzzah! You freed Erana from the Crystal of Avoozl. And yes, Erana is part-faery and part-elf. (I think she looks a bit like the fairy in KQ4, no?)

Thanks, Tawm! That was fun (again!)

[goatmeal]

Well ... huzzah! You freed Erana from the Crystal of Avoozl. And yes, Erana is part-faery and part-elf. (I think she looks a bit like the fairy in KQ4, no?)

Isn't there a quote at W.I.T. in QFG2 when you're looking at the portraits of past students?

Erana looks a lot like Genesta, a Faerie that Hero once knew...

https://questforglory.fandom.com/wiki/Genesta

[Tawmis]

The Baba Yaga screen ... a dead body just hanging out. *groan* Wait a minute ... is that a reference to the start of GK1 (with the dead hanging body)?

While I doubt that was the intention, it might not be too surprising since Dr. Cranium is clearly a reference to Dr. Brain.

What's the difference between a mortar and a cauldron? *cracks knuckles* Well, yes: a cauldron is the one that sits on the fire. :-)But most mortars are not as big as a cauldron. Just about every alchemist, apothecary, and pharmacist (even Freddy Pharkas) used to use a mortar and pestle to grind ingredients into powder and make pills.

Is there a size where one stops being the other?

HINT: If you are locked out of the inn, late at night, you can climb up to your room. But yes, sleeping next to the staff gives you weird dreams.

I think I did climb into the room once - and it was an accident. I hadn't ever done it before. Didn't know it was a thing.

Gee, the dungeon scene? The game tells you (twice, if I remember) that going down there isn't a good idea. The two monsters guarding it are goons, the same species as Otto, the sheriff's assistant from QfG1. (If you're a thief creeping around the sheriff's house in QfG1, and you get caught, Otto jumps on you).

While, true - it warns you. It also warns you that opening the gate or scaling the wall will get you killed by the necrodog things. Which scaling will, but opening you can fight and kill them. Because, I mean, by the time I see these goons - I have a MAGICAL SWORD and a MAGICAL SHIELD. Two goons should be a cake walk. Especially after fighting the many spirits in the woods.

The lightning strikes and the grave bleeding is just an atmospheric thing.

Duh. I get that. But I am saying it could have been used better, to point out a specific grave (like the jealous, murderous boyfriend) rather than just striking a random grave that has no impact to the game.

SPOILER: If you haven't already woken up the domovoi-in-the-monastery, Dr Domovoi Cranium can help you.

Was already done. Which is why I burned the place down later.

Can't hear Corky barking in the background, sorry.

Corgi.

And weird, I could when I listened back.

SPOILER: The "yellow bird" means that you can snag the bonsai bush by throwing rocks to dislodge it, climb up to the ledge above the bush, and use your rope and *grapnel* to draw the bush up.

What does that have to do with a yellow bird?

Quick question: Tanya seems to be the only kid in Mordavia. Where are all the other kids?

I make mention of that in one of these commentaries - and that it's like Speilburg - the player is only seeing the parts of the town they can interact with and we can assume there are more places. For example, the three guys at the inn who come in - we never see where they live, but it's assumed they're in the town somewhere.

As for what happens if you don't take the hammer and stake before you go down to see Katrina: the same thing happens.

Oh, well that's a bummer. Would have been cool to see a difference there.

I wouldn't use the word 'twitchy orifice'. I'd say the door is pulsing.
I wouldn't call them sphincters. Those are muscles that have to do with ... bottoms. To put it ultra-politely.

I think even the game calls it an orifice. When you first leave, I think it says, "You pry the orifice open."

I've never seen the staff turning into Ad Avis.

Yeah.....!

Thanks, Tawm! That was fun (again!)

Thanks for watching them!

Well ... huzzah! You freed Erana from the Crystal of Avoozl. And yes, Erana is part-faery and part-elf. (I think she looks a bit like the fairy in KQ4, no?)

Isn't there a quote at W.I.T. in QFG2 when you're looking at the portraits of past students?
Erana looks a lot like Genesta, a Faerie that Hero once knew...
https://questforglory.fandom.com/wiki/Genesta

Wait. What? Where is this in QFG2?