Hmm. Thinking about it, over the past few days, I've come to a realization what it is with me and the KQ games.
It's not exactly an irrational fear, dislike or hatred. I'll try to explain.
I'm guessing that many (or most?) of you have played Sierra games when young (probably with an adult - maybe an older brother, or a parent?). But for me, I didn't even know the Sierra games even existed until my early teenage years, sometime in late 1991 or so.
My introduction to Sierra came when a casual friend showed me a copy of LSL1. That's right: after getting my first PC in 1990, and playing and re-playing CGA games that came with it (like 3D-Tetris, Sokoban and Maniac Mansion), I encountered - completely by accident - my first EGA game, which was LSL1.
Naturally, I asked something like "Are there any others like this...?" and, since he had a bit of a collection, he was happy to introduce me to the Quest games - especially Quest for Glory 1, Police Quest 1, and Space Quest 1. But neither he nor I played KQ, because hey - we were teenagers, and in our stupid teenage minds, KQ was a "kids' game".
A few years passed, during which I saved up and bought some of the Quest games; naturally, they were expensive, so I could afford many. Then, when I graduated from high school and enrolled in university, I found there was a "games library" which would loan out PC games you could play for a week, uninstall, and bring back. (Ah, the nineties. A different time. So innocent. Ahem).
Among those games was ... drumroll ... KQ5. Yep, that was my introduction to the KQ universe.
I tried it out, and even beat it within the week. (IIRC, this was during the dawn of the internet -- for the public, anyway -- so hints and walkthroughs were available even then. I got stuck in some places and used a walkthrough).
I couldn't help but feel ambivalent about KQ, even then. After all, I'd already played the less family-oriented Quest games, so for me, KQ seemed ... odd ... and besides, I had my university degree (and casual / part-time jobs) to worry about.
So it wasn't until years later, when I was in my mid-to-late 20s, that I came back to KQ (when I found the KQ collection -- if I recall, KQ1 to KQ6) in a game store, and figured "What the hell, I'll give it a shot." Of course, by then, far more complex and better-looking games were appearing and vying for my attention ... but I tried KQ anyway, but couldn't make heads or tails of it. I remember wandering around Daventry in KQ1 and KQ2, getting lost or pickpocketed by dwarves and what not, and thinking "What the...? Never mind, let's try this third one. Apprentice wizard? Seems interesting." (I wasn't sure what I was expecting - maybe something like Fantasia).
But of course, as soon as I had control in KQ3, I kept making mistakes without knowing it and being killed by Mahna-Mahna Man the wizard.
So, after three games and no progress AT ALL, I gave up and thought: "You know what? Forget about it."
And that was that, until I played AGDI's remake of "Quest for Glory 2" in 2011 (which, of course, I loved). Then I noticed that they also remade KQ1, 2 and 3 ... and tried them, and loved them too ...
... and that was my "re-introduction" to the King's Quest series.
After that, I played KQ4 (thanks, Tawm!
) ... and tried re-playing KQ5 (and never got far), and slogged through KQ6 -- but I remember thinking: the amount of time I'm putting into these? Especially KQ6? This is insane. (I tried playing KQ6 in one sitting. Even with a walkthrough, that's probably not a good idea).
By the time I finished the one-sitting KQ6, it felt like a marathon -- like finishing Oblivion or something.
Anyway. Like I said, I don't dislike the KQ games. But I came to them WAY too late, I think. If they were games that are designed
for adults to play with children (as Collector was saying), then ... since I never experienced them as a kid (or teen, as I did for the other "Quest" games), I don't have the same "nostalgia" for them. But that's OK, I can experience them for the first time now.
So now it's your turn. When did you first experience the KQ games? What memories do you have of that time? Do share.
