King’s Quest is a five chapter collection with each one focusing on a new tale from Graham’s past in the world of Daventry. The chapters feature King Graham eloquently reflecting on his adventurous past with his granddaughter, Gwendolyn, with gamers being able to jump into each new chapter to help shape the kingdom through their unique decisions and events.
Right off the bat, I have to say that they did not add as much content as the previous episode, however they do address the life of king Graham a little better. The episode basically builds on the previous one, showing how hard it is for the king to combine a life of adventure with actually ruling the kingdom. The same framing device is maintained here as well and even though the title doesn’t really deal with the time gap between the two episodes, you will hardly notice it.
The narrative is about the king who has been kidnapped by goblins trying to destroy the entire kingdom, with the new king being the one that has to find a way out of that lair. I like the fact that they address the situation and the perils that the king has to deal with in a very abrupt, yet fun manner. The game displays the tension and responsibilities that the young king has to deal with as well as all the other perils that he obviously needs to go through in order to be a free person.
When it comes to gameplay, you have a classic adventure here. You can move around and interact with the characters, get clues, solve puzzles and quests as you see fit. Some of the puzzles were super challenging, as you have to think outside the box most of the time, but it did manage to keep things interesting. The issue however is that you find more of the same mechanics utilized in the first episode, which wasn’t that great, considering gamers want something new and refreshing with each subsequent episode. Graphically, King's Quest Chapter 2 features a much more detailed game world and levels are much larger. However, despite having a larger world you are faced with little content to explore and the puzzles get convoluted as you play.
All in all, King’s Quest Chapter 2 felt uninspired, but did manage to offer up a decent experience despite a few minor hiccups. Hopefully some of the weaknesses in Chapter 2 will be ironed out in the next few episodes that are set to release later this year. To learn more, visit the official King’s Quest website.
Reviewed for Xbox One