King’s Quest II:
Romancing the Throne
Review
Storyline and
Gameplay
King’s Quest
II: Romancing the Throne didn't bring much technical innovation to
the King's Quest series, but the design and artistical qualities of the
game is a clear improvement from the first King's Quest game.
From the players
perspective, King’s Quest II: Romancing the Throne has everything
one wants of a sequel: Its bigger and better, but still with everything
that made the original good.
Just like
the previous game, King’s Quest II: Romancing the Throne has a clear
goal, and the game itself is basically a big puzzle hunt in the effort
to finish the quest. This time however, the storyline is more involving
and the characters more interesting. Most of the gameplay is spent on finding
the three keys that unlocks the three magical doors leading to the enchanted
land where Valanice is supposed to be. They must be found in order (unlike
the Three Treasures in the previous game) and on the way you must solve
many small sub-quests. Unlocking each door gives clues to where the next
key can be found and the problems have pretty logical solutions, making
them fairly easy to solve. But there are many dangers to watch out for
and care must be taken not to do anything in the wrong way.
Getting the
maximum score of this game is very hard, as there are many extra points
rewarded for small things that you can finish the game without doing. Like
its predecessor, King’s Quest II: Romancing the Throne also uses
many folklore and fairy-tale elements, making it possible to figure out
the solutions by looking at old stories. The game is also more humorous
than the first one, featuring some very amusing jokes and easter eggs.
Graphics
Many King's Quest
games introduced greatly enhanced graphics to the series. King’s Quest
II: Romancing the Throne is not a very revolutionary game in that field,
but although it uses the same resolution and number of colors as the first
game, it clearly has improved graphics qualities. The graphics of King’s
Quest: Quest for the Crown sometimes looked a bit crude, and a lack
of details sometimes made the areas feel a bit too open and empty. Doug
MacNeill and Mark Crowe made the sequel look better by drawing more detailed
and realistic scenes for it. Sure, it still looks simple and obsolete today,
but it's not hard to see that there's clearly been put some notable artistic
talent behind the game, and it's a joy to watch if you're not critical
to the aged look of it.
Music and Sound
Effects
King’s Quest
II: Romancing the Throne is the first game in the series with a credited
musician. It was Al Lowe, (who had already worked for many years at Sierra
On-Line with different things) that made the music for the game. Al had
a background as a music teacher, so he was a good person to assign to the
music composing. The game features 14 musical themes, including Tchaikovsky's
love theme from Romeo and Juliet. For a game made in 1985 this was
pretty impressive, and it gives the game even more atmosphere.
Technical issues
Despite it's age,
the AGI system still works perfectly on a modern PC. Playing King’s
Quest II: Romancing the Throne is thus as easy today as ever.
Final verdict
King’s Quest
II: Romancing the Throne may not be the most memorable game in the
series, but it makes a very worthy sequel nonetheless. The rescue of Valanice
paved way for the ongoing adventures that would follow. Because of the
great success with King's Quest: Quest for the Crown, this game
was made with coming sequels already in mind, making it an important part
of the King's Quest saga. It's an easier game to finish than King’s
Quest: Quest for the Crown, but it's also bigger and very entertaining
to play. It's a must if one has played the first game and liked it. It
greatly expanded the King's Quest universe and paved the way for the numerous
sequels.
Golden Moment
Opening the last
of the three magical doors, not knowing what will be behind it.
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