King's Quest II
| Industry | Video games |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Ken and Roberta Williams |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | King's Quest series |
King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne represents the second chapter in the King's Quest franchise developed by Sierra On-Line. Initially launched in 1985 for PC DOS/PCjr platforms, it was subsequently adapted for Apple II/Apple IIGS, Atari ST, and Amiga systems. Utilizing the same AGI engine as its predecessor, the game centers on King Graham as the main character. The title serves as a parody of the 1984 motion picture Romancing the Stone.
Gameplay
The gameplay of King's Quest II closely mirrors that of King's Quest I in terms of interface and visual presentation. The game world features a seamless wraparound design, allowing players to travel endlessly north or south. This installment introduces an opening cinematic and marks the first linear narrative progression within the series; as the story unfolds, new characters appear and additional areas become accessible.
Puzzle-solving emphasizes exchanging and utilizing items to bypass challenges, with non-violent approaches rewarded by higher point totals. While multiple solutions exist for puzzles, only one path grants maximum scoring; alternative methods may result in point deductions or consequences such as dead ends or player character demise.
Player interaction is conducted through a text parser that accepts verb-noun commands (for example, 'Look at' or 'Pick up'). The parser supports an extensive vocabulary and often provides distinctive responses to uncommon inputs, enhancing player engagement. Collected items are displayed in an inventory featuring detailed illustrations, occasionally offering hints or enabling limited item manipulation.
Plot
Following his recovery of Daventry’s three missing treasures, Sir Graham ascends to kingship. A magical mirror reveals a vision of Valanice, a young woman confined atop an ivory crystal tower. Captivated, King Graham embarks on a journey to Kolyma to free her, traversing sea, air, and perilous encounters to acquire keys that unlock the enchanted island where the sorceress Hagatha imprisons Valanice. Along his quest, he confronts and overcomes legendary figures such as Neptune, Little Red Riding Hood, and Count Dracula. The adventure culminates with Graham marrying Valanice in a ceremony attended by allies and former adversaries alike.
Development
Design constraints were imposed by limited floppy disk capacity; however, Sierra On-Line applied line and fill color compression techniques later refined in King's Quest IV. The original PC DOS/PCjr release did not support sound cards or mouse input, reflecting technological limitations at the time. This sequel broadened King Graham’s narrative and functioned as a developmental platform for future creators such as Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe, who went on to develop the Space Quest series, contributing significantly to the title’s success.
Series creator and writer Roberta Williams highlighted that King's Quest II expanded upon previous entries by delivering a more intricate storyline focused on King Graham’s mission to rescue a maiden. She incorporated characters like King Neptune, Dracula, and figures from Little Red Riding Hood, while working within the era’s technical limitations. Williams stressed that narrative depth remained essential despite hardware restrictions.
The soundtrack includes 14 musical pieces, featuring Tchaikovsky’s love theme from Romeo and Juliet, Greensleeves on the title screen, Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor within Dracula’s castle, and a brief segment from Michael Jackson’s Thriller during ghost encounters—used sparingly to mitigate royalty costs. Music composition was handled by designer and programmer Al Lowe, a skilled jazz musician.
Release
Initially launched in 1985, the game came on a self-booting disk compatible with CGA, PCjr, and Tandy graphic cards, differing from King's Quest I, which had distinct versions for each platform. Sierra adapted the AGI engine to support IBM AT systems and EGA graphics cards that appeared after the first installment. Because the original copy protection was incompatible with the AT BIOS, a new protection method was introduced. The CGA color palette selection was revised to utilize the BIOS rather than directly altering the palette register. Additionally, the engine transitioned from relying on a CPU-based speed loop to employing the PC’s timer chip, preventing the game from running excessively fast on AT machines.
In 1987, the title was reissued with support for EGA and Hercules under DOS. The Apple IIGS edition featured enhanced music and sound effects. Sierra’s official hint book was written by Al Lowe, known for composing and creating the Leisure Suit Larry series.
The game manual contains a prologue by Annette Childs that outlines King Graham’s mission to secure a bride to save his realm, leading him to pursue Valanice, who is imprisoned by the witch Hagatha in Kolyma. A novelization presented in The King's Quest Companion expands upon this narrative from Prime Minister Gerwain’s viewpoint and offers additional lore through its "Encyclopedia of Daventry" and "The World of Daventry" sections.
Version timeline:
- 1.0W: AGI1 release
- 1.1H: AGI1 release (1985) for PCjr/Tandy/PC
- 2.1 (04-10-1987): Included in most copies of the King's Quest Collection; disk copy protection removed; utilizes AGI2
- 2.2 (05-07-1987): Released alongside Amiga version; two sub-versions running interpreters 2.426 and 2.917; employs AGI2
Reception
Upon release, King's Quest garnered favorable critiques, including an almost flawless 39/40 rating from ASM. Neil Shapiro of II Computing commended its visuals and animation as "nearly Disney-quality," emphasizing the creative vision of designer Roberta Williams and writer Annette Childs.
Sierra remake (cancelled)
Sierra began redeveloping King's Quest in 1990 with modernized technology and a revamped interface. However, plans to remake King's Quest II were abandoned due to underwhelming sales of this 1990 remake of King's Quest I.
Fan remake
In 2002, AGD Interactive (formerly Tierra Entertainment) launched an unofficial remake of King's Quest II under a fan license granted by Vivendi, titled King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones. The 2009 update (version 3.0) introduced redrawn backgrounds, refined dialogue artwork, improved voice performances, and incorporated feedback from fans.
This fan-produced version employs a point-and-click interface resembling an advanced SCI engine, featuring VGA graphics and full voice acting for all characters. Notably, Josh Mandel—who originally voiced King Graham in official Sierra games—provided the protagonist’s voice here. Unlike their enhanced remake of King's Quest I, AGD’s King's Quest II+ expands the original story with new puzzles, characters, locations, and nods to later series entries, including substantial alterations to the plot.
King's Quest Chapter 3
The third installment of the 2015 King's Quest saga, named Once Upon a Climb, offers a fresh retelling of Valanice's rescue from Hagatha's tower, an event initially portrayed in King's Quest II.