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King's Quest fan games

From Alfawiki
King's Quest fan games
IndustryVideo game development
Founded1997
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsFan-made King's Quest games, remakes, sequels, parodies

Numerous King's Quest fangame projects have emerged over time, encompassing both original creations and faithful remakes developed by diverse groups.

Background

During the period when Sierra was actively producing the official series, Interactive Fantasies developed two early fan-made KQ adventures. In 1997, they launched two overhead-view action-RPG titles set chronologically after KQ7, utilizing Epic MegaGames' ZZT engine: King's Quest ZZT and its sequel, King's Quest ZZT 2. These games incorporated combat systems and side-scrolling platform elements, predating similar gameplay introduced in 1998’s Mask of Eternity.

AGD Interactive, initially known as Tierra Entertainment, has released three fan-made King's Quest games. Their debut effort was a near-exact remake of King's Quest: Quest for the Crown, enhanced with updated VGA visuals and voiceovers, titled King's Quest I VGA. They subsequently crafted a reinterpretation of King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne, incorporating an original narrative inspired by the source material. In February 2011, they unveiled King's Quest III Redux, an expanded retelling of KQ3 that preserved much of the original plot while increasing difficulty and adding story components that connect to their KQII adaptation.

Infamous Adventures delivered a remake of King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human on June 19, 2006, featuring VGA-style artwork, improved musical scores, voice acting, new cutscenes, modified locations, an alternate ending, and simplified spellcasting mechanics.

The Silver Lining, an episodic unofficial continuation following King's Quest 8, was developed by Phoenix Online Studios. To date, four episodes have been made available.

Additional smaller teams have contributed further KQ titles. Steve Lingle produced a text-based remake of King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder. Intermezzo Software created a sequel positioned between KQ2 and KQ3 utilizing Sierra’s AGI engine. Joel Page authored a brief parody adventure named Owl's Quest: Every Owl has it's Day, starring Cedric the Owl from KQ5.

In 2024, a fan-created sequel entitled It Takes Two to Tangle was released. Set after the events of the first seven official installments, it revisits well-known settings and ties up several unresolved plot threads from the original series.

Noteworthy is the participation of former Sierra staff such as Josh Mandel, Lori Ann Cole, and Andy Hoyos, who have lent their voices to these fan productions. For instance, King's Quest III Redux features professional talent including Robert Adamson.

Significantly, AGD Interactive, Phoenix Online Studios, and Infamous Adventures obtained official fan licenses from Activision or previous rights holders authorizing them to create and freely distribute their remakes and sequels.

Mythology

Much like the official series, the King's Quest fan games draw heavily from traditional fairy tales, fantasy lore, horror motifs, and mythology. However, unlike the originals’ straightforward references, some fan developers such as AGD Interactive opted to reinterpret these elements more subtly. For example, Dracula was replaced by Count Caldaur—a character portrayed as kind-hearted rather than malevolent. Little Red Riding Hood was reimagined as Possum/Anastasia, with Grandma transformed into Lavidia; notably, Anastasia is depicted reading Little Red Riding Hood itself, underscoring this creative adaptation. Medusa was transformed into Smaude—a cursed yet innocent figure.

Fan-made titles

  • King's Quest ZZT (1997) - created by Interactive Fantasies
  • King's Quest ZZT 2 (2000) - developed by Interactive Fantasies
  • King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown (2001)/Enhanced Edition (2009) - an unofficial VGA remake of King's Quest I SCI with modernized graphics, produced by AGD Interactive (previously known as Tierra Entertainment).
  • King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones (2002)/Enhanced Edition (2009) - another project from AGD Interactive, based on the original King's Quest II.
  • Peasant's Quest (2004) - a humorous parody set within the Peasantry universe.
  • King's Quest 2 ¼: Breast Intentions (2005) - released by Intermezzo Software.
  • King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human (2006) - an unofficial VGA remake with updated visuals by Infamous Adventures.
  • King's Quest V - The Text Adventure (2007) - a fan-made text adventure reinterpretation by Steve Lingle.
  • Owl's Quest: Every Owl Has It's Day (2007) - developed by Jstudios.
  • King's Quest III Redux (2011) - produced by AGDI.
  • The Silver Lining (2011) - created by Phoenix Online Studios.
  • Stair Quest (2016) - a comedic adventure homage to King's Quest and similar titles.
  • It Takes Two to Tangle (2024) - developed by Akril15.

King's Quest ZZT

Alexander sets out to confront Ravenlos, the malevolent cousin of sorcerer Manannan, who has seized control of Llewdor island and poses a threat to Daventry. When King Graham, Alexander’s father, becomes ill, Alexander seeks a remedy from a knowledgeable gnome before embarking on a perilous quest. His journey includes encounters with beings such as Centaurs, Elves, and Ogres, traversing diverse locations including Llewdor’s mountains, Tamir island, and the Aberian Desert.

This title is mentioned in the "The Four Winds" newsletter of The Silver Lining, which elaborates on characters and storylines from the game and connects to Phoenix Online Studios' background stories for key characters like Sirocco, Zephyr, and the wizard Crispin.

King's Quest ZZT 2

During Alexander’s stay in an Elven village, Daventry’s castle is assaulted by the Relentless Army, who abduct his parents. Alexander must defend against these invaders and unravel the plots orchestrated by the Kingdom of Dalban.

King's Quest 2 ¼: Breast Intentions

Taking place between KQ2 and KQ3, this installment follows Valanice as she searches for her abducted son to prevent his starvation. Utilizing the traditional AGI engine, players encounter characters such as a woodcutter and his spouse, pirates, henchmen, Charon, and Rumplestiltskin.

King's Quest V: The Text Adventure

A text-driven reinterpretation of King's Quest V, featuring an almost entirely new script that offers fresh descriptions of scenes and events.

Owl's Quest: Every Owl Has It's Day

Published in 2007 by Jstudios as a freeware parody inspired by the King's Quest series—particularly King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! and the fan game The Silver Lining—this brief adventure stars Cedric the Owl from King's Quest V. The story takes place shortly after King's Quest VIII: Mask of Eternity, focusing on a celebration involving the royal family following their recent exploits.

Plot

Cedric is invited by King Alexander to celebrate a birthday event in the Land of the Green Isles. However, before departing, he must confront Crispin to remove a curse placed upon him. The adventure leads players through new Serenian locations, including Cedric’s treehouse and the Inverted Tower of Repunzel, while navigating hazards such as snakes and scorpions. The game features voice acting for all characters except the narrator.

Gameplay

The user interface is reminiscent of King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride, utilizing a single icon cursor along with inventory management and item inspection capabilities. Visually, it blends the animation style of KQ7 with close-up photographic elements from KQ5 and KQ6, complemented by hand-drawn backgrounds and imagery borrowed from those same titles.

Players encounter eight distinct points and fewer than ten puzzles throughout the game. There are three possible fatal outcomes: being stung by a scorpion, bitten by a snake, or falling into a pit.

Development

Joel Page developed the game using Adventure Game Studio as an entry for a monthly AGS contest. The project includes a fully voiced cast except for the narrator, with all credits assigned to Page. The musical score predominantly features tracks from KQ7.

Designed as a parody, it lampoons aspects of KQ5, such as Cedric facing dangers he had previously warned about and Crispin’s comical magical mispronunciations like "bibbidi bobbidi boo." Additionally, it satirizes Cedric’s voice and character traits and occasionally breaks the fourth wall through interactions with the narrator.

Reception

The game was reviewed in a two-part "Let's Play" series on That Guy with the Glasses by Paw Dugan, who noted typographical mistakes and emphasized the satire aimed at Cedric and recurring KQ5 plot elements. The critique also covered bugs and included live audience reactions mocking the game. Clips were showcased in a feature about Sierra fan game development.

This title does not incorporate events from King's Quest: Mask of Eternity, which takes place one year after King's Quest VII. The main characters are Queen Cassima—wife of Prince Alexander from King's Quest VI—and Prince Edgar, who reunites with Princess Rosella from King's Quest VII. Gameplay switches between these two protagonists as they journey across diverse realms using two enigmatic pendants to uncover the truth behind ominous visions affecting their families.

Developers

External links

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