Difference between revisions of "King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne"

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[[Image:King's Quest II - PCJR - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American PCjr box art.]]
 
[[Image:King's Quest II - PCJR - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American PCjr box art.]]
  
'''''King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne''''' is a graphical adventure game by [[Sierra On-Line]], originally released in 1985 for the PCjr, but later ported to several other platforms. The game is the sequel to the first [[King's Quest]], and the second game in the [[King's Quest (Universe)|King's Quest series]]. In the story, Graham, now the king of Daventry, laments his inability to find a bride, but his magic mirror shows him a beautiful woman in a far off land who he may rescue and marry.
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'''''King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne''''' is a [[graphic adventure]] [[puzzle video game]] developed and published by [[Sierra On-Line]] for the [[PCjr]] in May 1985 and later ported to several other platforms. It is the second title in the [[King's Quest (universe)|''King's Quest'' series]] and uses the [[Adventure Game Interpreter]] engine. In the story, Graham, now the king of Daventry, laments his inability to find a bride, but his magic mirror shows him a beautiful woman in a far off land who he may rescue and marry.
  
I didn't play KQ2 until after the King's Quest Collection had been released. I played it for awhile, but quickly got bored with it. Later, in my 30s I finally hunkered down and beat it. Over all, I found it to be the weakest of the series.
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==Personal==
 +
I didn't play KQ2 until 1997 when it was re-released in the ''[[King's Quest: Collection Series]]''. I played it for awhile, but quickly got bored with it. Later, in my 30s I finally hunkered down and beat it. Over all, I found it to be the weakest game in the series.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
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* '''Overall:''' 3/10
 
* '''Overall:''' 3/10
 
* '''Best Version:''' AGI Interactive remake.
 
* '''Best Version:''' AGI Interactive remake.
 +
 +
{{Spoilers}}
  
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
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* The art was more impressive than anything console games were capable of at the time.
 
* The art was more impressive than anything console games were capable of at the time.
 
* Some of the jokes are pretty funny.
 
* Some of the jokes are pretty funny.
* I like that the keys for swimming, ducking, and jumping have been removed.
+
* I like that the keys for swimming, ducking, and jumping have been removed; they were annoying to work with.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
 
* There are far too many ways to die!
 
* There are far too many ways to die!
 
* The story doesn't make any sense. If Graham is a king, why didn't he bring his army with him rather than show up on the shores of Kolyma alone and empty-handed? And suppose the woman didn't want to marry someone just because he rescued her? And why did the witch imprison her in the first place?
 
* The story doesn't make any sense. If Graham is a king, why didn't he bring his army with him rather than show up on the shores of Kolyma alone and empty-handed? And suppose the woman didn't want to marry someone just because he rescued her? And why did the witch imprison her in the first place?
* I didn't like the idea of collecting treasures simply for the sake of points. And why does Kolyma have so much jewelry in strange places?
+
* I didn't like the idea of collecting treasures simply for the sake of points. And why does Kolyma have so much jewelry littered about in strange places?
* It doesn't make sense for rooms to randomly become re-occupied each time you enter them. You can enter a house and see a wolf, then walk out and back in and grandma will be there.
+
* It doesn't make sense for rooms to randomly become re-occupied each time you enter them. You can enter a house and see a wolf, then walk out and back in and grandma will be there. This random occupancy was used in several future King's Quest games as well.
 
* The wrap-around world layout is dumb. It basically means the world is a tiny torus floating in space.
 
* The wrap-around world layout is dumb. It basically means the world is a tiny torus floating in space.
 
* Several graphics and sounds are reused from the first game.
 
* Several graphics and sounds are reused from the first game.
* There is an annoying walking dead scenario with the rope bridge, but at least it's fairly obvious to avoid.
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* Because your score increases each time you cross the bridge, it's pretty obvious, but any unnecessary crossings put the game in an [[unwinnable state]] which is kind of annoying.
* Some of the art is pretty bad, like the stairs in the tower. And why is everything giant-sized in the castle?
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* Some of the art is pretty bad, like the stairs in the final tower. And why is everything giant-sized in Dracula's castle?
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
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===Videos===
 
===Videos===
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRTvEA_vc5k youtube.com/watch?v=KRTvEA_vc5k] - Reviewed by PushingUpRoses.
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{{#ev:youtube|KRTvEA_vc5k|256|inline|Review, PushingUpRoses.|frame}}
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{{#ev:youtube|_jjUaeG9YTw|256|inline|Longplay, DOS.|frame}}
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{{#ev:youtube|KaTN6hNWsKQ|256|inline|Longplay, Amiga.|frame}}
  
 
==Download==
 
==Download==
A non-playable demo of ''King's Quest II'' is showcased in Sierra AGI demo 2.
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A non-playable demo of ''King's Quest II'' is showcased in [[Sierra AGI Demos|Sierra AGI Demo]] 4.
 
 
* [[Media:Sierra AGI Demo Packs - DOS.zip|Download]] ([[:File:Sierra AGI Demo Packs - DOS.zip|Info]]) - DOS.
 
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/kings-quest-ii-romancing-the-throne mobygames.com/game/kings-quest-ii-romancing-the-throne] - MobyGames.
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{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/kings-quest-ii-romancing-the-throne}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Quest_II en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Quest_II] - Wikipedia.
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{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Quest_II}}
* [http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=King%27s_Quest_II:_Romancing_the_Throne_(DOS) vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=King%27s_Quest_II:_Romancing_the_Throne_(DOS)] - Soundtrack.
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{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/King%27s_Quest_II:_Romancing_the_Throne}}
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{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=King%27s_Quest_II:_Romancing_the_Throne_(DOS)}}
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{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/King%27s_Quest_II:_Romancing_the_Throne}}
  
  
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
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[[Category: 1985 Video Games]]
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[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Adventure, Strategy, Action]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Adventure]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Graphic Adventure]]
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[[Category: Video Game Genre - Puzzle]]
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[[Category: Game Mechanic - Unwinnable State]]
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[[Category: Media Theme - Adventure]]
 
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
 
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
 
[[Category: Apple II Games]]
 
[[Category: Apple II Games]]
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[[Category: Atari ST Games]]
 
[[Category: Atari ST Games]]
 
[[Category: DOS Games]]
 
[[Category: DOS Games]]
[[Category: Macintosh Games]]
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[[Category: Macintosh Classic Games]]
 
[[Category: PC Booter Games]]
 
[[Category: PC Booter Games]]
 
[[Category: PCjr Games]]
 
[[Category: PCjr Games]]
[[Category: Adventure]]
 
 
[[Category: Fantasy]]
 
[[Category: Fantasy]]
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[[Category: Trope - Damsel In Distress]]
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[[Category: Trope - Women As Reward]]
 
[[Category: Games I've Beaten]]
 
[[Category: Games I've Beaten]]
 
[[Category: Monochrome Graphics]]
 
[[Category: Monochrome Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 2-bit Color Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 2-bit Color Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 4-bit Color Graphics]]
 
[[Category: 4-bit Color Graphics]]
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[[Category: Video Games That Fail the Bechdel Test]]

Revision as of 11:04, 17 June 2020

North American PCjr box art.

King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne is a graphic adventure puzzle video game developed and published by Sierra On-Line for the PCjr in May 1985 and later ported to several other platforms. It is the second title in the King's Quest series and uses the Adventure Game Interpreter engine. In the story, Graham, now the king of Daventry, laments his inability to find a bride, but his magic mirror shows him a beautiful woman in a far off land who he may rescue and marry.

Personal

I didn't play KQ2 until 1997 when it was re-released in the King's Quest: Collection Series. I played it for awhile, but quickly got bored with it. Later, in my 30s I finally hunkered down and beat it. Over all, I found it to be the weakest game in the series.

Status

I own a digital release of the game through Steam. I have beaten it, but not with a full score.

Review

  • Overall: 3/10
  • Best Version: AGI Interactive remake.

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The graphic art, animation, and music all see a decent amount of improvement over the first game.
  • The art was more impressive than anything console games were capable of at the time.
  • Some of the jokes are pretty funny.
  • I like that the keys for swimming, ducking, and jumping have been removed; they were annoying to work with.

Bad

  • There are far too many ways to die!
  • The story doesn't make any sense. If Graham is a king, why didn't he bring his army with him rather than show up on the shores of Kolyma alone and empty-handed? And suppose the woman didn't want to marry someone just because he rescued her? And why did the witch imprison her in the first place?
  • I didn't like the idea of collecting treasures simply for the sake of points. And why does Kolyma have so much jewelry littered about in strange places?
  • It doesn't make sense for rooms to randomly become re-occupied each time you enter them. You can enter a house and see a wolf, then walk out and back in and grandma will be there. This random occupancy was used in several future King's Quest games as well.
  • The wrap-around world layout is dumb. It basically means the world is a tiny torus floating in space.
  • Several graphics and sounds are reused from the first game.
  • Because your score increases each time you cross the bridge, it's pretty obvious, but any unnecessary crossings put the game in an unwinnable state which is kind of annoying.
  • Some of the art is pretty bad, like the stairs in the final tower. And why is everything giant-sized in Dracula's castle?

Ugly

  • Like the first game, too many of the puzzles are stupid walking hazards. Is Graham so inept that he blindly walks off cliffs and steps off ladders? This just slows the game down.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Videos

Review, PushingUpRoses.
Longplay, DOS.
Longplay, Amiga.

Download

A non-playable demo of King's Quest II is showcased in Sierra AGI Demo 4.

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-VGMPF.png  Link-TCRF.png