Difference between revisions of "King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella"

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[[Image:King's Quest IV - DOS - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
 
[[Image:King's Quest IV - DOS - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
  
'''''King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella''''' is an adventure game by [[Sierra Online]], originally released in 1988 for [[MS-DOS]], but later ported to several other platforms. Like many Sierra games, the game is a pioneer, in this case, of high-fidelity audio.
+
'''''King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella''''' is a graphical adventure game developed and published by [[Sierra On-Line]], and first released in 1988 for [[MS-DOS]], but later ported to several other platforms. It is the fourth title in the [[King's Quest (universe)|King's Quest series]], and, like many Sierra games, a pioneer in the video game industry. In this case, KQ4 was one of the first PC games to use high-fidelity audio and to use the new engine, [[Sierra's Creative Interpreter]].
  
This was the first game I ever played in the King's Quest series, probably in 1988 or 1989. My cousin had it on his [[Tandy 1000]], along with [[Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge]] and [[Police Quest 2: The Vengeance]]. I was very impressed by the game because it was far more graphically advanced than any game I had seen to date. Since we were both young, we didn't get very far initially, and we were playing off disk, so it took forever to load each room. We slowly made progress in the game over the course of several months, but couldn't get past the whale. One week, I went to visit my cousin, and they had beaten the game with the help of a friend who had beaten it before. I received several hints from them, and saw the ending, but it was awhile later that I successfully beat the game myself from start to finish.  
+
This was the first game I ever played in the King's Quest series, probably in 1989. My cousin had it on his [[Tandy 1000]], along with ''[[Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge]]'' and ''[[Police Quest 2: The Vengeance]]''. I was very impressed by the game because it was far more graphically advanced than any game I had seen before. Since we were both young, we didn't get very far initially, and we were playing off disk, so it took forever to load each room. We slowly made progress in the game over the course of several months, but couldn't get past the whale. One weekend later, I went to visit my cousin, and discovered that he had beaten the game with the help of a friend who had beaten it before. I received several hints from them, and saw the ending, but it wasn't until years later, after I had forgotten a lot of the game, that I successfully beat the game myself from start to finish.
  
 
==Status==
 
==Status==
Line 14: Line 14:
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
 
* The graphics, for an [[Enhanced Graphics Adapter|EGA]] game, are amazing. The artwork is good, there is a lot of animation, indoor rooms have a "carved out" view port, and outside objects have nice fore-ground objects, and the display makes a good use of blending to create the illusion of more than 16 colors.
 
* The graphics, for an [[Enhanced Graphics Adapter|EGA]] game, are amazing. The artwork is good, there is a lot of animation, indoor rooms have a "carved out" view port, and outside objects have nice fore-ground objects, and the display makes a good use of blending to create the illusion of more than 16 colors.
* The soundtrack is professionally scored with leitmotifs, themes, and even an overture.
+
* [[William Goldstein]]'s soundtrack is professionally scored with leitmotifs, themes, and even an overture.
 
* Most of the puzzles are fairly intuitive.
 
* Most of the puzzles are fairly intuitive.
 
* I think this is one of the first adventure games that uses a fully re-drawn character set for close-up screens.
 
* I think this is one of the first adventure games that uses a fully re-drawn character set for close-up screens.
 +
* I like how most of the characters can be found in more than one area. It makes them feel more like they move about in the world.
 +
* Having Rosella sink deeper into the water before swimming is a nice graphical addition.
 
* Having a real-time day and night transition was a pretty creative idea, and redrawing the backgrounds for night time was very impressive.
 
* Having a real-time day and night transition was a pretty creative idea, and redrawing the backgrounds for night time was very impressive.
* Some of the puns for when you die, and on the tombstones are really good.
+
* Some of the puns for when you die, and the epitaphs on the tombstones, are really funny.
 
* The reflection of Rosella in the mirror in the mansion was impressive.
 
* The reflection of Rosella in the mirror in the mansion was impressive.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* Some of the puzzles are pretty abstract.
+
* I don't like the maneuvering puzzles (stairs, mountains, etc.). Is Rosella so inept that she'll blindly walk off a cliff face? If there were only a single one in the game, it would be acceptable, but there are several.
* I don't like maneuvering puzzles where the character stupidly walks off a cliff face, and there are enough to be annoying.
+
* There are several ways to put the game into a long-term [[unwinnable state]] which I hate in adventure games.
* There are several long-term walking-dead scenarios which I hate in adventure games.
+
* The real-time day and night transition, while creative, isn't implemented very well. I've never known anyone to actually play for the several hours it takes to make it to night time, without first solving the puzzles. This is inadvertently a good thing because reaching the night without solving the puzzles usually makes the game unwinnable.
* The real-time day and night transition, while creative, isn't implemented very well. I've never known anyone to actually play for the several hours it takes to make it to night time, without first solving the puzzles. This is good since it causes several walking-dead scenarios if you do take too long.
+
* To alleviate a specific unwinnable scenario, the designers made it so the penniless fisherman won't accept the gold ball, which is ridiculous.
* To alleviate a specific walking dead scenario, the designers made it so the penniless fisherman won't accept the gold ball, which is ridiculous.
+
* I don't like how the map wraps around on itself. It implies that Tamir is Torus shaped, and also that the entire planet is only inhabited by about five people!
* I don't like how the map wraps around on itself. It implies that Tamir is Torus shaped, and also that the region is only inhabited by about five humans!
 
 
* The random appearance of the shark and whale is kind of annoying.
 
* The random appearance of the shark and whale is kind of annoying.
 
* All four of the ghost puzzles are all solved in the same way, which is kind of dull.
 
* All four of the ghost puzzles are all solved in the same way, which is kind of dull.
* Some of the game is repeated from earlier King's Quest games. Giving a gift to the poor couple in a shack and getting a gift from them was used in KQ1, the design of the Haunted House dining room and kitchen is the same as KQ3, etc.
+
* Several aspects of the game are repeated from earlier King's Quest games. Giving a gift to the poor couple in a shack and getting a gift from them was used in KQ1, the design of the Haunted House dining room and kitchen is the same as KQ3, etc.
 
* The mummy should have had an actual puzzle behind it.
 
* The mummy should have had an actual puzzle behind it.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
* Finding the bridle is really obnoxious, and it's very likely that you will hit a walking-dead scenario because of it.
+
* Finding the bridle is really obnoxious, and it's very likely that you will put the game in an [[unwinnable state]] because of it and have no reason to believe you did.
  
==Box Art==
+
==Media==
 +
===Box Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
King's Quest IV - DOS - USA.jpg|This box art was used for all releases and platforms, though some alter the layout slightly. The art is very nice, but at no point in the game does Rosella ever ride the unicorn.
 
King's Quest IV - DOS - USA.jpg|This box art was used for all releases and platforms, though some alter the layout slightly. The art is very nice, but at no point in the game does Rosella ever ride the unicorn.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Documentation==
+
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
King's Quest IV - Manual.pdf|The game manual used by various platforms.
+
King's Quest IV - Perils of Rosella, The - USA - Manual.pdf|The English game manual used by all platforms in the US.
 
King's Quest IV - Hint Book.pdf|Hint book.
 
King's Quest IV - Hint Book.pdf|Hint book.
 +
King's Quest IV - Perils of Rosella, The - USA - Contest.pdf|The contest postcard.
 
King's Quest IV - Magazine Ad.jpg|Despite this magazine ad, the game never made me cry!
 
King's Quest IV - Magazine Ad.jpg|Despite this magazine ad, the game never made me cry!
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Maps==
+
===Maps===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
King's Quest IV - DOS - Map - Tamir - Day.png|Tamir (Day)
 
King's Quest IV - DOS - Map - Tamir - Day.png|Tamir (Day)
Line 63: Line 66:
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
==Screenshots==
+
===Screenshots===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
King's Quest IV - DOS - Screenshot - Genesta's Bedroom.png|Genesta's bedroom.
 
King's Quest IV - DOS - Screenshot - Genesta's Bedroom.png|Genesta's bedroom.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq5fcfuuG0o youtube.com/watch?v=Oq5fcfuuG0o] - Intro with MT-32.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwyL28EtBn4 youtube.com/watch?v=UwyL28EtBn4] - PushingUpRoses review.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm8ct_8DYrM youtube.com/watch?v=dm8ct_8DYrM] - Promo video.
 +
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIuRrNL-Jck youtube.com/watch?v=nIuRrNL-Jck] - Longplay, DOS.
 +
 +
==Download==
 +
Two non-playable demos of ''King's Quest IV'' were made by Sierra, an AGI and SCI version. The demos were given away to computer stores to showcase the game. This package includes archives of both demos as well as Windows installers.
 +
 +
* [[Media:King's Quest IV - Perils of Rosella, The - Demos.zip|Download]] ([[:File:King's Quest IV - Perils of Rosella, The - Demos.zip|Info]]) - DOS.
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/kings-quest-iv-the-perils-of-rosella mobygames.com/game/kings-quest-iv-the-perils-of-rosella] - MobyGames.
+
{{Link|MobyGames|http://www.mobygames.com/game/kings-quest-iv-the-perils-of-rosella}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Quest_IV en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Quest_IV] - Wikipedia.
+
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Quest_IV}}
* [http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=King%27s_Quest_IV:_The_Perils_of_Rosella_(DOS) vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=King%27s_Quest_IV:_The_Perils_of_Rosella_(DOS)] - Music.
+
{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=King%27s_Quest_IV:_The_Perils_of_Rosella_(DOS)}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/King%27s_Quest_IV:_The_Perils_of_Rosella}}
  
  

Revision as of 23:00, 8 February 2019

File:King's Quest IV - DOS - USA.jpg
North American box art.

King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella is a graphical adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line, and first released in 1988 for MS-DOS, but later ported to several other platforms. It is the fourth title in the King's Quest series, and, like many Sierra games, a pioneer in the video game industry. In this case, KQ4 was one of the first PC games to use high-fidelity audio and to use the new engine, Sierra's Creative Interpreter.

This was the first game I ever played in the King's Quest series, probably in 1989. My cousin had it on his Tandy 1000, along with Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge and Police Quest 2: The Vengeance. I was very impressed by the game because it was far more graphically advanced than any game I had seen before. Since we were both young, we didn't get very far initially, and we were playing off disk, so it took forever to load each room. We slowly made progress in the game over the course of several months, but couldn't get past the whale. One weekend later, I went to visit my cousin, and discovered that he had beaten the game with the help of a friend who had beaten it before. I received several hints from them, and saw the ending, but it wasn't until years later, after I had forgotten a lot of the game, that I successfully beat the game myself from start to finish.

Status

I own a digital release of the game through Steam. I have beaten it with a full score.

Review

  • Overall: 6/10
  • Best Version: DOS

Good

  • The graphics, for an EGA game, are amazing. The artwork is good, there is a lot of animation, indoor rooms have a "carved out" view port, and outside objects have nice fore-ground objects, and the display makes a good use of blending to create the illusion of more than 16 colors.
  • William Goldstein's soundtrack is professionally scored with leitmotifs, themes, and even an overture.
  • Most of the puzzles are fairly intuitive.
  • I think this is one of the first adventure games that uses a fully re-drawn character set for close-up screens.
  • I like how most of the characters can be found in more than one area. It makes them feel more like they move about in the world.
  • Having Rosella sink deeper into the water before swimming is a nice graphical addition.
  • Having a real-time day and night transition was a pretty creative idea, and redrawing the backgrounds for night time was very impressive.
  • Some of the puns for when you die, and the epitaphs on the tombstones, are really funny.
  • The reflection of Rosella in the mirror in the mansion was impressive.

Bad

  • I don't like the maneuvering puzzles (stairs, mountains, etc.). Is Rosella so inept that she'll blindly walk off a cliff face? If there were only a single one in the game, it would be acceptable, but there are several.
  • There are several ways to put the game into a long-term unwinnable state which I hate in adventure games.
  • The real-time day and night transition, while creative, isn't implemented very well. I've never known anyone to actually play for the several hours it takes to make it to night time, without first solving the puzzles. This is inadvertently a good thing because reaching the night without solving the puzzles usually makes the game unwinnable.
  • To alleviate a specific unwinnable scenario, the designers made it so the penniless fisherman won't accept the gold ball, which is ridiculous.
  • I don't like how the map wraps around on itself. It implies that Tamir is Torus shaped, and also that the entire planet is only inhabited by about five people!
  • The random appearance of the shark and whale is kind of annoying.
  • All four of the ghost puzzles are all solved in the same way, which is kind of dull.
  • Several aspects of the game are repeated from earlier King's Quest games. Giving a gift to the poor couple in a shack and getting a gift from them was used in KQ1, the design of the Haunted House dining room and kitchen is the same as KQ3, etc.
  • The mummy should have had an actual puzzle behind it.

Ugly

  • Finding the bridle is really obnoxious, and it's very likely that you will put the game in an unwinnable state because of it and have no reason to believe you did.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Screenshots

Videos

Download

Two non-playable demos of King's Quest IV were made by Sierra, an AGI and SCI version. The demos were given away to computer stores to showcase the game. This package includes archives of both demos as well as Windows installers.

Links

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