King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne
Encyclopedia
King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne is the second installment in the King's Quest
series created by Sierra Entertainment
(formerly Sierra On-Line). It uses the same AGI
game engine
as King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown
and features King Graham as the player character.
to rescue her. There he must travel through sea, air, and even death to gain the keys that unlock the three doors to the enchanted island where Hagatha the witch has imprisoned Valanice.
To the west the sea leads to Neptune's Kingdom, a tranquil watery world filled with fish, sharks, mermaids, and giant seahorses. The east are blocked by giant mountains and the Bottomless Chasm. Only a magical doorway allows travel beyond, but only if they have the correct keys. At the summit of the mountains is the Top of the Mountain, a narrow plateau overlooking the kingdom. At the back of the plateau is desolate and empty cave where one of the three magical keys was hidden.
At the center of western Kolyma is the Poisonous Lake. In the center of the lake is an island. Castle Dracula rises from the island ominously, guarded by poisonous brambles and ghosts. The only way across is via the deteriorating boat of the Boatman. The castle itself looks largely abandoned, but its dark dungeons holds a secret.
The magical doorway is surrounded by the Bottomless Chasm, and the only way across is via a rickety old bridge, that will collapse if crossed one too many times. The door leads to one's greatest desire, For Graham this was the Enchanted Isles.
The Enchanted Isles exist in another world or a remote section of the world of Daventry. Strange pink skies float above the islands, and a turbulent iridescent crimson sea lies in between. It is the home to large magical fish. On the second island, the Enchanted Island lies a strange jungle with oversized plants, a tranquil lagoon laps to one side of the island. In the center of the island is the Crystal Tower, a large quartz tower where Valanice is held.
With this system the player is able to collect many items using 'pick up ____' placed into the games inventory. The items in the inventory have close up pictures giving an idea what the item looks like, or in some cases offering clues about the item. In a rare few examples an item may be manipulated in some way. For example if you receive the glass bottle, looking at it shows that a sheet is inside. The player can then type 'remove cloth from bottle' to get the sheet.
'Puzzles' involve trading these or using these items to receive new items or to get past obstacles, allowing the player to progress. For example the player could 'give basket to girl' and receive a 'bouquet'. The game in general honors non-violent solutions, so while you could 'kill lion' offering it something instead will net more points.
Many 'puzzles' have more than one solution, but only one optimum solution (earn maximum points). Alternate solutions will net less points or in some cases cause the player to lose points. Examples of alternate solutions are taking more violent approach to getting past an obstacle such as killing or stealing. For example if you use the trident to steal the 'key' instead of offering it to Neptune will net more points (just don't try offering the Trident to the king afterwords). the other type of alternate solution involves giving one of five discovered treasures (Sapphire Jewels) to individuals to trade for items or progress. For example you can 'give bracelet to mermaid' for her to call the seahorse, rather than give 'bouquet'. Giving treasures instead of the proper solution will cause the player to lose points equal to the value of the treasure.
In some cases taking the most complicated route. For example you could take the bird cage from Hagatha's cave when she isn't around, or you could cover the cafe and take it out instead (if she is there or not) to get full points. The sheet keeps the bird from making noise in the cave.
Some choices may lead to dead ends, for example if the player gives the trident directly to the mermaid, Neptune will kill the player the moment he player enters his presence.
The game also has a few obscure or illogical solutions to puzzles. For example there is a viper blocking a path. Shortly before this the player receives three items from the same source (a magic carpet, a sword, and a bridle). The player can kill the viper with the sword (that has a marking of a snake, as if a clue) but receives few points. The optimal solution involves involves 'throwing bridle at snake' disenchanting the snake, and netting the player a magic 'sugar cube' in return. The first solution is a bit of a red herring, although the intent of the marking of the snake was meant to associate the various items with the snake.
which expands the details of story. It was written from the perspective of Daventry's prime minister, Gerwain (mentioned in the KQ2 manual). The first and second editions of the Companion also included articles within "An Encyclopedia of Daventry (Abridged)", which gave backstories for various characters and locations from the game. More back history about Kolyma can be found in the chapter, "The World of Daventry" in all editions.
the creator of the Leisure Suit Larry
series.
Limited floppy space would have restricted my design, but we had been compressing our pictures by drawing them as lines and fill colors for a while. That scheme was kept all the way up to King's Quest V.
This sequel to the original King's Quest provided not just a second look at the life of King (formerly Sir) Graham of Daventry, it also began a tradition of using King's Quest as a training ground for future designers. Future Space Quest series designers Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe joined the development team. This game does not support sound cards or mice, as they did not exist at the time of publication.
Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe helped to make the game an even bigger hit than the original.
According to Roberta Williams;
This was the first King's Quest to include an introduction cutscene, just past the credits. It also is the first game in the series with a linear story progression. The world actually changes as the story progresses, new characters appear in the world, areas are opened up to the player, and closed off when no longer needed. For example the mermaid appears after reading the inscription on the first door, the Antique Shop opens after reading the second inscription, the Boatman appears after the third door inscription is read.
It was first released in 1985 as a disk that booted on start-up but was re-released in 1987 with EGA
support to run under DOS. This is why most remaining copies bear a 1987 rather than a 1985 copyright date.
The Apple II version added improved sound over the PC version.
"...As a story, it's the best...an enchanting game..."-Scott Mace, Insider Magazine, "If you liked King's Quest, you'll love the sequel"-Consumer Software News, "Roberta Williams has simply outdone herself"-Computer Entertainment, King's Quest II has "the most lushly painted and highly detailed scenery seen since...well, King's Quest I."-Questbusters journal. "The interactive story is presented in full color, animated, three-dimensional graphics and scored with multipart music and sound effects. King's Quest attempts to merge the best aspects of text adventures with graphics of arcade games. The animated graphics are simply the best we have ever seen on a home computer."-Computer Gaming World, June 1985.
"I used to be a member of the I-Hate-Adventure-Games Club until I met King's Quest II, Romancing the Throne. This program is a breakthrough in game adventures. I say "game adventures" instead of adventure games because King's Quest II is mostly animation with a little typing thrown in. The first thing I said when I saw this game was ..WOW.. And I didn't stop being amazed. You never know what you might encounter just around the next bend. It might be a beautiful beach or it might be an enemy stalking you... Move King Graham to any edge of the screen and, seconds later, the next picture screen loads in. I still can't get over the graphics. The trees, buildings, lakes and ocean are all dimensionally correct. In other words, you can walk into a tree head-on, or from the sides, the back, or just walk around it. If you see a tree with a long branch that extends off onto the right side of the monitor, you will see the rest of the branch when you get to the next screen. Each screen is colorful and detailed with a good feeling of atmosphere. I thought there could be only a few screens on one 3 1/2-inch disk, but was I wrong! I counted at least 35 screens on the first disk alone. And there are two disks to the game. As you travel about this strange land you may encounter other animated characters—each with his, her, or its own personality. You might recognize some of the characters from fairy tales and legends. And you will soon find out if they are there to help or hinder you...The story itself is very well laid out. It's obvious that a lot of thought was given to how the screens would fit together and how the characters would interact. The characters you will meet are delightful. Each one has a different facial expression and can move about as freely as you. And you will find yourself freely running from a few of them...If all adventures could be this enjoyable and visually stimulating, I would have been an adventure game freak long ago. I found myself up until the wee morning hours, with just the monitor lighting, the room, laughing and smiling at a new sequence I had discovered. Then I realized I was afraid I would complete my quest, and I didn't want it to end."
-Brad Kershaw, ANTIC, MAY 1986
"I first experienced computer gaming through her early work...so I sort of grew up on her style of adventure game design. She has a clean and crisp style of design that states the goals of the game clearly and makes your challenges clear, which I find refreshing...I really do think "King's Quest I" was the finest adventure game ever written, and the most fun to play...I also liked "King's Quest II" a lot. I think both of these games are great examples of the kind of adventure games that I like to play and that started the whole adventure game following in the first place. "King's Quest I" and "King's Quest II" are unlike most computer games written nowadays. Frankly, they don't feature the deep, complex plots of games like "Police Quest III" and "Conquests of the Longbow". Instead, these games are basically treasure hunts with lots of fun puzzles thrown in to add challenge. They feature simple goals—you know what it takes to win the contest with the computer. For me, adventure games have represented a pleasant diversion—something I could boot up and get lost in for a few hours at the end of a long day. I view them the same way some people review Rubics Cube or a crossword puzzle. I want simple goals—something I can jump into the middle of and go...I want hard puzzles—real mind benders—so that when I solve one I can sit smugly... with a sense of satisfaction. This straight forward "goals and puzzles" approach to adventuring represents the oldest and purest approach to the art form. Everyone at Sierra has their opinion about how adventure games should work, of course, but as for me, give me the old-time adventuring. Give me the early "King's Quests."-John Williams, Interaction Magazine, Spring 1992.
On top of the Mountain, there is a hole in a rock. Examining the hole opens up a plug to another Sierra adventure game. on the PC version the plug is for Space Quest Chapter I: The Sarien Encounter. On the apple II version it is a plug for King's Quest III.
If the player enquires about Graham's last or first name in the parser, the game responds with "Cracker".
If the player enquirer 'who wrote this game' the game replies with an answer, Roberta.
If the player attempts to speak to the seahorse the game responds that it isn't Mr. Ed.
Try kissing Hagatha in her cave or anywhere else for a funny message.
The batmobile may appear out of Hagatha's cave.
Al Lowe was behind the music in the game, but also inserted a few things into the parser system. Due to this, female characters in the game can be referred in not so flattering terms in the parser. He even included a rather suggestive alternate description for Valanice.
, then known as Tierra Entertainment, released an unofficial remake of King's Quest II under a fan license by Vivendi, known as King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones
.
The remake uses a point-and-click interface functionally identical to an advanced SCI game engine, VGA graphics and digital sound, including full speech for all characters. Notably for an unofficial, fan-made project, the game's protagonist King Graham is voiced by Josh Mandel, who also voiced the part in Sierra's official CD-ROM full-speech versions of King's Quest V and VI. In contrast to the group's remake of King's Quest I, a content-wise identical presentation upgrade, King's Quest II+ redesigns the original game to adding a rewritten plot expanding on the 1985 version (although it changes several points of the plot, 'Dracula' is now a good guy, and the 'Monk' is a bad guy, several characters removed), a number of puzzles, new characters and locations including a town, and references to future King's Quest games. In March 2009, AGD Interactive released version 3.0 of this remake. This version showcases redrawn backgrounds and dialogue pictures; the voice-acting was also dramatically improved and, thanks to fan feedback, many problems were attended to.
King's Quest
King's Quest is an adventure game series created by the American software company Sierra Entertainment. It is widely considered a classic series from the golden era of adventure games. Following the success of its first installment, the series was primarily responsible for building the reputation...
series created by Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
(formerly Sierra On-Line). It uses the same AGI
Adventure Game Interpreter
The Adventure Game Interpreter is a game engine which Sierra On-Line used through most of the 1980s to create and run animated, color adventure games...
game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
as King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown
King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown
King's Quest: Quest for the Crown is a 1984 adventure game, originally published for the IBM PCjr simply as King's Quest. The story and the general design of the game was developed by Roberta Williams....
and features King Graham as the player character.
Story
The Magic Mirror shows King Graham a vision about a beautiful woman, Valanice, imprisoned on the top of an ivory tower. Being charmed by her, he is teleported to the world of KolymaKolyma
The Kolyma region is located in the far north-eastern area of Russia in what is commonly known as Siberia but is actually part of the Russian Far East. It is bounded by the East Siberian Sea and the Arctic Ocean in the north and the Sea of Okhotsk to the south...
to rescue her. There he must travel through sea, air, and even death to gain the keys that unlock the three doors to the enchanted island where Hagatha the witch has imprisoned Valanice.
Geography
Like KQ1, the game world has 'wrap around' allowing player to travel infinitely in the directions of the north or south. The King's Quest Companion which represented a novelized walkthrough explains that the western side of Kolyma folds back upon itself to both the north and south, forever bringing travelers back to where they started;- "Geographers say that the magical law of "containment" operates in the western part of the continent. For reasons forgotten, or perhaps it was whimsy on the part of the multiverse--movement to both the north and south in this part of Kolyma eventually turned back upon itself, contained as if inside some transparent cosmic donut. East and west, one could travel at will until confronted by more physical barriers--the sea or mountains for instance--but those that journeyed far enough north of south, would always get back to where they started."
To the west the sea leads to Neptune's Kingdom, a tranquil watery world filled with fish, sharks, mermaids, and giant seahorses. The east are blocked by giant mountains and the Bottomless Chasm. Only a magical doorway allows travel beyond, but only if they have the correct keys. At the summit of the mountains is the Top of the Mountain, a narrow plateau overlooking the kingdom. At the back of the plateau is desolate and empty cave where one of the three magical keys was hidden.
At the center of western Kolyma is the Poisonous Lake. In the center of the lake is an island. Castle Dracula rises from the island ominously, guarded by poisonous brambles and ghosts. The only way across is via the deteriorating boat of the Boatman. The castle itself looks largely abandoned, but its dark dungeons holds a secret.
The magical doorway is surrounded by the Bottomless Chasm, and the only way across is via a rickety old bridge, that will collapse if crossed one too many times. The door leads to one's greatest desire, For Graham this was the Enchanted Isles.
The Enchanted Isles exist in another world or a remote section of the world of Daventry. Strange pink skies float above the islands, and a turbulent iridescent crimson sea lies in between. It is the home to large magical fish. On the second island, the Enchanted Island lies a strange jungle with oversized plants, a tranquil lagoon laps to one side of the island. In the center of the island is the Crystal Tower, a large quartz tower where Valanice is held.
Good & Neutral
- Graham: The young king of Daventry, who also takes place as the player character.
- Valanice: The woman imprisoned in a tower. King Graham has to save her.
- Good Fairy: A fairy living in Kolyma. She wanted to help Graham on his journey, and to do so she cast a spell of safety on the adventurer to protect him from the dangers in the land.
- Fragola (Monk): The Brother is one of the kindly monks of Kolyma. The order of the Blessed Wilbury vowed to protect travelers to the land from the dangers such as the vampire Dracula. Fragola gave Graham a silver cross after the king showed reverence inside the monastery so that Graham would be safe. After Graham's return to Kolyma, Brother Fragola officiated the wedding of Graham and Valanice in the chapel of the monastery. He later moved to the Kingdom of Daventry, and became the royal chaplain to the court.
- Grandma: She is the grandmother of Red Riding Hood. She is weak and ailing, Graham helps her by giving her chicken soup. She awards him with Dracula's black cloak and ring. How the woman came by those is a mystery, but it is often said that the Vampire Prince takes living women as lovers. Perhaps they had a romantic liaison in the past, but if grandma kissed, she sure isn't telling.
- King Neptune: Neptune is the king of Merfolk, and Lord of the sea. In time he lost his trident which then washed up onto the shore of Kolyma where it lay for a long time. Graham discovered it laying in the grass that grew up around it. Graham befriended a mermaid and was given a ride to King Neptune's realm. While there Graham returned Neptune's lost trident, and was given the first key to the magic doors, as well as a bottle with a cloth inside.
- Mermaid: This character helps Graham enter Neptune's Kingdom after he showed kindness to her through giving her a bouquet of flowers. She beckone a giant magical seahorse to take Graham down into the sea's depths.
- Pegasus: The evil Enchanter in Kolyma had turned the horse into a viperViperidaeThe Viperidae are a family of venomous snakes found all over the world, except in Antarctica, Australia, Ireland, Madagascar, Hawaii, various other isolated islands, and above the Arctic Circle. All have relatively long, hinged fangs that permit deep penetration and injection of venom. Four...
after he had refused to be his steed. The snake had then be set to guard a small, damp cave. Within it was set the second of three magical keys. Graham broke the enchantment by returning the horse's Leather Bridle. Pegasus gave Graham a magical sugar cube in return that would protect him from poisonous brambles, before flying off into the sky. - Little Red Riding Hood: She is the granddaughter of Grandma. She had plans visit her Grandma, however while she was out picking a bouquet of flowers, a large wolf, with the biggest jaws, jumped her, and ran away with her basket of goodies she had planned to give to her grandmother. She began to search desperately for the basket. Graham discovered the basket in Grandma's mailbox, and returned it to her. She thanked Graham, and then left skipping off to visit her grandmother.
- Milvia: The little old lady is the owner of the Antique Shop in Kolyma, which she inherited from her previous husband. She carries all sorts of nicknacks and antiques from around the world. Her nightengale was stolen by the evil witch Hagatha, an she asks Graham to return it to her. As a rewards she gives him a Genie's Lamp to help him in his adventure.
- Genie: The genie of the lamp granted Graham three treasures to help on his journey, first a sword, a magic carpet, and a magic bridle.
- Boatman: This shrouded, ghoulGhoulA ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights...
ferried King Graham across the Poisoned Lake, after the king donned the black cloak and the ruby ring, tricking the ghoul into thinking he was his master, Dracula. After Graham had killed Dracula, and received the last of the Magical Keys and the Sapphire Tiara, the ghoul ferried him back across the lake. Some claim the grim boatman is death itself, or even CharonCharon (mythology)In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon is the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay Charon for passage, usually an obolus or danake, was sometimes placed in or on...
. - Lion: The golden lion was the king of beasts and the ultimate guard over Valanice as she was kept prisoner by Hagatha in the Crystal Tower. The beast itself was a prisoner of the witch, held bondage by a powerful spell. The King's Quest Companion explains that before King Graham and Valanice returned to Daventry, they traveled through the magic door to the enchanted isle and freed the great golden lion from its chains. He took it to its jungle home and released it. Just before the lion disappeared into the foliage, it was joined by a tall man, wearing nothing but a loincloth. Both the lion and the man roared to the heavens, the man beating his chest, and then they were gone.
Enemies
Throughout his quest King Graham has to overcome several enemies to find his queen:- Hagatha is said to be the most powerful and evil of witches, who imprisoned Valanice in the Crystal Tower due to jealousy. Hagatha has a taste for human flesh and the skulls of her victims decorate the outside and inside of her cave. An evil, cannibalistic witch and the sister of Manannan and Mordack. Out of jealousy, she imprisoned Valanice in the Quartz Tower in King's Quest II. She lived in a cave near the coast of Kolyma and was never defeated by King Graham. She attends his wedding. According to the King's Quest Companion, she later disappeared from Kolyma soon after her brother kidnapped Alexander from Daventry. The writer worries that Hagatha and a cured Manannan may be together again plotting revenge. Hagatha also stole Milvia's nightingale. Much of Hagatha's story is inspired by the character of Dame Gothel from the fairy tale RapunzelRapunzel"Rapunzel" is a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. The Grimm Brothers' story is an adaptation of the fairy tale Persinette by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force originally published in 1698...
. - The Enchanter lives in Kolyma and enjoys turning people into frogs. He is tall and stately with black flowing robes and a long white beard. He is evil sorcerer living in Kolyma. He maybe the same sorcerer who stole the Magic Mirror from the Land of Daventry from King Edward (hiding underground with his guardian dragon), as well as the sorcerer Graham encountered during his adventures obtain the three treasures. He wears the pointed hat designating him to be a member of the Magicians' Guild (the same organization which Manannan is a member). He is a member of the Mystic race. In KQ1, then known as the Sorcerer (in KQ1 remake), he traveled around Daventry, occasionally casting Paralysis Spells on unsuspecting victims. Later, after Graham banished evil from Daventry, he traveled to Kolyma, where he enchanted Pegasus, turning it into a viper, when he refused to let the wizard ride him. He also wanders Kolyma, looking for victims to enchant, turning them into frogs. He later attends Graham's wedding.
- Dracula is a vampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
- a supernatural being of great strength, and immortal as long as he is able to drink the blood of humans at regular intervals. Count Dracula the evil count and ruler of vampires in Kolyma. Dracula's Castle is on an island in the middle of a poisoned lake. He and his minions are at odds with the monks living nearby according to the King's Quest Companion. A monk gives Graham a cross to protect him from the vampire (after they pray together). Graham receives Dracula's ring and black cloak from Granny, which tricks the Boatman and ghosts of Dracula's Castle, allowing him inside the castle. Graham later kills him, but he somehow returns to attend Graham's wedding. According to the King's Quest Companion he withdrew from the other world along with his castle. It is suggested by Derek Karlavaegen that he may not even be a supernatual vampire, but rather the last surviving member of the 'lizardfolk' a race evolved from both chameleons and bats (and which silver is a deadly poison). He is the only villain that can be killed in KQ2 (much like the 'wicked witch' in KQ1). Count Dracula is based on the character of the same name in from Bram Stoker's Dracula. - The Wolf: This creature sometimes sleeps in Grandma's bed. The wolf had hid Riding Hood's basket of goodies in Grandma's mailbox. The reasons why may never be known. He has big TEETH, good enough to eat others with. Graham encountered the wolf inside Grandma's house laying in her brass bed, wearing, grandma's clothing. The wolf quickly got out of bed and tried to chase after Graham. He quickly escaped outside before the wolf could catch him. He later attends Graham's wedding.
- The Dwarf: Citizen Bandit is a dwarf living in Kolyma. He constantly tries to rob travelers to the land. His home is the Dwarf Tree, a giant tree with a door carved into its base. Inside a ladder leads underground to his home. The bandit's favorite food is chicken soup which he prepares in his fire place. The Dwarf holds one of the five Sapphire Jewels, the Sapphire Earrings inside a chest in his home. He later attends Graham's wedding.
- Ghosts: A couple of spooky ghosts floated around the entrance to CastleCastleA castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
DraculaCount DraculaCount Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
. The ghostly apparitions guarded the evil being who lurked within the castle walls. The possess anyone who attempts to enter the castle uninvited and force them to walk into the poisonous brambles of the island killing them. Graham was able to trick them into thinking he was Dracula allowing him into the castle.
Other
- Gerwain (or Gervain): The royal Prime Minister of Daventry, seeing his liege's melancholy he called together a great banquet drawing together all the eligible maidens of the kingdom. Later in life, following his bad advice to sacrifice the maidens to the three-headed dragon, he was dismissed from his duties. However, he left amicable, and took up his dream to become a mushroom farmer. Gerwain is first mentioned in KQ2 manual, and is the author of the KQ2 chronicle in the King's Quest Companion. Gerwain does not actually appear in the game but is mentioned in the prologue.
- Edward: Appears I'm the magic mirror to warn King Graham to find a wife. Only appears in the manual short story.
- Giant: Having left the Land of the Clouds the giant attended Graham's wedding.
- Fairy Godmother: Having originally helped Graham in Daventry, his Godmother attended his wedding.
- Leprechaun King: originally the ruler of the Land of the Leprechauns, the king attended Graham's wedding.
- Dragon: Originally banished from Daventry, the enchanter's dragon attended Graham's wedding.
- Shark: Seen briefly swimming in Neptune's Kingdom, it attends Graham's wedding.
Releases
- The game was first released in 1985 on a self-booting disk that supported CGA, PCjr, and Tandy graphics.
- It was also released on Apple IIGSApple IIGSThe Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
version with improved soundtrack and sound effects.
Puzzle solving
All puzzles in the game are solved through a parser. The player may type a phrase with a verb and noun, for example 'Look at ocean' or 'Pick up trident', the word list in the parser is fairly robust and understands quite a non-important verbs which will result in unexpected replies. For example you could type, 'dig', or 'dig the beach' and receive messages about how pointless it is to be digging. Sometimes even illogical verb/noun combinations will net unique comments, such as typing 'Pick up horse' will mention that the flying steed is too fast to catch.With this system the player is able to collect many items using 'pick up ____' placed into the games inventory. The items in the inventory have close up pictures giving an idea what the item looks like, or in some cases offering clues about the item. In a rare few examples an item may be manipulated in some way. For example if you receive the glass bottle, looking at it shows that a sheet is inside. The player can then type 'remove cloth from bottle' to get the sheet.
'Puzzles' involve trading these or using these items to receive new items or to get past obstacles, allowing the player to progress. For example the player could 'give basket to girl' and receive a 'bouquet'. The game in general honors non-violent solutions, so while you could 'kill lion' offering it something instead will net more points.
Many 'puzzles' have more than one solution, but only one optimum solution (earn maximum points). Alternate solutions will net less points or in some cases cause the player to lose points. Examples of alternate solutions are taking more violent approach to getting past an obstacle such as killing or stealing. For example if you use the trident to steal the 'key' instead of offering it to Neptune will net more points (just don't try offering the Trident to the king afterwords). the other type of alternate solution involves giving one of five discovered treasures (Sapphire Jewels) to individuals to trade for items or progress. For example you can 'give bracelet to mermaid' for her to call the seahorse, rather than give 'bouquet'. Giving treasures instead of the proper solution will cause the player to lose points equal to the value of the treasure.
In some cases taking the most complicated route. For example you could take the bird cage from Hagatha's cave when she isn't around, or you could cover the cafe and take it out instead (if she is there or not) to get full points. The sheet keeps the bird from making noise in the cave.
Some choices may lead to dead ends, for example if the player gives the trident directly to the mermaid, Neptune will kill the player the moment he player enters his presence.
The game also has a few obscure or illogical solutions to puzzles. For example there is a viper blocking a path. Shortly before this the player receives three items from the same source (a magic carpet, a sword, and a bridle). The player can kill the viper with the sword (that has a marking of a snake, as if a clue) but receives few points. The optimal solution involves involves 'throwing bridle at snake' disenchanting the snake, and netting the player a magic 'sugar cube' in return. The first solution is a bit of a red herring, although the intent of the marking of the snake was meant to associate the various items with the snake.
Novelization
A novelization of the game is included in The King's Quest CompanionThe King's Quest Companion
The King's Quest Companion is a book by Peter Spear that serves as both hint book/walkthrough and contained complete novelization of each of the games in the King's Quest series by the original Sierra On-Line company. The first three editions were published by Silicon Valley Books, and fourth...
which expands the details of story. It was written from the perspective of Daventry's prime minister, Gerwain (mentioned in the KQ2 manual). The first and second editions of the Companion also included articles within "An Encyclopedia of Daventry (Abridged)", which gave backstories for various characters and locations from the game. More back history about Kolyma can be found in the chapter, "The World of Daventry" in all editions.
Manual
The manual contains a prologue short story by Annette Childs. The story covers Graham being told by the spirit of the former King Edward in the magic mirror that he must find a wife, or suffer the same fate of the kingdom as he had. Graham calls upon his prime minister Gerwain to prepare a great feast, and call all the maidens and ladies throughout the land. None of the ladies interest the king, and he is left solemn. The magic mirror activates telling him about young maiden Valanice trapped in a tower by the evil witch Hagatha. He is told he must travel to land of Kolyma to find the magic doorway that leads to the enchanted realm.Hintbook
Sierra's Hintbook for the game was written by Al LoweAl Lowe
Al Lowe is an American musician and game designer/programmer who developed several adventure games, mostly for Sierra On-Line. He is best known for his creation of Leisure Suit Larry and the long-running series it spawned....
the creator of the Leisure Suit Larry
Leisure Suit Larry
Leisure Suit Larry is a series of adventure games written by Al Lowe and published by Sierra from 1987 to 2009. The main character, whose full name is Larry Laffer, is a balding, dorky, double entendre-speaking, leisure suit-wearing "loser" in his 40s...
series.
Development
King's Quest II resembles King's Quest I in appearance and interface. King's Quest II contains fourteen musical selections, including Tchaikovsky's love theme from Romeo and Juliet. Other songs include Green Sleeves on the title screen.Limited floppy space would have restricted my design, but we had been compressing our pictures by drawing them as lines and fill colors for a while. That scheme was kept all the way up to King's Quest V.
This sequel to the original King's Quest provided not just a second look at the life of King (formerly Sir) Graham of Daventry, it also began a tradition of using King's Quest as a training ground for future designers. Future Space Quest series designers Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe joined the development team. This game does not support sound cards or mice, as they did not exist at the time of publication.
Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe helped to make the game an even bigger hit than the original.
According to Roberta Williams;
- King's Quest II reminded me a little of Wizard and the Princess. We saw how previous games (Mystery House and King's Quest I) were received by the public, and I was anxious to try my hand at a bigger story right away. Graham would be king by now. What quest should a lonely king go on? What should he see through the magic mirror? A maiden in distress! I started to forsee a family for Graham in the future. I couldn't fit some ideas into King's Quest I, so I was happy to get a chance to include King Neptune, Dracula, everyone from Little Red Riding Hood, and that infamous rickety old bridge you could only cross so many times.
- My earlier games, from Mystery House to King's Quest II, were great games, but they couldn't have the deep complex plots I wanted due to memory and space limitations. Basically they were treasure hunts with lots of simple goals (you go from here to there) and fun puzzles to add to the challenge. King's quest III had to push things a little farther.
- The story always comes first, but technology plays a big part in what you can't do.
This was the first King's Quest to include an introduction cutscene, just past the credits. It also is the first game in the series with a linear story progression. The world actually changes as the story progresses, new characters appear in the world, areas are opened up to the player, and closed off when no longer needed. For example the mermaid appears after reading the inscription on the first door, the Antique Shop opens after reading the second inscription, the Boatman appears after the third door inscription is read.
It was first released in 1985 as a disk that booted on start-up but was re-released in 1987 with EGA
Enhanced Graphics Adapter
The Enhanced Graphics Adapter is the IBM PC computer display standard specification which is between CGA and VGA in terms of color and space resolution. Introduced in October 1984 by IBM shortly after its new PC/AT, EGA produces a display of 16 simultaneous colors from a palette of 64 at a...
support to run under DOS. This is why most remaining copies bear a 1987 rather than a 1985 copyright date.
The Apple II version added improved sound over the PC version.
Credits
- Designed & Written by Roberta WilliamsRoberta WilliamsRoberta Williams is an American video game designer. She is most famous for her pioneering work in graphical adventure games, particularly the King's Quest series.-Career:...
- Development System: Jeff Stephenson, Chris Iden, Robert Heitman
- Game Logic: Ken Williams, Sol Ackerman, Chris Iden Scott MurphyScott MurphyMatthew Scott Murphy is an entrepreneur and the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
, Dale Carlson - Graphics: Doug MacNeill, Mark Crowe
- Music: Al LoweAl LoweAl Lowe is an American musician and game designer/programmer who developed several adventure games, mostly for Sierra On-Line. He is best known for his creation of Leisure Suit Larry and the long-running series it spawned....
Version history
- 1.0W: AGI1 version
- 1.1H: AGI1 version
- 2.1 (04-10-1987): This is the version that is included in most copies of the King's Quest Collection. It has the disk-based copyprotection removed. Uses AGI2.
- 2.2 (05-07-1987): This version is associated with the Amiga release. There are two sub-versions one uses interpreter 2.426 and the other uses 2.917. Uses AGI2.
Reception
The game was well received in the press, for its innovation.. Compute! magazine said the game was Like playing an animated cartoon."...As a story, it's the best...an enchanting game..."-Scott Mace, Insider Magazine, "If you liked King's Quest, you'll love the sequel"-Consumer Software News, "Roberta Williams has simply outdone herself"-Computer Entertainment, King's Quest II has "the most lushly painted and highly detailed scenery seen since...well, King's Quest I."-Questbusters journal. "The interactive story is presented in full color, animated, three-dimensional graphics and scored with multipart music and sound effects. King's Quest attempts to merge the best aspects of text adventures with graphics of arcade games. The animated graphics are simply the best we have ever seen on a home computer."-Computer Gaming World, June 1985.
"I used to be a member of the I-Hate-Adventure-Games Club until I met King's Quest II, Romancing the Throne. This program is a breakthrough in game adventures. I say "game adventures" instead of adventure games because King's Quest II is mostly animation with a little typing thrown in. The first thing I said when I saw this game was ..WOW.. And I didn't stop being amazed. You never know what you might encounter just around the next bend. It might be a beautiful beach or it might be an enemy stalking you... Move King Graham to any edge of the screen and, seconds later, the next picture screen loads in. I still can't get over the graphics. The trees, buildings, lakes and ocean are all dimensionally correct. In other words, you can walk into a tree head-on, or from the sides, the back, or just walk around it. If you see a tree with a long branch that extends off onto the right side of the monitor, you will see the rest of the branch when you get to the next screen. Each screen is colorful and detailed with a good feeling of atmosphere. I thought there could be only a few screens on one 3 1/2-inch disk, but was I wrong! I counted at least 35 screens on the first disk alone. And there are two disks to the game. As you travel about this strange land you may encounter other animated characters—each with his, her, or its own personality. You might recognize some of the characters from fairy tales and legends. And you will soon find out if they are there to help or hinder you...The story itself is very well laid out. It's obvious that a lot of thought was given to how the screens would fit together and how the characters would interact. The characters you will meet are delightful. Each one has a different facial expression and can move about as freely as you. And you will find yourself freely running from a few of them...If all adventures could be this enjoyable and visually stimulating, I would have been an adventure game freak long ago. I found myself up until the wee morning hours, with just the monitor lighting, the room, laughing and smiling at a new sequence I had discovered. Then I realized I was afraid I would complete my quest, and I didn't want it to end."
-Brad Kershaw, ANTIC, MAY 1986
"I first experienced computer gaming through her early work...so I sort of grew up on her style of adventure game design. She has a clean and crisp style of design that states the goals of the game clearly and makes your challenges clear, which I find refreshing...I really do think "King's Quest I" was the finest adventure game ever written, and the most fun to play...I also liked "King's Quest II" a lot. I think both of these games are great examples of the kind of adventure games that I like to play and that started the whole adventure game following in the first place. "King's Quest I" and "King's Quest II" are unlike most computer games written nowadays. Frankly, they don't feature the deep, complex plots of games like "Police Quest III" and "Conquests of the Longbow". Instead, these games are basically treasure hunts with lots of fun puzzles thrown in to add challenge. They feature simple goals—you know what it takes to win the contest with the computer. For me, adventure games have represented a pleasant diversion—something I could boot up and get lost in for a few hours at the end of a long day. I view them the same way some people review Rubics Cube or a crossword puzzle. I want simple goals—something I can jump into the middle of and go...I want hard puzzles—real mind benders—so that when I solve one I can sit smugly... with a sense of satisfaction. This straight forward "goals and puzzles" approach to adventuring represents the oldest and purest approach to the art form. Everyone at Sierra has their opinion about how adventure games should work, of course, but as for me, give me the old-time adventuring. Give me the early "King's Quests."-John Williams, Interaction Magazine, Spring 1992.
Easter Eggs
The game has several known Easter eggs, the first can be found near a patch of trees near the Dwarf Tree. If the player types look at trees, he will be told that something is hid behind one of the Trees. If the player looks behind the tree he will discover a note nailed to the tree. If the player examines the note he will be given a close up, which is an advertisement listing several of Sierra's adventure games.On top of the Mountain, there is a hole in a rock. Examining the hole opens up a plug to another Sierra adventure game. on the PC version the plug is for Space Quest Chapter I: The Sarien Encounter. On the apple II version it is a plug for King's Quest III.
If the player enquires about Graham's last or first name in the parser, the game responds with "Cracker".
If the player enquirer 'who wrote this game' the game replies with an answer, Roberta.
If the player attempts to speak to the seahorse the game responds that it isn't Mr. Ed.
Try kissing Hagatha in her cave or anywhere else for a funny message.
The batmobile may appear out of Hagatha's cave.
Al Lowe was behind the music in the game, but also inserted a few things into the parser system. Due to this, female characters in the game can be referred in not so flattering terms in the parser. He even included a rather suggestive alternate description for Valanice.
Sierra remake (cancelled)
In 1990 the developers at Sierra redeveloped Kings Quest with a new interface and up-to-date technology. The plan was to redevelop Kings Quest II but due to rather disappointing sales of the 1990 remake of King's Quest I, the prospect of officially remaking and re-releasing King's Quest II was scrapped.Fan adaptation
In 2002, AGD InteractiveAGD Interactive
AGD Interactive , LLC. is a non-profit company given a fan license to remake Sierra Entertainment's popular classic adventure games from the 1980s and early 1990s.-History:...
, then known as Tierra Entertainment, released an unofficial remake of King's Quest II under a fan license by Vivendi, known as King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones
King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones
King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones is a fangame remake/retelling of Sierra Entertainment's King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne by AGD Interactive produced through a fan license by Activision. It was followed up by King's Quest III Redux. In 2009, the version 3.0 Enhanced Edition was released,...
.
The remake uses a point-and-click interface functionally identical to an advanced SCI game engine, VGA graphics and digital sound, including full speech for all characters. Notably for an unofficial, fan-made project, the game's protagonist King Graham is voiced by Josh Mandel, who also voiced the part in Sierra's official CD-ROM full-speech versions of King's Quest V and VI. In contrast to the group's remake of King's Quest I, a content-wise identical presentation upgrade, King's Quest II+ redesigns the original game to adding a rewritten plot expanding on the 1985 version (although it changes several points of the plot, 'Dracula' is now a good guy, and the 'Monk' is a bad guy, several characters removed), a number of puzzles, new characters and locations including a town, and references to future King's Quest games. In March 2009, AGD Interactive released version 3.0 of this remake. This version showcases redrawn backgrounds and dialogue pictures; the voice-acting was also dramatically improved and, thanks to fan feedback, many problems were attended to.