Episode 4: Favorite Moments

[Numbers]

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

I know a lot of people here absolutely hate the idea of putting a boss battle into an adventure game, but I genuinely liked getting the opportunity to beat the living hell out of Shadrack in the gameplay.  I'm usually very disappointed when you play a game and the bad guy gets defeated in a cutscene instead of by you, the player.  Guess I'm just one of those "Let me at 'im!" types.  So I liked duking it out with Shadrack, even though he was much more difficult to fight than...well, just about any other bad guy in the series.  (Mordack, Alhazred, and MoE bosses included.)

And yes, that moment when Shadrack goes "um..." when that boulder is over his head is the most satisfying part of the fight.

I didn't have as hard a time with the puzzles as a lot of people here did, so I didn't mind them as much.  However, I am in the camp that says that the opening of Pandora's box could have been half as long, and the tension in the scene would've been more consistent.

Some other things I liked: well, I liked going down into Cocteau's basement and being able to fall down the stairs; gave me a flashback to KQ5 where you could walk up Mordack's castle steps and die by literally falling from the stairs three feet from ground level. 

And the scene where the red and white queens finally lose it and all of the chess pieces begin to brawl...well, let's just say that it was one of those moments when the team nailed an existing character's personality perfectly.  Not all of the characters are accurate to their original interpretations (I highly suspect that the time-reversing spell is affecting Ali's age; he sounds, like, 20 years younger than he did in KQ6).  However, I felt that if that chess scene were in KQ6, that's EXACTLY how it would've played out.  And I am not ashamed to say that it put a smile on my face when Stick-in-the-Mud randomly flew from the dust cloud and slammed into the camera lens.

[KQ5Fan]

The boss battle was really fun. It was especially refreshing since that puzzle was so frustratingly boring.

[wilco64256]

I will say I rather enjoy how Graham is basically holding Stick and Tomato hostage:  

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

Even when he uses them he's basically like, "Help me and I'll return you to your homeland (even though that's where we are right now)."  Basically inferring that if they don't help him they'll go back into the void that is his pocket indefinitely.

[Numbers]

Graham can carry a lot of stuff in his pants.  I mean...did you see the size of that wood?

...

Okay, that was bad.  Seriously, though, adventurers in these games always seem to carry more than is physically possible.

[seir]

HAAAAA!!!

Actually, speaking of the wood, it did give me a laugh when they showed graham struggling to pick up the block of wood, but then suddenly, once he gets it to a certain point--BAM, disappears and he's moving freely as a bird again!  I'm positive they did that on purpose, as an intentional nod and jab at the adventurer's magical pockets of holding

[Arkillian]

Graham can carry a lot of stuff in his pants.  I mean...did you see the size of that wood?

OMG YES THAT MAN HAS A SEPERATE WORLD IN HIS POCKETS O.O

[Numbers]

I regret ever steering the conversation in this direction...

Anyway, back on topic, during the end cutscene:

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

When Alexander was dragging that heavy sword behind him, I was about ready to shout, "Storm brew!  STORM BREW!  FORGET ABOUT THE SWORD, YOU FOOL!  JUST GET OUT THE STORM BREW!"

[flitchard]

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

Probably Rosella's nightmare, seeing Alexander getting killed before her eyes...

[Aurelind]

I also enjoyed the dancing Muse a lot.  (Is it sad that lately I've been clumsily attempting to imitate her movements as I go through the house? ) And dealing with the Muses really helped invoke that old-school King's Quest feel of drawing on fable and myth.

I also really liked the sequence where Graham calls the winds.  Apparently, the man is not only in better shape than some college guys I know and skilled in medieval McGyvering, he's also a master of multiple instruments- at once!   

[Boogeyman]

1. Making Graham exit the Winged Ones' throne room (or the Commons) while NOT wearing the winged shoes.

2. Graham falling through the grating. and the Narrator's response.

3. The chess brawl, which resulted in Stick-In-The-Mud and Rotten Tomato being smashed against the screen.

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

4. Dropping the giant boulder on Shadrack. (although it DID bring back some bad memories of Lavos using Grand Rock.)

[meg_math]

I would say without a doubt

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

Graham falling down stairs and the narrator screaming

Wheeee! Do it again Graham!

 

[Luzze]

I loved the music at the maze. It reminds me on this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bODOcBGJSM0&feature=related and I love to be reminded on KQ 7 (as well as 5) as they are my favourite parts of the series.

The opening scene with rosella was great, too! Will we see the pumpkin house again in the next episode?

[drusain]

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

White King walking like a bird to the chessboard

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

Queens bickering. I thought "This plan is pathetic" from White Queen was hilarious

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

The chess pieces "fighting" and everything goes into a cloud of smoke like in a Looney Toons show.. oh heck, I just love that entire isle!

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

The painter was just someone you could love to hate

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

Celeste's finger-in-mouth "UGGGH"

[rolltide001]

Oh. My. Gosh.  I am about to die!  I can't stand waiting six months to find out who the Silver ranger is (if at all)!
He is hands down my FAVORITE!

[DragonsQuest]

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

the moment when you call the 4 winds to break open the wall. It was just such a nice little moment, oh and the music there too was very nice. Same sort of thing with the balloon too.

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

And also the narrator was really funny in this one. She had a lot more to say this time around I think. (So much so that she kills you at one point for talking too much  ) I love her response when Graham decides it's okay to take off his magical flying shoes hundreds of feet in the air.

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

Solving Pandora's Box on the harder difficulty. Took me like 45 minutes, but I did it!

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

The showdown at the end with the talisman thingy. It reminded me of Gabriel Knight using it to block evil creatures.

[ladidada]

Favorite moments:

Figuring out that you get Graham to whistle the theme to KQI, that makes the game to me...(I am simple?)

I also really like the end theme I think it was to the 3rd chapter where the narrator lady I believe sings

Getting to explore deeper into the Islands than we ever got to in KQVI
 

[Neonivek]

Spoiler (mouse over to reveal):

Playing Valinece of Daventry

I can't help it she is my second favorite of the Royal Family (with Alexander being my absolute favorite) and seeing her in a situation where she actually had to save her daughter instead of doing everything but was exciting.

Heck they even used the line "Rosella my daughter" which to anyone who played KQ7 (which I consider underrated, since it is actually very solid) is practically a call out to that game.

[GrahamRocks!]

- The Pandoras Box puzzle. I didn't think it was all that bad! Then again, I was a wimp and picked "easy" so it only took patience, and attention to detail. And, I was able to save my own sign (Aries) for last. It only took 20 minutes, although it felt longer than that. I loved the music in that scene and how it built up more and more (choir, drums, guitar, more orchestra) each time you solved a side.

- The Shadrack fight.

- Pan's Lute and Flute music. Now that I've actually seen footage of The Perils of Rosella, I recognize the lovely tune anywhere.

- The Winged Ones City, and everything about it. Even the sadder moments with the street performers (Poor Graham looks about ready to cry! Then again, can't say I blame him.) is still beautiful thanks to the music.

- Listening to Graham whistle. I wonder if he knows how to sing too? Rosella, Alexander and Valanice have proved it.

[Neonivek]

I did the hard Pandora's box... WOW was it frustrating

But I got a system going where I could identify what circle it was. I had to that minigame did NOT take it easy on you.

[Rockabore]

I have a few favorite parts.

I really liked the Muses because the conversation with the sisters entertained me.

I also enjoyed like many others the deaths of Graham with the Narrator going on long tangents, like in the Basement of the Beast.

Speaking of parts from the basement I loved the thing with the termites carving shout outs to other classic Sierra games. Way to keep the old Sierra traditions alive cause those parts always gave me a laugh.

One of the funniest parts to me was the giant wooden block. Now when the Narrator says, "It won't fit in your pockets. Strange, I know." I'm thinking, "If Graham can fit a block of wood that was as tall as himself in his pocket I don't think so." It reminds me of how Laura Bow fit a whole mummy in her purse in Laura Bow 2 (another part I'll never forget ). I never thought that I found the Sierra pocket pocket-universes so funny but I guess I do.