Lamp>Witch?

[Bludshot]

Okay, so I was playing through the KQs for the umpteenth time. This particular run, I was pointing out all the puzzles/appearances/commands that seem incredibly random. I could go on and on about all nonsensical puzzles in adventure games, but this one never ceases to amaze me:

Defeating the witch in King's Quest V has got to be the strangest thing I have seen in a video game, seriously. King Graham and the witch are at an impass in those creepy woods, they exchange a few nasty words and what does Graham do? He walks right up to the witch, and sets a lamp down. Okay...

Heres the best part, the witch opens the lamp and a genie pops out, rather than give her three wishes or whatever, the genie decides to trap his liberator in the lamp for 500 years. How many Genie rules is that guy breaking?

This has bugged me for years, who in their right mind gives their enemies magical lamps(granted, Graham has never really been in his right mind, talking to owls and wearing a goofy cap)?

Does anyone else feel this way or am I just overthinking this?

[Yonkey]

It's been a while since I've played KQV, but what does it say when you try rubbing the lamp yourself?

[Rosella]

"YOU spend the next 500 years in a bottle!"

If you know anything about genie lamps, you would've rubbed it. Once you figured out that was not a very good idea, you would've noticed that the witch was very possessive and vain, so she would jump at the chance for 3 wishes that she could use to gain wealth and power and all of that stuff.

[dew7]

I never had much problem with that puzzle.  I am not sure but I think I needed a hint about getting the locket out of the bird's nest since that scene happened so quickly.  The big thing with King's Quest 5 and many early adventure games was having numerous save points because the game progressed even if you missed a valuable item such as the locket and had to restore to a much earlier point.  Anyway, no the lamp with the witch was not a usual scenario but I took it as one of the things that made the King's Quest series fun and unusual.

[Bludshot]

Well it wasn't to difficlt to figure out, I used it thinking that Graham would have the Genie dispose of the witch, I guess it's a good thing he didn't, that Genie is a jerk.

[dew7]

Yeah, but I suppose anyone would be entitled to be bitter after such a long time in a lamp.   BTW, what did you find the most challenging puzzle in King's Quest 5?  :-o

[Yonkey]

For me, it was the desert.  I had no idea you're supposed to hide behind a rock, and I never tried mapping it, so it just seemed like endless sand to me.

[Bludshot]

The desert was ridiculous. Good God Graham(hehe alliteration) can't you go 30 seconds without a drink of water?

Also I had a really hard time trying to find the cheese in Mordack's castle, how I am I supposed to know I need some? 

[Petra Rocks]

My father being who he is, he looked up a walkthrough about 30 seconds into the game and walked though. I was just watching at the time.

[Tage7]

For me, the HARDEST part was getting out of the freaking witch forest. Wait...WHAT?

Highlight the rest if you've already beaten the game:

There were diamonds in the pouch?? DOH! Those eyes are WHATA?! I thought they were generic creepy forest animals! I do WHAT with the honey comb?? HUH?! NO WAY!!

That was by far the most difficult part for me. It took me forever to beat the game because I always restored outside of the forest and NEVER went in there. GaaaahhhhhH!!!!! BAD MEMEORIES!!

[Deloria]

I spent months in the Dink's maze and am never forgiving the person who thought it up.

[Yonkey]

Really?  I didn't use a map at all for that.  If you always click on the most shadowy area, you end up reaching the Dink and the doors pretty easily.

[Deloria]

...

*sighs* Well then I've wasted hours of my life through my own ineptitude.

[Bludshot]

...

*sighs* Well then I've wasted hours of my life through my own ineptitude.

Don't be bummed, many of us were fooled by the cruel masters of KQ5.

[dew7]

Really?  I didn't use a map at all for that.  If you always click on the most shadowy area, you end up reaching the Dink and the doors pretty easily.

Wow, I did not know that either.  I tried mapping the place and did not have much success.  I usually just clicked until I went batty and eventually got to the places I need to go.

    

[Yonkey]

I don't think they intentionally designed it like that... it was just the technique I used, and it seemed to work.

[Bludshot]

Still, it would've been so much easier if they kept the maze at one point of view, makes mapping near impossible. 

[Delling]

I spent months in the Dink's maze and am never forgiving the person who thought it up.

As well you shouldn't, my Queene!  @ Dink's maze

Really?  I didn't use a map at all for that.  If you always click on the most shadowy area, you end up reaching the Dink and the doors pretty easily.

That's just not fair... not fair at all... 

Anyway, the real trick to Dink's maze IIRC is that the perspective changes to match your facing from the last screen as you go. So, if you head off left from the screen your on then what's behind you is the screen you were on but the bottom is what was the left turn before and what's across from you is also what was to your right before and what would then be to your right is back the way you came. All of which was a very malicious and confusing way to design a video game maze...

[dew7]

Speaking of which, it seems like many older games were usually more challenging and just plain fun than many modern games.  I think game designers have lost something with focusing so much on special effects and not story line or true and full character development.

[Bludshot]

Speaking of which, it seems like many older games were usually more challenging and just plain fun than many modern games.  I think game designers have lost something with focusing so much on special effects and not story line or true and full character development.

KQV's story was atrocious.
I consider it KQ's goofy cousin. The mazes were more of an inconvienence than an actual challenge.