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Phoenix Online Studios => The Silver Lining => General => Topic started by: Sir Perceval of Daventry on October 23, 2012, 10:37:42 AM

Title: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Sir Perceval of Daventry on October 23, 2012, 10:37:42 AM
In KQ6, did the Realm of the Dead majorly creep anyone else out? When I first began playing KQ games, at age 6 or 7, I remember being REALLY creeped out by the Realm of the Dead. I think it was the eerie music which did it for me, but the realm is very very creepy...From the eerie night sky, dark oceans and far off pyramids, lonely sort of atmosphere, to the shuffling zombies (and their eerie moans) and seemingly organic ground...While that segment of the game is tame for me now as an adult, it still isn't an environment I'd EVER visit if it existed, even if you paid me. Truly a creepy realm.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: drusain on October 23, 2012, 12:22:43 PM
I was scared by those lame flesh-eating zombies when I played. So good thing I wasn't playing Gabriel Knight at that age...

My head almost exploded when I saw the scene with the gatekeeper, ticketmaster, etc. I'm going "Whoa, I've been here before in my death scenes!"
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Deloria on October 23, 2012, 09:45:46 PM
I have a tendency to panic and flail wildly whenever something deadly comes on screen and I only have a short amount of time to defeat it. I suspect this may have originated in KQ6. XD Though it's worse in other games. Especially in Minecraft. Minecraft needs a shrink spider mod. :P
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Bludshot on October 24, 2012, 09:31:32 AM
I always forget those spiders don't burn up in the sun, so I always go out to greet the morning and get dive bombed by a "SCCRRRRRCHHHH" noise.

As for the Realm of the Dead, as most of you already mentioned the idea of bad guys and timing was enough to make myself panic when I was a kid, top it all of with a carnivorous door and the end reuslt is I always needed my mom to help me.

When I first played it again senior year of high school I saw just how non threatening those zombies really are. :P

I get creeped out for different reasons now though.  I find Samhain's imprisonment unnerving, this along with the narrator's description of what he sees in the mirror is more than enough to make me uncomfortable.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Jafar on October 24, 2012, 09:54:29 AM
I think the consequences for failing Death's challenge and the following (semi)unique game over screen it gets is deserving of mention. Two times the nightmares, two times the fun! :D
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Bludshot on October 24, 2012, 10:56:35 AM
Ooooh I don't think I've seen that, you know if it is youtube accessible?
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Jafar on October 24, 2012, 11:41:00 AM
Somewhere around the 5 minute mark in this video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPT_s4ZQbSU)
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Bludshot on October 24, 2012, 12:55:07 PM
Haha, I can see that sort of thing traumatizing my 5-year-old self.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: GrahamRocks! on October 24, 2012, 05:58:34 PM
Death Waits For No Man!

"Indeed!" as Dilandau3000 said.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: snabbott on October 25, 2012, 12:23:04 PM
I was in college at the time, so it was more amusing to me than anything else.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Haids1987 on October 25, 2012, 12:46:54 PM
Quote from: Deloria on October 23, 2012, 09:45:46 PM
I have a tendency to panic and flail wildly whenever something deadly comes on screen and I only have a short amount of time to defeat it.
ZOMG, I'm exactly the same way! When I went through The Dagger of Amon Ra a few months back, I almost wet my pants when the killer was chasing me around the museum! Water glasses were knocked over, dogs barked, sweat dripped. Those moments are intense!  :o

Anyway, the Realm of the Dead. Well, I was a mere eight year-old the first time around, so yeah, you could say it frightened me. Hell, it still unnerves me, and not just because of the zombies. The weird, nightmarish quality it has--the pyramids in the background, the strange fiber thingies, the freaky ass trees and plant things--it's completely unsettling. It's sort of like the "alone in the world" feeling we discussed in KQ4.

But oh man, is it an amazing scene in the game. I will play the whole way through just for that part because it is so well done. From the moment you charm Night Mare on, it is amazingly incredible gameplay. I always raised my (often overturned by this point) glass to Roberta at that point in the game!
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: GrahamRocks! on October 25, 2012, 03:57:31 PM
If you thought the Land of The Dead in KQ6 was scary, wait until you see the Land of Hades in QFG5!

Skeletons sap your life away, making you like them: fallen Heroes.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Bludshot on October 25, 2012, 07:41:33 PM
Quote from: Haids1987 on October 25, 2012, 12:46:54 PMFrom the moment you charm Night Mare on, it is amazingly incredible gameplay. I always raised my (often overturned by this point) glass to Roberta at that point in the game!

It might be prudent to raise your empty glass to Jensen for that one.  After I played through the Gabriel Knight series her influence on KQ6 is really clear.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Deloria on October 26, 2012, 08:55:13 AM
Quote from: GrahamRocks! on October 25, 2012, 03:57:31 PM
If you thought the Land of The Dead in KQ6 was scary, wait until you see the Land of Hades in QFG5!

Skeletons sap your life away, making you like them: fallen Heroes.
I found those irritating more than anything else. Considering how much Greek mythology influence there is in this game, I really thought Hades would be more meaningful/immersive than it was. :( Ultimately it was only two rooms and you could run past most of the threats without anything bad happening.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Haids1987 on October 26, 2012, 09:21:59 AM
Quote from: Bludshot on October 25, 2012, 07:41:33 PM
Quote from: Haids1987 on October 25, 2012, 12:46:54 PMFrom the moment you charm Night Mare on, it is amazingly incredible gameplay. I always raised my (often overturned by this point) glass to Roberta at that point in the game!
It might be prudent to raise your empty glass to Jensen for that one.  After I played through the Gabriel Knight series her influence on KQ6 is really clear.
In Fifi Le YipYap's voice: "So I did, so I did!" :) I'll raise my empty and overturned glass to both parties.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Numbers on October 26, 2012, 03:27:45 PM
Yes, the Realm of the Dead was a bit eerie to me, as was the Minotaur labyrinth, some parts both KQ4 and the KQ2 remake, and Rosella's singing in KQ7. But nothing will ever be as scary as seeing Connor's polygonal ass in MoE.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: GrahamRocks! on October 26, 2012, 05:49:27 PM
But... I like Land Beyond Dreams.

Heck, I like KQ7 in general.

MoE... I can't form an opinion yet. I've yet to find a good Let's Play of it, that isn't either blind nor unfinished.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Rosella on October 26, 2012, 05:52:11 PM
I can't remember if it was you I recommended it to or not, but Nidoking did a great LP of Mask of Eternity. (http://lparchive.org/Kings-Quest-VIII-Mask-of-Eternity/) XD
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: GrahamRocks! on October 26, 2012, 05:55:20 PM
But... he's doing it blind, isn't he?

Oh, alright... I suppose I'll check it out again.

..."This Page Does Not Exist"?!

He deleted it?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Rosella on October 26, 2012, 06:30:09 PM
Oh, sorry, I missed that. You don't like blind LPs? I usually find them the most interesting because you get to see people's honest reactions.

...And the link works for me. How odd.

And he says he's played it before, but...Well, here's what he said about it
QuoteI beat this game so long ago that I've forgotten almost everything about it, so except for what I've learned through my dozens of attempts to get a good recording, I'm playing this game more or less blind. Don't worry: if it comes to searching for stuff, I'll edit out the boring parts where I don't know what I'm doing. All you'll ever see are the boring parts where I do know what I'm doing.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Bludshot on October 26, 2012, 08:33:54 PM
Quote from: Haids1987 on October 26, 2012, 09:21:59 AM
Quote from: Bludshot on October 25, 2012, 07:41:33 PM
Quote from: Haids1987 on October 25, 2012, 12:46:54 PMFrom the moment you charm Night Mare on, it is amazingly incredible gameplay. I always raised my (often overturned by this point) glass to Roberta at that point in the game!
It might be prudent to raise your empty glass to Jensen for that one.  After I played through the Gabriel Knight series her influence on KQ6 is really clear.
In Fifi Le YipYap's voice: "So I did, so I did!" :) I'll raise my empty and overturned glass to both parties.

That is a lot of wasted beverages.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: crayauchtin on October 26, 2012, 11:16:59 PM
I was always MUCH too busy freaking out to actually play through the Realm of the Dead. Thankfully, I have an older brother who is much calmer about video games than I am (to this day.) I tend to react to things in video games the way I'd react in real life and I'm much braver now so I can refrain from panicking until the crisis is over (unless it's a game with like millipedes in it, then all bets are off and I'm likely just flailing on my mouse and hoping it will die. :P)

As for blind LPs.... I tend to dislike them as well, because.... sometimes something that is painfully obvious to me does not occur to the LPer. And then, while they wander around lost I'm screaming at the screen. And they can't hear me because it's YouTube. Upsetting.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Neonivek on October 28, 2012, 12:56:05 AM
Honestly yeah it did creep me out.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: inm8#2 on October 28, 2012, 11:52:59 PM
My brothers and I always looked forward to dying in KQ6. We loved the "Ticket please!" as Alexander punched into the Realm of the Dead.

As a side note I never get all the flack for dying in adventures. As long as you saved consistently, it was part of the fun to explore some of the deaths.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Neonivek on October 29, 2012, 12:29:35 PM
Quote from: inm8#2 on October 28, 2012, 11:52:59 PM
My brothers and I always looked forward to dying in KQ6. We loved the "Ticket please!" as Alexander punched into the Realm of the Dead.

As a side note I never get all the flack for dying in adventures. As long as you saved consistently, it was part of the fun to explore some of the deaths.

Well not to mention that it actually gave weight to your adventures. It was very rewarding to go through the death filled gauntlet and comming out with your life in tact.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Haids1987 on October 29, 2012, 01:59:21 PM
Quote from: Bludshot on October 26, 2012, 08:33:54 PM
Quote from: Haids1987 on October 26, 2012, 09:21:59 AM
Quote from: Bludshot on October 25, 2012, 07:41:33 PM
Quote from: Haids1987 on October 25, 2012, 12:46:54 PMFrom the moment you charm Night Mare on, it is amazingly incredible gameplay. I always raised my (often overturned by this point) glass to Roberta at that point in the game!
It might be prudent to raise your empty glass to Jensen for that one.  After I played through the Gabriel Knight series her influence on KQ6 is really clear.
In Fifi Le YipYap's voice: "So I did, so I did!" :) I'll raise my empty and overturned glass to both parties.
That is a lot of wasted beverages.
For the greater good, sacrifices must be made. :yes:
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Boogeyman on October 30, 2012, 04:46:34 PM
Quote from: GrahamRocks! on October 24, 2012, 05:58:34 PM
Death Waits For No Man!

"Indeed!" as Dilandau3000 said.

"Death...where is thy sting?" Now Alexander knows....
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Jack Stryker on December 24, 2012, 12:12:27 PM
Honestly, when I was a kid and watched my brother play that part, I wasn't creeped out at all.  But then again, a lot of things didn't quite sink in with me when I was a kid.  Certain cartoon shows weren't as funny to me back then, as they are now for example.  I'm not one who scares easily either, and generally have no fear of the undead.  In fact, in lots of games (WoW and Skyrim, for example) I find the undead to be more annoying than scary.  But when playing KQ6 game as an adult, the ghouls in the realm of the dead... the way those guys were presented... if I had to face one of THEM in real life, I'd be lucky if my heart lasted long enough for me to get away.  Let alone lift a gun up to them.

I think the thing that creeped me out the most though, was finding the corpse of the dead knight and wondering just how he died there of all places.  Just thinking about that still creeps me out to this day.  Come to think of it though... it's likely that all the sights and sounds that you've all described in your posts may have driven him insane and caused him to suffer a fatal heart attack.

Anyway, there's my thoughts.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: Neonivek on December 24, 2012, 01:21:06 PM
What scared me about the Land of the Dead was actually that these weren't evil ghosts.

These were just people and they weren't trying to kill you they were just so out of it and their simple touch could kill you on the spot. It was the idea of this place that was the most scary to me.

Heck if you speak to the ghosts they will move out of the way.
Title: Re: KQ6: Did the Realm of the Dead creepy anyone else out?
Post by: kyranthia on December 25, 2012, 08:12:04 PM
I remember being creeped out by the fact that that realm was the one the characters would all eventually end up in.  Kinda seemed pretty horrible and hellish, especially for decent folks.

I know - mythology has rather dark realms of the dead.  But raised with the idea of a heaven and hell, this realm seemed kinda...depressing for me.