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KQ4--Scary

Started by TheReturnofDMD, June 19, 2010, 11:13:15 AM

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TheReturnofDMD

I don't know why, but KQ4 always seemed to be a bit spooky and eerie to me. Not exactly horror-esque, but on the spookiness level of a ghost story. Something about the emptiness of Tamir, the risk of death everywhere you turned and even the music seemed very dreary, spooky and melancholy.

Even just the land itself, with the zombies at night, the scary forest, the witches, something seemed very desolate and almost disturbing.

The whole tone of the game is very sad and spooky, and if done with VGA graphics and with the technology of KQ5-6 might've even been darker than KQ6 (for example actually hearing the wailing sounds of the baby ghost or the undead voices of the other ghosts or the voice of the Ogre or the guttural GRR of the Cave Troll)

I think even the KQ Companion recognizes the darkness of KQ4; The novel version is very bleak and tense and even introduces HP Lovecraft elements into it.

Haids1987

I'm with you.  I always sort of thought of the whole King's Quest series as slightly spooky.  Everything you mentioned about thinking the fourth game is scary--the risk of death, the emptiness--applies to all the other games.  I never liked how the main character is the seeming one and only that exists in the whole world.  And the music has its scary moments in all the other games--remember the horrible music it would play when Dahlia would swoop down and try to grab Graham in the first game?  And the hopelessness of the dark forest in the fifth game?  *Shudder*

Gosh, I love these games!  ;)
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atec123

you know MMG is making a KQ4 remake in KQ6 VGA style with AGS?

I am a mod on their forum.

It's going slow though.  their team is small.

still though.  that would be sweet.

and I totally agree.  spooky.
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KatieHal

I never read the novelization--Lovecraftian? Really? Oooh, tell me more!

I ALWAYS got nervous when I had to go near those trees. And the ogre's house? Oh man, my heart would be pounding! And around the creepy haunted mansion. I was convinced something was about to jump out at me or a ghost would come along and kill me any second.

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TheReturnofDMD

#4
Quote from: KatieHal on June 19, 2010, 08:08:14 PM
I never read the novelization--Lovecraftian? Really? Oooh, tell me more!

I ALWAYS got nervous when I had to go near those trees. And the ogre's house? Oh man, my heart would be pounding! And around the creepy haunted mansion. I was convinced something was about to jump out at me or a ghost would come along and kill me any second.

Yeah, he mentions that Nightgaunts, which are horrifying creatures which Lovecraft created, as well as Dhouls (another Lovecraft creation, a wormlike, immense creature) inhabited Tamir at night. Here's what a Nightgaunt might look like:

I felt the same way about all of Tamir--the land was so creepy and spooky you never knew what might leap out at you in any scene. It could truly be re-worked as a really scary, suspenseful game.

B'rrr

Quote from: Haids1987 on June 19, 2010, 06:37:57 PM
I always sort of thought of the whole King's Quest series as slightly spooky. 

This.

I never played KQ4 myself *hides in shame* but over the entire series you fight evil wizards, get chased around by various monsters, go into the realm of death and end up in all kind of strange and creepy places. Besides, KQ is known for their death messages! that alone should say something  :P
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KatieHal

Re: Nightgaunts--awesome. :)

Katie Hallahan
~Designer, PR Director~

"Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix." Christina Baldwin

I have a blog!

Baggins

#7
Other connections besides the Nightgaunts and Dholes found in the "An Encyclopedia of Daventry" (a supplement in first and second edition) is the fact that 'Whateley Manor' was once owned by Wilbur Whateley from the Dunwhich Horror.  Whateley Manor was also the location from the Dunwhich Horror.

It is also mentioned in all editions that Whately Manor was originally a mansion from Innsmouth, another Lovecraftian town. The former owners had the Innsmouth stare (i.e. turning into fishmen and left for the sea). The hauntings started later.

Its also interesting that the pirates in KQ3 were ultimately killed by Cthulu, heh heh. According to Alexander, "Ia' R'lyea! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ia'! Ia'!" is a powerful spell.

Abdul Alhazred wrote the Necronomicon. He's also a character originally from Lovecraft.

I think I put up all the Lovecraft links in the King's Quest Omnipedia, in the assorted articles. Although it's possible I missed a few.

Check out the King's Quest Omnipedia, I think I listed a few there.
Well, ya, King's Quest is on Earth. Daventry is very old city from a long time ago. It's in ruins now and people aren't quite sure exactly where it used to be. There are some archaeologists searching through the ruins, they think they know its Daventry. But its somewhere on Earth."-Roberta Williams http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/File:Daventryisearth.ogg

Jafar

That dangblasted Ogre scares me half to death every time. It doesn't help that I usually have the speed up so he comes charging at me like a freight train... XD
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KatieHal

Nice! Ohh yeah, I do recall having seen Alhazred's name elsewhere in connection with HPL.

I really need to read more actual Lovecraft. I know bits and chunks of his stuff but not the whole of it, really--I love the creepiness of his stuff and ideas, though. I've also played in two one-session Call of Cthulhu games that were both awesomely creepy. :)

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"Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix." Christina Baldwin

I have a blog!

TheReturnofDMD

Quote from: Baggins on June 20, 2010, 01:02:46 PM
Other connections besides the Nightgaunts and Dholes found in the "An Encyclopedia of Daventry" (a supplement in first and second edition) is the fact that 'Whateley Manor' was once owned by Wilbur Whateley from the Dunwhich Horror.  Whateley Manor was also the location from the Dunwhich Horror.

It is also mentioned in all editions that Whately Manor was originally a mansion from Innsmouth, another Lovecraftian town. The former owners had the Innsmouth stare (i.e. turning into fishmen and left for the sea). The hauntings started later.

Its also interesting that the pirates in KQ3 were ultimately killed by Cthulu, heh heh. According to Alexander, "Ia' R'lyea! Cthulhu fhtagn! Ia'! Ia'!" is a powerful spell.

Abdul Alhazred wrote the Necronomicon. He's also a character originally from Lovecraft.

I think I put up all the Lovecraft links in the King's Quest Omnipedia, in the assorted articles. Although it's possible I missed a few.

Check out the King's Quest Omnipedia, I think I listed a few there.

What is the screenshot in your avatar from?

B'rrr

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Baggins

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Well, ya, King's Quest is on Earth. Daventry is very old city from a long time ago. It's in ruins now and people aren't quite sure exactly where it used to be. There are some archaeologists searching through the ruins, they think they know its Daventry. But its somewhere on Earth."-Roberta Williams http://kingsquest.wikia.com/wiki/File:Daventryisearth.ogg