King's Quest - Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home Reviews
The fourth chapter adds some interesting character dynamics, but an overreliance on block puzzles drags the whole thing down to a series low
Being a player invested in the story and humor of this episodic King’s Quest, I’m glad that I played through Snow Place Like Home.
Beneath its patchwork of puns, King’s Quest has a strong and loving message, galvanised by the presence of two intertwining storylines. Each adventure is being retold by a much older King Graham, recounting every major event in his life as his granddaughter, Gwendolyn, hangs on every word.
I think the most understated element of the new King's Quest though is that we get to see Graham grow up before our eyes -- from a young runt to a wise kingly figure on his death bed. It's a scope that we really don't see that often, contrasted with adventure games that typically take place across the span of a few days or weeks. King's Quest: Snow Place Like Home might be influenced too greatly by modern titles that are essentially interactive novels, but I'm more than willing to see this through until the end.
If rumors are true that we’ll see the conclusion of King’s Quest before the end of the year, I’m concerned that it will be rushed out too quickly for its own good. Or maybe it’s just the odd numbered chapters that are the knockouts, offering great story and puzzles. Time will tell how the story concludes, but Snow Place Like Home is the weak link in the King’s Quest chain, with weak environments, terrible puzzles, and a lack of any real immersion in the narrative choices as Chapter Four gives players the cold shoulder.
I overall enjoyed my time with episode 4, but as I mentioned earlier, it just feels like each game offers a different experience. Not that this is a bad thing, but the gameplay and what to expect just sort of feels all over the place.
Admittedly, there are a few rooms that could have probably been removed altogether and instead replaced with more story exposition.
Snow Place Like Home presents an unusual structure for the series. The results, however, are convincing, and somehow bold. It would be nice to have, in the modern gaming landscape, more space for talented guys like The Odd Gentlemen, and less enthusiasm for lineare and unoriginal adventures.
Review in Italian | Read full review
King's Quest: Chapter 4 - Snow Place Like Home packs some of the best storytelling in the series so far, but a bizarre and repetitive structure for the majority of its length holds it back from greatness.
If you enjoy the story of King’s Quest then you’ll love Snow Place Like Home. If, however, you prefer traditional adventure game puzzles, you won’t find those here.
King's Quest continues to show it's love for the original games, but it fails in the gameplay department. It lacks any real adventure style gameplay and is padded out with two dimensional puzzles and rehashed gameplay.
Chapter 4 of King's Quest has some great standout moments, and fantastic characterisation and script, with an almost unpredictable plot twist, which keeps players in suspense until just before the very end. Due to the slightly repetitive nature of the puzzles, it's likely some people will get bogged down, but the payoff at the end is definitely worth it, especially back in the present with its "subtle" foreshadowing. There is a lot of fun to be had with this, and it can be thoroughly recommended to those who are playing through the series.
When the puzzles start getting more complex, they don’t really get harder, they just get more annoying to complete.
Snow Place Like Home doesn't do much for King's Quest in the gameplay department, but anyone who has played it this far is probably past caring much on that front. This story and these characters have cemented their place in our hearts, and the game feels like a good book that can't be put down. Lack of per-episode scenery or gameplay variety aside, King's Quest is everything an episodic title should be, as well as a pinnacle of storytelling all game developers should aspire to compete with.
While Snow Place Like Home admittedly feels like a step backwards for the series, it’s still well worth experiencing. It’s often plodding. And the episode may not deliver the most compelling puzzles we’ve seen so far, but when it comes to storytelling, The Odd Gentlemen have once again hit the mark.
There really is no other way around it, so I'll be blunt: King's Quest Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home is the weakest entry in the series to date. More numerous puzzles replace the previously clever ones, substituting quantity for quality and while the narrative itself continues to remain charming, overall my decisions felt as though they lacked some of the punch found in earlier entries.
King's Quest continues its impressive season bringing another beautiful and impactful chapter.