Gabriel Knight 3
Final Beta Version
Thoughts and
Observations
The
following is not meant to be a review of GK3, nor is it intended to be
a discussion of any bugs that may be present in the beta version. To subject an
unfinished product to such scrutiny would be a disservice to our readers and to
Sierra. What does follow are my more or less random thoughts on what is the most
anticipated adventure game of the year. I have done my best to convey the atmosphere
of the game without giving away any of the plot.
Let me begin by stating
that Gabriel Knight as portrayed by Tim Curry has more personality in his pinkie
finger than any existing computer character present or past. Period. With all
due respect accorded to Dean Erickson, Mr. Curry is Gabriel Knight. His
every voice inflection seems to be embedded into Gabriel’s character. His sense
of humor and smooth Southern drawl are infectious, and when, early in GK3,
Gabriel turns and speaks directly to you, the player, a la Matthew Broderick
in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, it is the classic and defining moment in Gabriel
Knight history. It is Jane Jensen’s way of winking at her fans and making
us feel as though we share a special secret with her and Gabe.
Gabriel’s
physical appearance is actually more realistic in 3D than it was in full motion
video. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that it is easier to transfer
your playing personality to an animated character than it is a real, flesh-and-bones,
honest-to-goodness, full-motion-video person. The more high-end your computer
system, the smoother Gabriel’s appearance. Without going into a discourse of anti-aliasing,
transparency and numerous other 3D-accelerated effects that are only understood
by action gamers, I did set my video card at numerous different settings just
to see if Gabriel’s physical appearance would be altered–and it was. Squared
polygonal shoulders were rounded off and smoother, and Gabriel did not have as
much of a blocky look to him. Keep in mind, though, that these are only cosmetic
effects and do not in any way affect the most important elements–the plot and
the gameplay.
Jane Jensen has honed her craft well over the years. Whereas
the first Gabriel Knight adventure (Sins of the Fathers) was slow
to build momentum, GK3 jumps right into the meat of the story. While I
suspect that most of the prologue will be established in the game manual (which
I do not have), the opening cinematic is presented in a dreamlike fugue that is
reminiscent of many Alfred Hitchcock films.
Anyone familiar with the Grand
Dame of Mystery, Agatha Christie, will quickly realize where Ms. Jensen drew her
inspiration for this incarnation of Gabriel Knight. In classic fashion,
we are presented with a cast of characters who will, as the story broadens, all
be suspects in a Lindbergh-style kidnaping and treasure hunt that will have enormous
religious and socioeconomic repercussions. This is Ten Little Indians and
Murder on the Orient Express revised for the computer generation, and Gabriel
Knight is Hercule Poirot but with more hair.
If you have played any of the
3D action/adventure games that have been released in the past year, e.g., Redguard
or Mask of Eternity, then you will have no problem controlling Gabriel’s
movements. One nice touch is that the cursor can cover an extensive distance before
you must actually click on it to move Gabriel to a particular spot. The graphics
have so far been splendid. Inventory can be accessed by a right click of the mouse,
but if I am to believe my eyes, Gabriel has been putting all of the inventory
items he has discovered in his pants pocket. I found it extremely uncomfortable
to watch Gabriel shove a metal clothes hanger into the right pocket of his jeans.
(Note to Jane Jensen: this is not something I have ever seen a normal guy do,
not to mention the difficulty (and pain!) it would cause in walking. Even as I
remember this scene, I wince.) In all fairness, Jane does later address the implausibility
of the inventory system in a wonderfully surrealistic scene that had me roaring
with laughter. Too bad Grace wasn’t present at this scene–she could have stolen
an old Mae West line about a gun and happiness. Another nice touch is the point
system that allows you to keep track of your progress. It is particularity satisfying
(at least to me) to have some knowledge of how far you have progressed in the
game. Lastly, a look inside Gabe’s wallet gave me a feeling of warmth, as I now
respected Gabe even more for his newfound sense of responsibility.
There
are some problems with the game that, while I found them annoying, are not ruinous.
First, Gabriel often walks as slowly as he talks. This can be avoided by either
pressing the escape key or by setting the options to not view these transition
scenes. Secondly, I was dismayed by the game’s insistence that certain puzzles
could only be solved if I was in an exactly predetermined spot with no room for
error. Even though I knew my solution was correct, my inability to solve certain
puzzles led me to believe otherwise, and in frustration I had Sierra provide me
with a walkthrough. (Just for the record, I have learned my lesson after the Cydonia
incident when I received over 50 emails asking me for that hard-to-get walkthrough.
I have erased the GK3 walkthrough from my hard drive, as I would rather
have players use their own gray cells and converse with each other over the newsgroups
than complete the game in one weekend.)
This game will be a best-seller,
but if Sierra wants it to be a blockbuster and cause waves in the industry, it
will need to create controversy, as Phantasmagoria did with its now infamous
rape scene. The most interesting and sure-to-be-controversial aspect of GK3
thus far has to be the religious imagery along with Gabriel’s sarcastic remarks
concerning such. I would think that Gabriel’s peculiar religious musings and offhand
remarks such as referring to Mary Magdalene as, “What a babe. Huh,”
will be just what the doctor ordered for the ailing adventure genre. I hereby
extend a helping hand, free of charge, to Sierra’s public relations staff and
offer a suitable quote to get the ball rolling:
“Ridiculing
the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene! What has this country come to when our youth
can play a game that is not only sacrilegious in nature, but also disrespectful
towards women of the Bible. Gabriel Knight 3 is a game that should be boycotted
by all God-fearing Americans.”
Is GK3 the godsend
that will save the adventure genre? Quite simply–no. I personally do not believe
that any one game will save the genre–no matter how excellent it is. At its heart
and soul, GK3 is still a point-and-click, slow-moving, heavy-on-the-brain-cells
adventure game. If the genre is to be saved, I sincerely believe that it will
come from an unexpected source, be it the sudden influx of adventure games on
the Playstation or the recent outspoken group of action gamers who are demanding
more adventure/puzzle aspects in games such as Drakan. It may even be saved
by the most unexpected source of all–Lara Croft. In a recent interview, Jeremy
Smith, the Managing Director of Core, stated that the Tomb Raider series
needs to go in a new direction, and he is seriously considering the adventure
genre. Now wouldn’t that be a team-up for the new millennium! Gabriel and Lara
with Grace on the sidelines to pick up the pieces.
Join us in two weeks
as Just Adventure begins its “Where’s Gabriel?” contest and we award
copies of Gabriel Knight 3 and Gabriel Knight 3 coffee mugs to our
readers. Then be sure to be back in late October to read co-editor Jen Guenther’s
review of Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned.
Oh,
I almost forgot! Will there be a Gabriel Knight 4? Well, that depends on
the sales figures and the controversy caused by GK3. At the best, we would
be looking at a release date at least two years in the future. But if you listen
closely to a certain dialogue exchange in the game, there is a very strong clue
concerning the content and the location if there is a sequel.
