THE SILVER LINING: EPISODE 3
MY ONLY LOVE SPRUNG
FROM MY ONLY HATE
REVIEW
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YEAR: 2011
SIZE: 1.67 GB (includes all 4 episodes currently available)
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PLATFORM: Windows
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DEVELOPER: Phoenix Online Publishing
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+ A true labour of love
+ Fantastic graphics & music
+ Wonderful voice acting
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- Overly-complicated Chess\Draughts puzzle
- Long, hard arcade sequence with no option to skip it
- Game crash at end of episode
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STORY
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Watch the ‘Previously On’, and the Intro cutscenes. We get a terrifying
glimpse into Valanice’s past, when she was locked in the tower.
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Back in the present day, Valanice sleeps, after her recent traumatic
ordeal. Meanwhile, King Graham must continue his quest, as he
searches for ingredients for the spell that will allow his to enter his
children’s dreams, and break the curse that holds them in a coma.
This time, he is looking for: Male Subject’s Strength, Female Subject’s
Voice, A Silver Moon, and A Pinch Of Lively Shaken Salt.
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Graham is devastated at what has been happening to his family, and
full of guilt that he couldn’t protect them. He longs to stay by his
wife’s side, after what just happened to her… but he knows he can’t -
he has to break the curse on his children.
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But he is surprised when he finds out something about Valanice’s
past. Something she has never told him about. But why? Why would
she hide this from him? Could it be connected with her breakdown? If
only he could help her deal with her torment.
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Poor Graham is full of despair, and close to breaking. His world is
crumbling around him, but he HAS to stay strong… for his family’s
sake. He CAN’T give up! He CAN’T let evil win!
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TECHNICAL NOTES
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If you are not able to save your game, it may be a Permissions
problem. Make sure you are playing as Administrator.
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After you have found the final ingredient, and begin walking back
towards the castle, the game crashes. At this point, you are only one
cutscene away from the end of the episode. I highly recommend you
look for the final cutscene on YouTube, because it is very emotional,
and ends the episode nicely.
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GAMEPLAY
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The Silver Lining is a fan made game, and a true labour of love from
the developers, Phoenix Online Publishing. This is Episode 3 of a 5-
episode story… and it‘s a very emotional episode! Phoenix Online have
done a fantastic job of tying this story in with the official King’s Quest
games.
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The game uses the Point & Click interface, and you can interact with
Graham’s world by using the menu at top of the screen. The menu is
neatly tucked away, until you move your mouse up there. Icons allow
Graham to Walk (double-click to run), Look, Pick Up\Use, or Talk to
another character. A bag in the top right section holds all your
inventory items, and you can manipulate your items (get a better look
at them, open your bag of coins, combine items, etc) by clicking on
them in the display panel. You can also check what ingredients you
need by clicking the scroll on yourself.
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The Coat Of Arms in the top centre gives you access to the game
menu. From here, you can Save\Restore\Go Back To Game\Quit. The
game itself is very customisable, and you can set things entirely to
your own preference via the Options Menu. You can select how much
detail you want, and even take out specific special effects. You can
choose whether you want to hear the Narrator’s voice or not, and you
can choose if you want to have subtitles or not. Many commercial
games don’t give you as many options as this!
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On the flip side, I should point out, in this episode, there is a tricky
arcade sequence which is split into 3 sections. While gorgeous to look
at, it is long and hard, with no way to bypass it. You cannot manually
Save your game during the arcade sequences, but the game
automatically Saves at certain checkpoints. If you die during these
scenes, you go back to the last checkpoint.
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GRAPHICS
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Graphics are very impressive! So much detail has been lovingly
crammed in. When you are on any of the isles, you see Hassan’s boat
bob up & down realistically. In Ali’s shop, the fireplace flickers and
cackles as though alive, and you can almost feel the heat from the
flames. I love how Ali himself, pushes his specs back up on his nose
every so often. Characters blink as you would expect. The fountain in
the market square is spectacular to look at. I love how ingredients
appear and disappear on the scroll, and then get crossed out when you
find them.
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It’s just a gorgeous game to look at, and it’s wonderful to re-visit The
Land Of The Green Isles (from KQ6). There is a very touching moment,
when Graham sits down with Cassima, and talks with her. Despite his
own problems, he still shows her kindness, and offers her advice. And
seeing her reflection in the mirror is wonderful attention to detail. The
mist spreading over Isle Of The Mists is very effective, and I love the
Arch Druid in his robes. The Guardian Of The Forest is very impressive,
in all her various forms.
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There are some new areas to explore, which are a delight to see! The
market square, Arch Druid’s home, and Heart Of The Forest are simply
spectacular.
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Having said that, I do have a small gripe about characters talking -
when they talk, their mouth moves… awkwardly. But that’s just one
small detail in an otherwise fantastic game!
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When talking to other characters, a list of topics is shown at the
bottom, and you can choose what to talk about. Inventory items are
shown as pictures, so it’s easy to see what you’re carrying. Inventory
items automatically rotate, giving you a better look at them.
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CHARACTERS
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There are some wonderful characters in this episode, that deserve to
be mentioned. Hakim, the Pawn Shop owner makes a return, and I
loved seeing inside his shop again. We also see Stick-In-The-Mud and
Rotten Tomato - and they are just as obnoxious as ever, hehe. We
also meet a new character - the female Guard Dog that guards the
Throne Room. I hope we see more of her in the future.
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SOUND AND MUSIC
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Beautiful, atmospheric music is heard throughout the game, and
changes depending on what location you’re in. Comedic piano music
plays while you’re talking to Jollo. Other times, sad music is heard, or
dramatic music. It always seems perfect for whatever scene you’re in.
All the characters are fully voiced, which helps to bring the game to
life, and everyone sounds just right. My favourite is Jollo’s slightly
comical voice, but I also love Stick-In-The-Mud and Rotten Tomato.
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Sound effects are equally impressive. A ‘Ding Dong’ beep is heard
when Graham picks up an item. Horse‘s hooves thudding on the
ground in the arcade sequence, as well as the scary Shadow Monsters
wailing. The sign on Hassan’s hut squeaking. Waves lap against the
edge of the dock. There is so much to love!
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