KING'S QUEST 3 REDUX: TO HEIR IS HUMAN
AGD INTERACTIVE REVIEW
​
​
YEAR: 2011
SIZE: 232 MB
​
​
+ Beautiful VGA artwork
+ Extended story & puzzles
+ Less waiting time when Manannan is gone
​
​
- Easy to die
​
​
​
​
​
STORY
King’s Quest III Redux: To Heir Is Human, is vastly different from the
previous King’s Quest games, namely, that it doesn’t focus on King
Graham or Daventry.
​
As the story opens, you learn that your name is Gwydion. You are a
17-year-old boy living in the land of Llewdor. You’ve been raised from a
baby, by the evil wizard Manannan, and you are nothing more than a
slave to him. Your life has been hard, and you often long to escape
from Manannan’s cruelty. But his punishments are harsh, and your
fear of him keeps you from disobeying his orders.
​
However, you recently found out that Manannan has previously had
other slaves before you, and he has killed them all on their 18th
birthday. With your birthday fast approaching, you don’t want to
suffer the same fate. So you must finally pluck up the courage to
escape. You have to learn Manannan’s schedule - learn when he is
awake, when he sleeps, and when he goes out. You gradually teach
yourself magic, covering your tracks, so he doesn’t find out. And
when the right time comes, you will finally be able to defeat the evil
wizard, and be free at last!
　
​
​
　
GAMEPLAY
​
This is a remake of the original Sierra game. However, it is not just a
straight remake of the original. AGD have taken the time to add extra
story elements (including an extended intro, showing Manannan
taking Gwydion as a baby), extra puzzles, re-jigging puzzles, and
adding their own magic touch to the game. And the results are
amazing!
While Sierra’s original game used a text parser in which you typed in
commands, AGD had added a point & click interface, which matches
the later King’s Quest games.
​
The game has a clock timer which is displayed at top of the screen.
This is used for keeping tabs on Manannan’s schedule, and for
knowing how much time you have left before Manannan returns. If
the timer is green, you can explore the house and the town freely. It
timer is yellow, you have less that 2 minutes to get back to the house
and hide any evidence of your magical activities. If the timer is red,
beware! In this remake, AGD have drastically reduced the time when
Manannan is out on a journey, which eliminates the frustration of the
original version, where you were left waiting for long periods of time
when Manannan was out, but you couldn’t do anything.
​
You interact with Gwydion’s world via a menu bar at top of the screen -
simply move your mouse up there to see it. Icons along the bar allow
you to Walk, Look, Pick Up\Interact, and Talk. The next box will show
the last Inventory Item used (so it will be empty as you begin the
game). The bag icon holds all your inventory items - just click on it to
see what you are carrying. The Scroll Bar is the Game Menu, and from
here, you can Save, Restore, Restart, or Quit the game. You can also
adjust the Volume and Game Speed, to suit your preference. Another
nice feature AGD have added, is the ability to play the game with Voice
& Text, Voice only, or Text only.
​
The Magic Map is a lovely addition to KQ3. Once you find it, you can
use it to teleport to places you’ve already visited.
​
Gwydion’s walking speed can be altered between Normal, Slow, Fast,
and Fastest.
​
　
​
​
　
GRAPHICS
​
This remake uses VGA graphics, and is simply gorgeous! Everything
has so much detail! The backgrounds are stunning! I love how AGD
have portrayed Manannan. You can even see him through the open
door, as he sleeps in his bedroom. When Gwydion passes a mirror, his
reflection can be seen, which is a lovely touch. And even his clothes
are shabby and torn. Candles on the wall flicker brightly. Medusa’s
cave is eerie, and her silhouette with snakes on her head sends shivers
down my spine. AGD have added an amazing intro, which I
recommend you watch. It was a nice touch how, near start of the
intro, they show Gwydion as a baby sleeping in his cot… then later,
they show adult Gwydion sleeping in his bed, in the same position.
​
When characters talk, a mini-portrait is shown, along with a nicely-
framed text box. Inventory items are shown as icons, so you can easily
see at a glance what you are carrying. Magic items are outlined in blue,
and you have to keep these items hidden from Manannan. You can
also Look or Interact with your items, to get a better description of
them.
​
As you continue exploring Llewdor, you’ll find more and more things to
love about the game.
　
​
​
　
SOUND AND MUSIC
​
The game is fully voiced, and it brings a lot of life into the game. I love
Gwydion’s soft-spoken voice and Manannan’s hateful old voice. And
later, when Gwydion can understand animals, each animal sounds
just right. All the animals have funny comments, but Manannan’s cat
appeals to me the most - I can’t help giggling at the cat’s comments.
​
Sound effects are also used wonderfully. As soon as you begin the
game, Manannan’s house creaks and groans at you. A ‘tinkle’ is heard
whenever Gwydion picks up an item. The cat screeching as Gwydion
pulls it’s fur was my favourite. Chickens clucking outside. The stream
gently rippling, and Gwydion’s footsteps as he splashes through the
stream.
​
Music is used sparingly, but effectively. ‘If You Go Down To The Woods
Today’ is played, when you see the3 Bears leave the house, which
really appealed to me. You also hear music in the tavern, when
Gwydion is doing chores, and threatening music in Manannan’s study &
bedroom.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​