DOS

King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!

As for the improvements in the game, they are mind-boggling! Words cannot even begin to describe the difference in gameplay from KQ4! Just look at the screenshots taken from both games, and you will already see why the game scores 5 points! The music has also been improved, and for the first time in any of the KQ series, the mouse controls everything! You can easily switch among commands with a click of the right mouse button. You must play this game in order to believe the magnificent difference between this one and the previously released titles.

Kings Quest 5: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder is the fifth game in the Kings Quest series (hence the name) and a worthy successor to the games that came before it. With challenging puzzles and an interesting, if whimsical, plot, it can be a blast to play--just make sure to turn the sound off.

Every King's Quest fan has a favourite King's Quest. Mine is King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella, followed closely by KQ III: To Heir is Human (I must replay and review it sometime) and KQ VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow. Despite my preferences this particular episode, Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder, is also a popular favourite and it might be the leading King's Quest given the accolades it got when first released. Back then in 1990 it was a marvel for its time in the computer game world, with amazing VGA graphics and 256 colours to show off the beautifully hand-painted backgrounds, and it included a remarkable 50 or so character voices. It was the first true point and click King's Quest as it left behind keyboard navigation and keyboard commands in favour of an icon-based interface.

After King’s Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella, Roberta Williams needs to rethink the basics for the next sequel in King’s Quest series. The market is changing to where most people does not want to take the time to learn to type, spell, or figure out how to talk to a computer via an adventure game. She has to design an icon interface with that future in mind; something that is about as easy to use as it is going to get. She also worries that gamers may find an icon based adventure game to be too easy. King’s Quest V: Absence Makes The Heart Go Yonder! marks a pivotal turning point in Sierra On-Line’s gaming philosophy which has forever changed the face of adventure game design.

Tja: Das war wohl nichts. Sierra hat sich an Lucasfilm-Adventures und deren vorbildlichen Benutzersystem orientiert, aber das hat nicht so recht hingehauen. Zwar sind die EGA-Grafiken stilvoll und die Adlib-Musiken stimmungsvoll, aber die rechte Stimmung kommt beim Spielen nicht auf. Das liegt schon daran, daß King's Quest V auf einem durchschnittlichen AT so quälend langsam ist, daß man am liebsten seinem Rechner einen Tritt verpassen möchte. Außerdem ist die Geschichte recht bieder: Der zugegeben nette, aber inzwischen übliche Märchenmix mit nicht sonderlich originellen Puzzles - schade, schade, nicht mein Fall, auch von dem System hatte ich mir mehr erwartet, außerdem ist das Spiel nicht sehr umfangreich.

Having just played Dreamfall about a month ago, I replay KQV and think "Wow, how far we've come." Even so, King's Quest V was a huge technical accomplishment for its time. The improved graphics, the point-and-click interface, and even the less-than-stellar voiceover represented a big leap from the adventure games of yesterday to those of today. It's a shame the storytelling didn't also evolve, because if it had, the game would be a winner all around. As it stands, Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder is a worthwhile stop on the King's Quest fan's walking tour through the series, but it's a fairly annoying game on its own merits. Never fear, though, because with King's Quest VI still ahead of us, the best is yet to come.