Windows 3.x

The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery

Trivia

Gabriel Knight 2 (AKA "The Beast Within") was named #17 overall among the “150 Best Games of All Time” by Computer Gaming World Magazine (15th Anniversary Issue--November 1996).

Contributed by PCGamer77 (3025) on May 01, 2008.

When the game was first released in Germany it was the un-dubbed and un-subtitled version which had a few scenes censored (for example, von Zell sitting in his cave and eating flesh from a human bone). The screen would go black and instead of being able to see what's happening you'd see a short message on the screen (in German) just describing the scene. When the game was later released in its localized German version it was uncensored.

The name "Manos Del Sol" means "Hands of the Sun" in Spanish.

The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery was ranked # 33 in the 50 Best Games of All Time list published by PC Gamer Magazine in its April 2005 issue.

Contributed by PCGamer77 (3025) on Mar 19, 2005.

In the book "Lore and Law" it is said that in Brazil there's a priesthood society called "Manos Del Sol" (Men Of The Sun). But the language spoken in Brazil is Portuguese, and "Manos Del Sol" is in Spanish. The correct would be "Homens do Sol", as seen in GK3, when you research Sidney about the same subject.

While installing the game, a small DOS window appears with title "copying data --please wait". If you look closer, one number of those that appear is 666. Just a coincidence?

Additional goof...: Even though Grace doesn't speak German, she has no problem reading loudly from Cosima Wagner's diary, which was most likely not written in English.

Some more goofs:

Most Germans in The Beast Within are played by American actors. They thus speak German with a ridiculous English accent. In the completely localized German version of the game, quite a few "German" characters have a notable American accent, which is even stranger. By the way: As Gabriel and Grace speak German in the localized version, the translators had a problem in those scenes where one of the protagonists talks to a German and doesn't understand him. The problem was solved somewhat half-heartedly by suggesting that Gabriel & Co speak High German, whereas the locals talk in a Bavarian dialect.

When Grace browses the part of the Schattenjäger library that we're told contains tomes on the occult, she finds a book on Lycantrophy between volumes with such fancy German titles as "Das Nest" and "Der Arzt von Stalingrad". Those are novels without any relation to occultism. And rather bad ones at that.

On looking at a window display of watches in Munich, Gabriel claims that he can't stand wearing things at his wrist. In a later scene, a watch is clearly visible on his arm.

German Volkswagen Golf keys have a standardized look. The car key that Gabriel carries around in his inventory will unlock anything but the Golf he drives. Also, his car has no license plate.

Jane Jensen, the series' designer, has written a novelization of this game as well as one of the first game (Sins of the Fathers).

The Beast Within's stunning backgrounds were created from photographs taken on location in Germany.

In the game's opening movie, the camera shows a close-up of a scar on Gabriel's arm (aquired in 'Sins of the Fathers'). Problem is, the scar is on the wrong arm!

There is no sign of the chapel in Schloss Ritter which was featured so prominently in 'Sins of the Fathers'.

Apparently, 'The Beast Within' was originally supposed to take place over nine chapters, instead of six. The additional three would have you playing in the past, as King Ludwig II. They were cut due to time constraints, budget, and the fact that this would have commanded more CDs in an already huge game.

Kay Kuter (Werner Huber) seems to like the bartender gig. He also plays one (Griswold Goodsoup) in 'The Curse of Monkey Island'.