by John Sauer
One look and you know that this isn't just the next King's Quest title. Gone are the animated, comic-style graphics and Disney- esque characters. The Mask of Eternity bears little resemblance to its prede- cessors. You could say it is adventure gaming at the next level.
No one can deny that the King's Quest series is the most influential series of adventure games ever to be released. Throughout the years, millions of players world-wide have been captivated by Roberta Williams' worlds of fantasy and myth. Her unique mastery of weaving story and game play into high adventure has set standards by which all quest games are mea- sured. In each
King's Quest
title she has never shied away from breaking
King's Quest:
The Mask of Eternity
"What we're doing is creating a whole new gaming technology." -Roberta wiinams
Connor mac Lyrr takes in the panoramic view of a river of lava in the lands of fire. Getting across could be a big problem.
established stereotypes, explor- ing human values and ethics, and pushing the outer limits of technology to create new experiences for players.
Now Williams is again creating new frontier* for the
released, featuring revolutionary tech- nologies that until now have never been used in an adventure game. Will it bear hallmarks of the King Quest series such as the Kingdom of Daventry? Yes. Does the game carry the same sense of wonder and high adventure that made the series so
nnor begins his adventure in
try, but he doesn't stay thi
►even new lands await!
LL 19 9 6
much fun? Most definitely. But Mask of Eternity will come to life with a look, interface, and feel that is much more real than any title you've ever played.
The Future of Gaming
One of the most noticeable differences between 77ie Mask of Eternity and earlier titles is the highly rendered, almost "live" quality of the world, characters, and creatures you encounter. The realms were created in 3-Space, a power- ful software tool that is commonly used to develop finely detailed backgrounds for cutting-edge flight simulations.
Adapting this technology with the use of multiple camera angles gives the game 3-D perspectives few other titles can match. "We're even creating our own version of 3-Space for doing interi- ors such as caves, castles, and forests. We're not Just creating a new kind of King's Quest r says Williams. "What we're doing is creating a whole new gaming technology.**
One of the most telling marks of the King's Quest games is the feverish inten- sity with which Roberta designs her worlds of fantasy. These diagrams often cover an entire tabletop and are filled with so many detailed maps and sketches, that following the interweav- ing of their paths is almost like reading a story. The world of King 's Quest The Mask of Eternity reaches from the sun- less Underworld of the living dead through the alchemical plains of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, into the ether of the Celestial Realm — and even to a dark, mysterious island temple.
Her vision for a com- pletely 3-D,
Frost Demons inhabit the higher
reaches of their domain. They are
not sociable and hate intruders.
immersive game environment is shared by her husband, Sierra CEO Ken Williams. After reviewing the direction the PC gaming industry was moving toward, they decided to bypass the gradual move into dimensional game play and forge headlong into future: real-time 3-D games that offer the reality of a live-action game but with the open- ended sense of adventure and explo- ration that comes from within a 3-D world. With the game's release planned a year and a half from now, it will take that long for computers with 3-D accel-erator hardware to be readily affordable.
A World of Many Realms
The Mask of Eternity is no mere sword and sorcery adventure. You enter the Kingdom of Daventry as Connor mac Lyrr (the son of a fisherman), who alone has been passed over by an evil spell that has turned every mortal inhabitant to stone. Connor must find a way to restore them to flesh and blood. At the heart of the dilemma is The Mask of Eternity, which was broken into seven pieces and scattered by the Cosmic Winds to seven different lands at the moment of Connor's birth. A piece of the Mask touched Connor as he was born, leaving a vivid scar on his cheek. He carries this scar as an adult - a sign that he has been marked for greatness. The quest to find the seven pieces of the Mask and restore them to the Island Temple is his destiny. Only by accomplishing this can he end the chaos that now rules the land.
Moral Choices
In dealing with the challenges of finding the seven pieces of The Mask of Eternity, the title gives you more ethical choices than ever before. A prime example is the potential to destroy some of the evil, magical beasts that get in your way - a mode of behavior that was not included in previous games. "If this was the real world, you might have to actually fight and kill an enemy," says Williams. "In The Mask of Eternity there are seven instances where you must mortally defeat a mon- ster before you can proceed."
Due out for Christmas 1997. King's Quest The Mask of Eternity is sure to set a new benchmark for adventure. If you are a King's Quest fan, this is the definitive King's Quest game. Stay tuned to the next issue of InterAction for a look into the realms of 77?e Mask of Eternity.
Christmas 1997!?!? Yikes! But it'll be worth the wait. It always is when Roberta Williams goes back to the drawing board to redesign the future of adventure games. While you're waiting, you may also want to save your pennies. Word is that this game will be so big it'll only run on a Pentium. You'll likely need a new computer to play this one.