The King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride Authorized Player's Guide (also known simply as the King's Quest VII Authorized Player's Guide is a book written by Peter Spear and Jeremy Spear. It was published as its own guide, but makes references to the previous King's Quest Companion, 3rd edition (1992). Parts of this guide was adapted and included in the King's Quest Companion 4th edition.
Background[]
There are however a few differences between this guide and what is included in the Companion. The first is the Part 1: The Stories So Far which includes short overview of each of the previous games. Part 2 is an overview of how KQ7 works (and does not appear in later Companion at all), followed by a short introduction to KQ7 called The Story Begins, and then the game broken down into chapters offering a clickthrough of the games events. This latter half does make it into the companion but at the end of the book's other walkthrough sections (chapter 15 or so). There are some differences in this clickthrough version for example the backstory details section is not in its own section and edited a bit differently, and it is filled with photographs from the game. However, it does have all the insider info sections describing some of the development and behind the scenes aspects from the game (there maybe more than appear in the Companion version of this section though).
Part Three while sharing the same title as a chapter in 4th Edition of the companion is very different, it starts first with an explanation by the Spears but how they started receiving messages on their computers (and how those were previously published in The King's Quest Companions), that those cover roughly the 'the first 20 years or so of the reign of King Graham', and explains they had 'recently' obtained a long missive from Derek Karlavaegen, and that Derek had cautioned them about the veracity of the message. It is then followed by a short section from the message (the King's Quest Companion prints the 'entire message, a few pages long', and the sections of explanation by the Spears is left out of the Companion version).
Part Four, is the The Princeless Bride, and is the novelized version of the events of King's Quest VII as sent by Derek Karlavaegen. It was later republished in the 4th edition of the King's Quest Companion but there are some differences. The version in the authorized guide are broken down into chapters, 'parts' as it calls them (each with their own subtitles), and has little icons and graphic art breaking the sections apart. Both this chapter and the previous one are printed on pages that make them appear as if they were originally printed on parchment.
Part Five and Part Six concern game maps and the game items. Part 5 is included in part in the companion, but in a modified form (perhaps slightly different maps however). Part six is not included at all.
Part Seven: Who's Who is unique to the authorized guide and includes conceptual art for various characters from the game, and a few descriptions of the characters, or how they were designed. Some of this art was never included in any other source.
Index[]
This is the index from the Read Me First! Please... section of the book;
This book is not a hint book. This book is an answer book. Nothing is hidden. All the puzzles and secrets of King's Quest VII:The Princeless Bride are revealed. This is industrial-strength, direct, clear, and straightforward information. There is stuff in here you can find no place else. Accept no substitutions.
Finding your way around
There are several different ways to use this book, depending on the level of help you feel most comfortable with.
Part 1 (The Stories So Far) has no game answers at all. It has story synopses of all six previous King's Quest games. If you have never played a King's Quest game before or want to be brought up-to-date on the continuing saga of the Royal Family of Daventry, start here.
Part 2 (Making It All Click) is a step-by-step, screen-by-screen, mouse-click-by-mouse-click, "just hold our hands, we're doing all the work" path from the beginning to the end of the game. It's organized the same way as KQ7: six chapters alternating between Valanice and Rosella. If you're stuck, just flip to that appropriate section for the correct answer or strategy.
Part 2 is also filled with a great deal of additional information about the game, some of our own observations and questions, and the occasional digression into the game's original design. They will give you a unique perspective on KQ7 that you can use to impress your friends, start conversations at cocktail parties, write a doctoral dissertation, or just plain enjoy.
When you've finished playing through to game's end, try reading through Part 2 to get a different feel for the game experience.
Parts 3 and 4 (From the Eye between the Worlds and The Princeless Bride) relate the adventures of Rosella and Valanice in story format. The Princeless Bride is a most curious piece of work as it purports to be the telling of actual and true events. Is it? Make up your own mind after reading both it and part 3. The story itself also provides an accurate and complete walk-through the game. Read along as you play, or enjoy it by itself. The universe is much stranger than we imagine.
Part 5 (Where's Where) contains a complete set of maps for the game. Don't leave home without 'em. The maps also list what can be found in the various locations of the game. This chapter works great if you just need a nudge in some direction, or just can't seem to find something.
Part 6 (What's What) is a complete listing of all the objects fond and/or made in KQ7. The list includes where and when these objects are discovered. It also tells their use, for those times you have something but just don't know what to do with it.
Part 7 (Who's Who) is our own little exclusive - the original artist sketches of many of the game's characters. This stuff is really neat, especially for those times when ten or twenty pixels worth of detail just doesn't seem to be enough. Up close and in pencil, you'll discover an entirely different view of dozens of familiar characters.
Behind the scenes[]
Acknowledgments[]
Oodles of folks helped us out in various ways and made this book possible.
At Sierra On-Line: Roberta Williams (forever and ever), Mark Siebart, Lorelei Shannon, Marc Hudgins, Jon Meek and the KQ7 QA wizards and wizardresses, Dan Rogers, Jerry Bowerman.
At Infotainment World: Willem Knibbe, Ron Resnick, Pat Ferrell
In various other places: Bill Gladstone, superstar. John Kilcullen. CompuServe (for being there in the middle of the night). America Online (for being there in the middle of the night). Toshiba (for the loan of a swell quad-speed CD-ROM drive). Mo, Melissa, Liz, Dave, Matt, and Squeaky Toy Virginia Soper (for always being there).
And especially: Joe Escalle for his effort, dedication, organization, patience, and (especially) his screenshots. Sorry about that raise.