This is an article from InterAction Magazine Holiday 1998 issue.
Unmasking the Latest King's Quest Legend[]
Journey once again to Roberta Williams'
land of Daventry in King's Quest: Mask
of Eternity.
Unmasking the Latest King's Quest Legend ^^F By Eric Ttoelker
OR MANY EXPERIENCED ADVENTURE GAME FANS,
the name King's Quest is synonymous with
the interactive storytelling experience. First intro
duced in 1984, the longest-lived series in computer
game history has enveloped millions of fans
throughout the years. Now eight installments later,
series creator Roberta Williams continues evolving
the story of Daventry and its array of mythical inhab
itants. The result is one of the most exciting
and innovative games of the year-XVng's Quest:
Mask of Eternity.
Roam If You Want To...
As the King'sQuest world has unfolded
over the years, so too has its tech
nology pushed past the limits
of traditional adventure game
design to deliver an ever-more
interactive and innovative expe
rience. King's Quest: Mask of
Eternity makes no exception to
the trend set over and over in years
past. It provides an entirely new expe
rience thanks to the go-anywhere, do
anything 3D engine that allows the player to
explore every corner of the world with
unprecedented freedom.
This unique playing environment
promises to deliver adventure game
enthusiasts into a new territory per
fectly matched for the exploratory
nature of the genre. No longer
limited to a flat, 2O plane with sta
tic, scrolling backgrounds, one now
has the ability to fully explore the
world. As Roberta Williams explains, "Mask of
Eternity really offers the ultimate exploration expe
rience. In adventure games of the past, you were so
limited with the path you could choose -you could
only see backdrop pictures of the environment of
the designer's choosing. In Mask, you're not limited
to the view of your surroundings; you can choose
exactly where to go."
Similar to the free-roaming styles of Mario 64 or
a 3D first- or third-person action game. Mask allows
the player to peek around any corner, push objects,
open doors, wade into rivers and lakes and even
interact -as in chat with or, if need be, fight -other
characters wandering the world. You read that cor
rectly. But Mask of Eternity is not a shoot-'em-up
game. On the contrary, Mask of Eternity's rich, open
environment allows you to live the unfolding story,
even if you need to fight your way past evil charac
ters to advance the story.
Roberta Williams explains the game's feel:
I really enjoy the action elements in this
game. I'm a classic adventure game player
and admit that action games frustrate
me. This is an adventure game for
wannabe action gamers...it allows non
action gamers to feel like part of the
club! Fighting and other action elements
:
Q : z
o
The dimension of DEATH: Connor discusses his unexpected destiny as an
eternal champion with Azriel, Lord of the Dead.
Iveryone has
turned to stone...
that is, everyone but Connor, who is somehow protected from the conse
quences by
his piece of
the golden
Mask.
in an adventure game do not trans
form the experience into a Quake
or Tomb Raiderstyie game.- For
instance, Roberta adds, "In King's
Quest I there was an underwater
tunnel that the player had to swim
through before running out of
breath. That game was very action
oriented."
Walk through a few early seg
ments of the game and along the -^ way, you just might pick up a
few tips for starting your
journey in this vast vir
\ tual world.
Strange Things Are Afoot in Daventry
In the opening scene, witness an
astonishing event in a far-off, ethe
real realm. On one of many
islands in a sea of clouds,
a robed priest-like character
steps up to a glimmering
golden Mask set atop an altar.
With arms thrust upward,
he summons a dark force.
The skies darken and bolts
of lightning converge on the
divine Mask. With a powerful
burst, the Mask explodes
into pieces that fall to the
world below.
In that faraway world, one
of its most peaceful communi
ties is moments away from
experiencing a cataclysmic
change of weather. The king
dom of Daventry is serene;
farmers till their land, arti
sans practice their trade, and
the great King Graham over
sees the land's bountiful wealth.
But in the palace, all is not well.
Standing in front of his magic mirror
with his courtiers, the king's fore
telling object stirs and evinces the
terrible celestial occurrence.
Meanwhile, in the village, a
young townsman named Connor
approaches the home of his girl
friend, Sarah. As they trade greet
ings, the sky darkens and a strong
wind rushes across the land. Just
then, a piece of the Mask falls from
the heavens and lands at Connor's
feet. He picks up the piece just
as a supernatural storm sweeps
across the land, it's over in a
moment but unbelievable damage
is done: Everyone has turned
to stone.. .that is, everyone but
Connor, who is somehow protected
from the consequences by his piece
of the golden Mask.
Places to Co, Worlds to See
Standing alone, surrounded by an
eerie calm with a strange bit of arti
fact in his grasp, you take control of
Connor and lead his quest to restore
Daventry and revive its inhabitants.
With such a monumental task at
hand, where does one begin?
Since Mask whisks the Dlaver into
a 3D virtual world, getting a handle
on Connor's physical controls is an
important first step. Don't get fright
ened off by prospects of learning
Quake- or Tomb Raiderstyie moves,
though. The navigation system in
Mask is much simpler than in those
types of games.
Use the arrow keys to control
Connor's general direction of travel.
Configurable keyboard buttons con
trol his jump and "Use" actions.
Many actions, including opening
doors and picking up items, can be
performed by simply clicking the
cursor on the item. The mouse key
lets you rotate the camera, covering
any direction. In this way. Mask com
bines the most intuitive of action and
adventure game controls.
A handy pop-up help screen
guides you through actions in the
early segment of the game, ensur
ing that within minutes you'll mas
ter Connor's standing and running
jumps— even Connor's impressive
back flip! Down the line, you'll want
to remember that Connor can also
push objects as well, a skill useful
for positioning blocks, crates and
z
N
-T
c c E u : E :
o
Avenging angel* Connor encounters the lovely Sylph
on his journey through the Dimension of Death.
The frozen reaches: A perpetual snowstorm covers
this land; home of the frost demons and frigid lakes.
The barren REGION: This volcanically active region is inhabited by a
plethora of "hot-headed" creatures, including the infamous Basilisk.
hay bales that act as stepladders for
access to high ledges and just-out
of- reach objects.
Interestingly, this seemingly
wholly original form of "real-time"
adventure navigation isn't quite a
first. Says Roberta, "Sierra's first
adventure games, including King's
Quest I, were the first in the industry
to show the player's character on
the screen. At the time, we had to
invent a system of controlling the
character using the arrow keys to
get him or her around the world in
real-time. In many ways, Mask is
modeling its navigation system
after the very foundation of the
game series."
First Things First: Get Your Beatings
With the controls mastered, it's
time to begin Connor's quest. As
the game begins, you, as Connor,
stand face to now-stone face with
Sarah. A raven drops onto her
shoulder and an ominous silence
covers the land. But where to begin
in such a vast world? Roberta offers
an important tip: "The very first
thing players notice is a raven that
has landed on Sarah's shoulder.
Shoo it away. The bird leads you
to a perfect starting point."
Magic Maps: The Only Way to Fly
Following the raven along a
southerly path takes you to the
edge of a lake. A stone figure stands
at the shore. As Connor nears and
the raven stoops on a stump next
to the figure, the character miracu
lously calls out, "Come closer,
my lad!" You've found the wizard,
mostly encased in stone, but with
upper torso intact, lust before the
evil scourge spread across the land,
the wizard explains, he cast a coun
tering spell that left him slightly
immune to entombment in stone.
The wizard offers insight into the
recent events: The Mask of Eternity
was destroyed by an evil entity that
has taken up quarters in the sacred
sanctity of the Mask that represents
truth, light, and order. Now, chaos
reigns and mayhem is spread across
the land. Connor, the wizard reveals,
has been chosen to find the four
other pieces of the mask, return
them to the sanctuary, and defeat
the evil being.
The wizard passes along a magic
map that aids in Connor's travels. It
acts as an ancient global positioning
satellite map, of sorts. As you travel,
the blank map fills in your path and
reveals roads and buildings you've
discovered. One of the map's coolest
features (not yet featured on mod
ern-day GPS systems!) is a teleport
button. Each world has one telepor
tation location that, after you dis
cover the key to enabling the fea
ture, allows you to instantly move
between realms. You can bet your
legs will thank you for it!
Roam Around the World
With map in hand, you can easily
find your way around. As you
d the Deadly
Once a strong, beautiful creature,
i
its now a hornless, ugly beast. Only Connor
can help restore its beauty by retrieving the w unicorn's horn from the baneful swamp witch.
This wise, old tr<y> in the
realm is a prophet-nar-excellence. It is
offer stunning insights into Connor's
r a price, of course.
The kindly wizard of Daventry will
^ offer you a magic map at tlie beginning of your
quest—take it. And don't forget to visit him
often as you travel through Daventry.
Found in several of the lands, zombies
^
quickly push up out of the ground near Connor
when lie gets close. Destroying these stul>born
creatures can prove difficult. It's best to battle
them from a distance!
A mysterious entity, the weeper is the
k soul of the yet-to-l*e-judged. In the midst of the
world's chaos, these dwellers of the Dimension of
Death are now wanderers in search of life energy.
explore, investigate the various
dwellings for useful items. Don't for
get to check upstairs, in alcoves and
on tables. Remember, this game
isn't like the 2D adventure gaming
style of finding objects. You must
physically explore— not just sweep
the cursor over the screen in search
of hot spots— to search for items!
Returning to your starting point,
Connor can step around Sarah's
stone pose and into her dwelling,
where he can explore and search
for clues or helpful items. A stew is
brewing by the fireplace.
Take a sip and you'll gain
several health points.
On a bookcase, you'll
find an elixir filled with
a magical potion. This is
the potion of shield, a
he wizard
passes along a magic map that
aids in Connor's
travels. It acts as
an ancient global
positioning
satellite
map, of
sorts.
: D
2 1 Z
Ihe key to
survival and
success is the
ability to solve
problems as if
it's the real
world.
KING'S QUEST MASK OF ETERNITY
-.
E
g _
:
®
possible saving grace in a time of
head-to-head combat. Other useful
items Connor comes across include
healing crystals, gold coins (for
purchasing items from traders),
and health-improving mushrooms.
Leaving the house, the next best
stop is your own abode, it's located
just north of Sarah's home and
here you can retrieve a very impor
tant weapon -your trusty dagger.
You don't want to leave home with
out it; the creatures of the dark
ness now have free reign over the
land and won't hesitate to attack.
A New Way To Puzzle
Connor must face a variety
of brain-twisting tests that,
if successful, reaffirm his
destiny as the "Chosen One."
As a prophetic and wise old
tree tells Connor, "Strength and
righteousness grow stronger by
being tried."
lust as player control and explo
ration take on new forms in 3O
adventure gaming, so too are the
puzzles entirely unique. When faced
with a dilemma, one must take a
look at the surroundings and avail
able tools. The key to survival and
success is the ability to solve prob
lems as if it's the real world.
An example of Mask's 3D-adven
ture puzzles is found just down the
road from Connor's house. A water
wheel sits on the edge of a lake
feeding stream. The churning water
wheel turns a grindstone inside the
building. Entering the wheelhouse,
Connor spots a rope and hook, the
perfect tools for climbing cliffs and
building walls. Problem is, the only
access to the loft is in the path of
the ominously spinning grindstone,
lump up on the grindstone table
when it is spinning and you'll turn
into human cornmeal. Stop the
stone's orbit and the rope and
hook are yours. Stopping the stone
requires a bit of ingenuity. See that
tree leaning precariously over the
stream? Wouldn't it be just grand if
you could find an ax, do your best
Johnny Appleseed impersonation
and land it in the path of the water
wheel? Enough said. Search the
town for an ax and make it happen!
TH€ SWAMP: Now under the control of the swamp witch, this once lush
region has been transformed into a murky mire.
A Beast's Burden
Meeting intriguing characters is a
mainstay of Roberta Williams'
adventure games. In some cases,
these characters need help solving
a dilemma. Others offer assistance
in return for a favor. Whatever the
circumstance may be, don't turn
your back on these folks; offering
a helping hand just may bring you
a step closer to restoring peace to
the world.
Up the hill from the wizard,
Connor discovers a strangely famil
iar, yet nearly unrecognizable beast
in need of help— one of many char
acters with peculiar circumstances
Connor comes across. The beast
reveals that it was a once-beautiful
unicorn. In the chaos, a swamp
witch stole its horn and transformed
it into an ugly beast. The unicorn
begs for Connor's help: Find the
swamp witch and retrieve the horn
that will restore it to its former glory.
Before departing, the unicorn offers
a helpful clue -the road to castle
Daventry is blocked by a landslide,
but a secret entrance can be found
in a cave behind the waterfall.
Inside, you'll find an important clue
that will lead you to another world.
With secrets like that, help the uni
corn any chance you get.
As you journey beyond Daventry,
you'll visit strange otherworldly
realms filled with unimaginable
characters, brain-twisting puzzle
tests and incredible challenges. At
the end of this unfolding tale, the
most important question will be
answered: Have you the strength
and courage to reinstate the Mask of
Eternity and restore Truth, Light, and Order to your world? ^
When not writing professionally, Eric
Twetker spends most of his time imper
sonating Screensaver superstar johnny
Castaway on the island of Maui.
ho better to offer a helping
hand in your quest than
Roberta Williams herself?
"Use the help menus in the begin
ning of the game, this feature
familiarizes you with the navigation
techniques and commands that
you'll use throughout the game."
"Save your game often...in a 3D
environment it's easy to fall down
cliffs or have an accident!
"Don't try to colvo the puzzles right
away.explore the world and get a
feel for your surroundings."
"Always keep your owes open for
subtle duet if you toe tomothinij
that looks different, click on it. You may discover something new and
helpful."
"Constantly upgrade to the best
weapons and armor possible ...you'll
need greater weapon damage and
armor protection as the game
progresses!"