Don't be fooled by "King's Quest" in the name - it has almost nothing to do with the series.
MoE is not a traditional adventure game. It is a 3D action-adventure game with monster combat galore. An evil being casts a dark spell over the Mask of Eternity (a treasure unheard of in the KQ series), which is the icon of truth and order. Daventry becomes a dark land inhabited by monsters. All the previous KQ games rewarded nonviolence, and MoE shatters that tradition. The evil being breaks the Mask up and the pieces scatter over the land. One lands at the feet of Connor, a citizen of Daventry. Just as he picks it up, the evil spell reaches the land, and everyone but him is turned to stone. Connor, not a member of the royal family, is the one who must quest to save Daventry.
This game is not recommended for young children, unlike the rest of the King’s Quest series. Not only does it involve much combat, but the monsters and villains are far scarier. As an adult gamer, the combat doesn’t bother me, but if you have bought the other games specifically because they are child-friendly, you should be aware of what this game is. It still remains tamer than most of the games available today, though.
The problem is, even ignoring the KQ series and looking at MoE as a standalone game, it’s not a very good one. The graphics are very pixilated, which is surprising because Sierra’s history was one of setting high standards for the gaming industry with top-of-the-line graphics and design. It’s also a very buggy game, and while there is a patch, Sierra probably shipped it a bit too early, and the patch does not fix all the glitches and issues. The storyline is not very good and there are plot holes, the camera control is bad, combat is too simple, the movement control is sub-par… the negatives go on.
As a stand-alone game I’m afraid MoE is only average, and as a game with the King’s Quest title… it doesn’t deserve that name. If you’re a fan of this type of game and can put up with the glitches, try it, but just don’t expect it to be like the previous King’s Quest games.