King's Quest VI is one of the crowning achievements of the adventure gaming genre.
You play Prince Alexander, who has dreams of Princess Cassima in a land far away, locked away by a dark wizard in the distant Land of the Green Isles. Being a fairy tale, the dream must mean that the princess is indeed alive and kidnapped, so Prince Alexander sets sail for the far off land, shipwrecks, and awakens on the shore with only the clothes on his back. So begins you adventure.
The game is based on the work of Roberta Williams, a talented storyteller. At no time does the gameplay take precedence over the story. Indeed, you must accomplish a number of sidequests that are quite involving, at times endearing, and often funny. King's Quest VI relies heavily on puns for its humor, and there is no shortage of humor. The CD version contained audio instead of text for the entire game, but there was an alternate version that shipped entirely on disk without vocals. As such, it was one of the first games of its time to offer full voice acting for the course of the game. Finally, there are lots of small touches that add polish to the game. The booklet included with the retail game contained a booklet with additional storyline and world detail for the reader/player. Copy-protection was built into the booklet, rather than a code you enter to play.
Graphics: The artwork is original and visually appealing. It is also crucial to the game, as items and actions on-screen are necessary to progress throughout the game. Character and creatures are bright, creative, and fun. Each island has its own theme and is quite fun to explore just to see what it looks like. The visuals still appeal today, if a bit pixelated.
Sound: The audio is fantastic. Each island has its own backgrounds sounds, such as birds chirping or bubbling lakes, and the music rises appropriately for times of danger. The voice acting was great, better than many of its predecessors (and the games of today).
Gameplay: The puzzles are often challenging without being frustrating, critical to a successful adventure game where a missing item can cause intense frustration. King's Quest VI also has multiple endings, depending on the paths you choose and items you find, meaning you might actually play through again. The storyline is entertaining and well-paced. You feel for the characters. It's satisfying when you accomplish a sub-plot goal. In short: it's fun.
King's Quest VI is, along with Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango, one of the crowning achievements of the adventure gaming genre and a must-play for fans if you can find a copy.