The previous two games in the King's Quest series, featuring King Graham & Prince Alexander, took a more realistic, "epic" feel to point-and-click adventure gaming. This seventh installment, however, goes over to the lighter side for simpler gameplay and more appeal to children. By and large, this move turns out to be a good one, as it truly is just a simple, fun game to play!
For a basic plot summary of "The Princeless Bride", this time you are put in control of two characters. Sometimes you are Valanice (wife of Graham), while other times you are her daughter Rosella. Both characters have fallen into a magic pool of water outside their castle and must struggle to find each other through many strange, exciting worlds.
The hallmark of this game is its simplicity. Whereas in the other KQ games you could often (and sometimes even easily) "play yourself into a corner", requiring multiple saved games and often lots of lost time, this effort does away with that. True, the puzzles/situations are "easier" because of it, but there is nothing too simple about this game. It still takes a sharp mind and a lot of exploring to complete.
"Princeless Bride" also ratchets up the appeal to children, who will love the goofy characters and colorful locales. Though the puzzles themselves may be a bit too difficult for the kiddie set, this makes it a perfect game to port over to the big screen and play with the whole family.
Overall, KQ7 is a successful (and actually ends up being the last successful) entry into the King's Quest series. The only reason I can't give it the full five stars is because of a little bit of personal bias being a hardcore KQ fan. The fifth and sixth games of the series were just so good that this cartoon approach took all of us "Questers" by surprise. Other than that, though, it is a solid game that would garner a 4.5 rating if able.
For a basic plot summary of "The Princeless Bride", this time you are put in control of two characters. Sometimes you are Valanice (wife of Graham), while other times you are her daughter Rosella. Both characters have fallen into a magic pool of water outside their castle and must struggle to find each other through many strange, exciting worlds.
The hallmark of this game is its simplicity. Whereas in the other KQ games you could often (and sometimes even easily) "play yourself into a corner", requiring multiple saved games and often lots of lost time, this effort does away with that. True, the puzzles/situations are "easier" because of it, but there is nothing too simple about this game. It still takes a sharp mind and a lot of exploring to complete.
"Princeless Bride" also ratchets up the appeal to children, who will love the goofy characters and colorful locales. Though the puzzles themselves may be a bit too difficult for the kiddie set, this makes it a perfect game to port over to the big screen and play with the whole family.
Overall, KQ7 is a successful (and actually ends up being the last successful) entry into the King's Quest series. The only reason I can't give it the full five stars is because of a little bit of personal bias being a hardcore KQ fan. The fifth and sixth games of the series were just so good that this cartoon approach took all of us "Questers" by surprise. Other than that, though, it is a solid game that would garner a 4.5 rating if able.