The first game in the Gabriel Knight series was
released in1993. The fact that it still entertains gamers bears out
the truth of what adventure games are saying all the time, that a
good story makes a good game. The story of this and the subsequent
G. K. games comes from the pen of a very talented writer, Jane
Jensen. Time and technical innovation does not diminish the game’s
charm and it is as playable today as it was when it won the 1994
Adventure Game of the Year prize from Computer Game Review.
The Story
A talented, but somewhat laid back, bookstore
owner and would be novelist is our hero. He is not doing so well
lately as he is having trouble sleeping. He is haunted by
nightmares, which are getting more and more disturbing when he
starts doing research for his book on the New Orleans voodoo
murders. He is too smart not to realize that somehow there is a
connection between his family, his nightmares and the murders. He
sets out on his mission to find out what the connection is - to the
dismay of the culprit(s).
As the plot twists and turns, it takes the player
through many a famous and interesting part of New Orleans. The St
Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square and the St Louis Cemetery #1 are all
integral parts of the game. Gabriel discovers that he is the last of
a line of Schattenjagers who are “Shadow-Hunters” and it is his
destiny to fight evil. His quest takes him first to Germany where
his initiation ceremony takes place and than to Africa where he must
fight the final battle of the game. This is an adult story full of
dark moments, suspense, superstition, some violence and occasional
swearing, a lot of information about voodoo, and some historical
facts.
The Characters
Gabriel is an easy going “skirt chaser” who during
this game will have to face an ancient family curse and fight the
dark forces he encounters, for the saving of his very soul. His
assistant on this and the following adventures is the feisty and
sarcastic Grace Nakimura who is a relentless digger for facts and
sometimes comes to the rescue at the eleventh hour. She and Gabriel
have certain chemistry. While Grace thinks that he is a lothario,
she cannot help being drawn to him, however hard she fights it. It
is also apparent that Gabriel not only likes Grace, but also has a
great respect for her and would like to be more than a friend.
Gabriel’s pal the paunchy, balding detective Mosely is a notable
addition to the action. These characters and others come alive
during the game and stay in the player’s mind long after the game is
finished.
The Music and Voices
The dark foreboding and suspense is aptly
underlined by the music that turns into unforgettable melodies in
places. The background sound throbs with your heartbeat. Well-known
actors such as Tim Curry (in the leading role), Mark Hamill, Efrem
Zimbalist Jr. and Linda Gray do the voices of the characters. The
artistry of the above people, make the game characters sound like
real people and this is an important addition because the game is
full of dialogue.
The Gameplay
Gabriel Knight 1 is a pure point and click
adventure game. An icon bar that is self-explanatory aids the
navigation. The icon cursor allows choice of action and there is a
small inventory. As a very nice touch it has a recorder to replay
conversations. The icon bar is situated on the top of the screen,
where it is hidden. A sweep of the cursor will activate it and it is
possible to lock it in place as an option. The gamer gets point
rewards for accomplishments.
The graphics are of course dated. Nothing changes
faster in the game industry than game engines. It is true that the
graphics cannot be called “eye candy” and the game engine seems
clumsy compared to what we are used to now. However, the originality
of the story and the fact that this game is the first in a series of
Gabriel Knight games makes it an enduring adventure game worthy of
note. This game without a doubt is a must for all true adventure
gamers.
The Puzzles
Besides the complex story there are some
interesting puzzles, a few of which are quite hard. Yet if you
forget to do something you are never locked into a dead end, as you
can go back and try again. It is possible to die at a few places.
There are also some timed sequences, but this is purely a brain
game.
Technical
Considerations
This game was one of the first Sierra games to
support 256-color display and programmed for 386+ -computers. The
graphics were designed for VGA display on the original disks, the
CD-ROM game can be played in VESA mode but this does not enhance the
graphics, it only makes the character portraits better looking. The
game was made for both PC and Mac, and it is possible to play it
under DOS or in Windows where it is more stable. Instead of talking
about the minimum requirements that are hardly necessary, let me
tell you about my experiences. I played it both ways. The game was
more stable in Win 98 and the sound was better. It is also possible
to play this game on XP/Home with the aid of a DosBox. Be warned
that much CPU power is needed to run it in DosBox. Playing the game
on XP does not improve the graphic display and the sound is choppy
at best.
In spite of the above limitations, I found the
game not only playable but also very interesting. The unique and
suspenseful story is a good introduction to the rest of the Gabriel
Knight games.
design copyright ©
2003
GameBoomers
Group
