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Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux

Posted By: BrownEyedTigre

Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/24/11 04:03 PM

Free remake can be downloaded for PC and Mac from http://www.agdinteractive.com

Quote:
February 24, 2011 - AGD Interactive, an acclaimed developer of classic adventure game remakes, is proud to present King's Quest III Redux: To Heir Is Human after eight years of undercover production. This retold and remastered version of the 1986 Sierra On-Line game can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/kq3 for PC and Mac. Today's release brings an end to over a decade of free game production for AGD Interactive, who will now turn their talents to commercial projects.

Unlike the earlier King's Quest games, which starred King Graham of Daventry in the lead role, King's Quest III explores the fate of Gwydion, a slave who was snatched by the cruel wizard Manannan as an infant. Knowing nothing of his origin, Gwydion has been forced into a life of servitude and misery—until now. Using brainpower and a bit of ancient magic, it's up to the player to thwart Manannan, secure Gwydion's escape, and finally discover the truth about the young man's identity.

King's Quest III Redux stays true to Sierra's 1986 classic while improving on elements that detracted from the original experience. Where the original King's Quest III had blocky 16-color EGA graphics and a frustrating text parser, AGD Interactive's remake features hand-painted SVGA graphics and a point and click interface reminiscent of later games in the series. The game has been polished to perfection, with lush storybook-style visuals, professional voice acting with Hollywood actor Robert Adamson in the role of Gwydion, and an original digital soundtrack composed especially for the remake. While the gameplay is largely unchanged, King's Quest III Redux does include a number of original puzzles and puts a new spin on the story.
"We're very excited to finally release this game after developing it in secret for so long," says Chris Warren, who co-founded AGD Interactive as well as its sister company, Himalaya Studios. "We've poured a lot of love into this particular project and I think King's Quest fans will be very pleased at the results, even though reaching the end may be bittersweet. Now we plan to focus on new, original games that retain the same retro charm that made the Sierra games so enduring."

A first look at the group's next endeavor, Mage's Initiation: Reign of the Elements, has been revealed today at http://www.himalayastudios.com/games/mages. Planned for release in late 2012, Mage's Initiation will combine classic adventure puzzles with RPG-style character customization in a format reminiscent of Sierra's famed Quest for Glory series. Additional game details, a mailing list sign-up for production updates, and the unique opportunity to reserve a Limited Edition copy of the game can be found on the Himalaya Studios website. Fans can also follow the game's progress on Twitter: http://twitter.com/himalayastudios

About AGD Interactive
AGD Interactive is a Limited Liability Company dedicated to bringing classic adventure games back to public attention. Company co-founders Britney Brimhall and Chris Warren began developing enhanced King's Quest remakes in 2000, initially under the pseudonyms "Anonymous Game Developers" (AGDs for short). In the decade since, the AGD team has developed several highly acclaimed remakes based on Sierra franchises, under license. Their titles have been downloaded by millions of fans, making AGD Interactive a major contributing factor in putting a dying genre back on the market. To learn more, visit http://www.agdinteractive.com.

About Himalaya Studios
Himalaya Studios is a Limited Liability Company established in 2004 in Arizona, with key staff and independent contractors located throughout the world. The development house is continuing in AGD Interactive's footsteps, forging new paths in adventure game production. Their focus is on designing original, classic-style adventure games that utilize detailed 2D graphics, incorporate inventive puzzles, and feature engaging storylines. To learn more, visit http://www.himalayastudios.com.



Happy Gaming!

Ana wave
Posted By: venus

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/24/11 04:11 PM

Thanks, Ana! Downloading now! happydance happydance happydance
Posted By: traveler

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/24/11 05:12 PM

It will be interesting to see how much this differs from Infamous Adventures' remake aside from the voices. Off to find out. Thanks, Ana.

Gil.
Posted By: Mad

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/24/11 06:02 PM

[Got my email from AGD this morning so already have it downloaded broccoli]

Yeah !!!!

Thanks, BrownEyedTigre thumbsup
Posted By: Space Quest Fan

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/24/11 10:23 PM

thanks for the link Ana. happydance
Posted By: Mad

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/25/11 09:06 PM

"While the gameplay is largely unchanged, King's Quest III Redux does include a number of original puzzles and puts a new spin on the story."

I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes this because certain portions of the original KQ3 were very frustrating !! lol
Posted By: gatsbygirl

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/26/11 12:10 AM

Mad,

I agree with you about the frustration with the original KQ games and the Sierra games, in general, IMO. Part of that is probably because I was new to computers and was a novice with computer games. Is this the one where we had to wander around the desert? That one was frustrating! Also, are these games free or is there a charge?
Posted By: BrownEyedTigre

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/26/11 12:24 AM

Which game are you asking about gatsbygirl? The game that the thread is about is free, sa documented in the first post.

Ana wave
Posted By: gatsbygirl

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/26/11 12:37 AM

Thanks Ana,

I found that out and am downloading it now. It will be fun to see how much I remember from the original game and if it is any easier for me this time around. I suppose it is too much to hope for that someone has done an updated walkthrough. I always need LOTS of help smile
Posted By: Mad

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/26/11 03:02 AM

Hi gatsbygirl smile

I think most of the "wandering around in the desert" happened in KQ5 - with a little also in KQ7 lol

I don't actually remember that much about KQ3 -
Click to reveal..
apart from the frustratingly sudden and deadly appearances of a certain character
as it's a long time now since I played any version of it grin
I'm looking forward to giving this latest version a go though .... taz

Cheers.

Mad grin
Posted By: SpaghettiStraps

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/27/11 06:18 AM

I just finished playing it. There is definitely still a lot of the familiar Sierra-style frustration but, overall, it was enjoyable. There is no comparison between this one and Infamous Adventures remake. The AGD one blows it out of the water on every level.
Posted By: venus

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/27/11 10:39 AM

Haven't gotten very far into it yet - too many other equally compelling games vying for my attention lol - but it's definitely excellent so far. bravo I love the
Click to reveal..
additional background on the other "Gwydion,"
and the graphics are gorgeous. Looking forward to seeing what else they've added. thumbsup

Gatsbygirl, there is some wandering in the desert in KQ3, although there is quite a bit more of it in KQ5. I'm guessing that's the one you're referring to. smile
Posted By: Space Quest Fan

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/27/11 07:42 PM

The reviews sound great. I can't wait to get into the game.
Posted By: BeaSong

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/28/11 06:09 AM

I'm just so thrilled that they've made it for the Mac too! Yahoooo! bravo broccoli yay
Posted By: jmdsmd1

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/28/11 07:40 PM

Hi,
I've never played any of the games in the series. Can anyone tell me if they are games that can be played independantly ,in any order or will this third installment not make any sense if I haven't played the first 2 games?
Thanks,
Posted By: BrownEyedTigre

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/28/11 08:35 PM

I haven't played so hopefully someone that has will be here to answer shortly.

Ana wave
Posted By: venus

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/28/11 09:51 PM

It helps if you've played the first two for background, but I think the third can hold up on its own quite well, especially since you are playing as a new character in a new situation.

If you want to do so, you can always play the first two games on AGDI's website for free. Keep in mind that they drastically changed KQ2's story, and it has very little resemblance to the original KQ2, though their version of 3 follows their version of 2 nicely. smile
Posted By: jmdsmd1

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/28/11 11:00 PM

Thanks Venus !
Posted By: traveler

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 02/28/11 11:22 PM

Hey, jmdsmd1,

While there is a common theme running through the games, you really don't have to play them in order. I know I played KQ3 before KQ2 and enjoyed them as standalone stories.

The KQ3 VGA remake by Infamous Adventures and KQ3 Redux by AGDI are sufficiently different to make it interesting to play both.

Have fun!

Gil.
Posted By: venus

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/01/11 04:05 AM

You're welcome, jmdsmd1. wave

Traveler, it's funny, King's Quest V was the first KQ I ever played. I loved it, even though I could tell there was back story I missed. It made me obsessed with completing the series at the time. grin

Just finished the remake. Definitely my favorite of the remakes, all in all. It expanded the story of the original without drastically changing the characters and plot. (While I loved their version of KQ2, I view it as an alternate "universe," since so many things were vastly different.)

Too bad they can't remake King's Quest IV. It's my favorite of the pre-VGA era, and I'd love to see their take on it.
Posted By: smulan

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/01/11 10:49 AM

Originally Posted By: venus

Too bad they can't remake King's Quest IV.


Why is that?
Posted By: Mad

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/01/11 03:18 PM

Yes. Why is that think
Posted By: Lady Bunansa

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/01/11 08:48 PM

Originally Posted By: venus

Too bad they can't remake King's Quest IV. It's my favorite of the pre-VGA era, and I'd love to see their take on it.


I was thinking the same thing. Someone needs to remake it. I really want to play The Perils of Rosella, but I have no patience for the text base nature of the game. frown
Posted By: venus

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/01/11 08:53 PM

I believe I read that they had an agreement with Activision and weren't able to do any more remakes. It's been a while since I've read that, though. Maybe things have changed. Would be nice. smile
Posted By: fov

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/02/11 01:33 AM

That's true about their agreement, plus the team now wants to focus on commercial projects instead of free ones.

Here's a recent thread about it on AGDI's forum.
Posted By: Mad

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/02/11 08:04 AM

Thanks, fov thumbsup

Reading all that just makes me appreciate all the more these people who work so hard to keep the old games alive yes

And whilst GOG, for instance, are not offering free games, or enhanced versions of oldies, they ARE only asking a pittance for their services and they HAVE made the whole of the original King's Quest series available for play on modern machines.
Can't grumble at that !! happydance

Cheers.

Mad grin
Posted By: traveler

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/03/11 01:21 AM

Originally Posted By: Mad

And whilst GOG, for instance, are not offering free games, or enhanced versions of oldies, they ARE only asking a pittance for their services and they HAVE made the whole of the original King's Quest series available for play on modern machines.
Can't grumble at that !! happydance


GOG does have a few games like Beneath a Steel Sky that you can download for free and will even give you a free game every once in a while. I should know; something called Jagged Alliance is sitting on my shelf and I have no idea what I'll do with it since I'll never play it!

Anyway, I've just finished KQ3 Redux and I still have mixed feelings about it. I'm not fond of the character portraits and the guy voicing the lead sounds as if he's half asleep no matter how emotional the moment. I missed the
Click to reveal..
difficulty navigating the paths
...yes, I really did...and I didn't like the end.
Click to reveal..
Why could I walk right by that ominous character in the black cloak? And what was with that bouncing ball bonking off things to make everything alive and green?
Otherwise, it was great fun and I liked it. I'm not throwing out my Infamous Adventures remake, though.

Gil.
Posted By: venus

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/03/11 01:36 AM

Quote:
I should know; something called Jagged Alliance is sitting on my shelf and I have no idea what I'll do with it since I'll never play it!


Traveler, you, too? Okay, I don't feel so concerned now. I was hoping I didn't accidentally order a game without knowing about it. lol Yeah, I'm never going to play it either.

Really, you didn't like the character portraits? I actually like their Alexander portrait a lot more than IA's (looked closer to the KQ6 version) and their Rosella portrait was beautiful. IA did have some great portraits, too, though.

I had mixed feelings about the ending as well.

Click to reveal..
Everything seemed to be fixed too easily.


Still enjoyed the overall depth they added to the story, though.

And I won't be throwing out either remake. grin
Posted By: traveler

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/03/11 01:53 AM

venus, I can't for the life of me remember why they gave everyone a copy of Jagged Alliance but for sure, I didn't buy it!

Speaking of the end,
Click to reveal..
I'm not sure why we were treated to a view of Alexander's.
But I agree the last bit was too easy. Even for me. <g>

Gil.
Posted By: venus

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/03/11 02:06 AM

I suppose they kept the part you mentioned in because it was in the original when you talked to Rosella. grin I know what you mean, though, I never really cared for that part. It always seemed out of place to me in keeping with the rest of the story. In another game it would have been humorous, but it broke the mood of the situation in this case. Oh, well, minor complaint, really. smile
Posted By: Mad

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/03/11 11:27 AM

I, too, play all the "free" re-makes that are released and considering they are free, have no complaints smile
Posted By: venus

Re: Relive the Magic of King's Quest Today with King's Quest III Redux - 03/03/11 05:53 PM

A few things I really liked that they added that I forgot to mention before:

Click to reveal..
Finding the other Gwydion's journal. (By the way, did anyone else ever pronounce his name with a long "y," or is that just me?)


Click to reveal..
The added story for Medusa. Loved this part! thumbsup


Click to reveal..
The minstrel from King's Quest 4! You see where he got his start. lol


Also, Manannan's voice actor was perfect for the role. thumbsup
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