King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!
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| King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! | |
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| Developer(s) | Sierra |
| Publisher(s) | Sierra, Konami (NES Version) |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Windows, NES, Mac, Amiga, FM Towns |
| Release date | November 9, 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! is a 1990 adventure game released by Sierra. Released in November of 1990, it featured a significant improvement in graphics (achieved through the introduction of VGA into the series) and quickly became the best-selling computer game in history at that time. It was also the first King's Quest installment to replace the typing user interface with a point-and-click user interface, which drew some criticism from some fans of the series who were used to, or simply preferred the keyboard interface.
It was later released as a "talkie" CD-ROM (meaning the characters have voices), in which Graham looks very young and well-built for his years (possibly a side effect of the health-rejuvenating fruit given to him by Rosella in the previous game). The music was MIDI based and written by Mark Seibert, Ken Allen, Rob Atesalp, and Chris Braymen.
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[edit] Story
In the introduction to the game, a view of Castle Daventry is shown, when suddenly a mysterious cloaked figure appears. He enchants the castle, causing a whirlwind to appear, which soon engulfs the castle and lifts it out of sight. Because he is out walking when this happens, King Graham is the only member of the royal family to be left behind. He returns to the castle to find that it has disappeared, and is soon confronted by a talking owl named Cedric.
Cedric witnessed the cloaked figure's attack, and tells Graham that it was the wizard Mordack who did this to his castle and family. Cedric then brings Graham to the land of Serenia, where his master Crispin resides. Crispin is also a wizard, but a good one, who gives Graham some advice, his old wand, and a piece of white snake which allows Graham to speak with animals. Graham then starts on his journey.
Later, Graham learns that Mordack is the brother of the wizard Mannanan, whom Prince Alexander turned into a cat in KQIII. Mordack has imprisoned the castle and royal family of Daventry out of revenge, and threatens to feed the royal family to Mannanan unless Prince Alexander agrees to restore him to his true form. King Graham travels through the land of Serenia, gathering helpful items and information, and eventually makes his way to Mordack's island to save his family from their impending doom.
[edit] Connections to other King's Quest Games
King's Quest V is somewhat unique in the series. Most of the other games tend to build on the basic story elements of the previous games. New characters that are introduced in one game (Rosella in King's Quest III) can become important in later games (in King's Quest IV, Rosella is the protagonist).
But KQV is one of the few where the plot itself is directly connected to events in both previous and future games. The transformation of Manannan into a cat is a necessary task to completing King's Quest III. And this act has profound consequences for Alexander (and his family), as it is the impetus for the KQV storyline.
Also, KQV's ending ties perfectly into its sequel, King's Quest VI. Cassima was introduced as a slave to the wizard Mordack. Before she is sent home at the end, Alexander mentions wanting to visit her in the Land of the Green Isles, which happens at the beginning of KQVI. And Cassima mentions her Vizier, who first introduced Mordack to her. In KQVI, we find out that Mordack and the Vizier (who is the primary antagonist of KQVI) are both part of an organization known as the Society of the Black Cloak. Even the music for Cassima in Mordack's castle is enhanced and used for the love theme for Alexander and Cassima.
[edit] Name
The name, as is the tradition for most King's Quest games, is a parody of the common phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder". This is a pun, referring to the disappearance of Graham's family and his quest to save them.
[edit] Gameplay
The owl Cedric accompanies Graham through the entire game to provide commentary and advice. He has to be rescued from danger at several points, but the owl rarely says or does anything useful. Cedric was unpopular with many gamers, and easter eggs in future Sierra games showed Cedric being harmed in some way. (In Space Quest 4, while playing the Ms. Astro Chicken game, the player receives 50 points for hitting Cedric. In Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist, vultures can be seen eating Cedric). The fan game Romancing the Stones also has a funny cutscene with Graham ordering Connor to hunt the owl, complete with the original actor, Richard Aronson, providing the voice of Cedric as he did in King's Quest V.
The game is infamous for its large number of dead ends and obtuse puzzles. Late in the game Graham must navigate a frustrating maze where each room is rotated according to the character's perspective rather than being shown with north always at the top of the screen. There are several actions (or in some cases, the lack of an action) the player can take that render the game impossible to finish. These things can make King's Quest V difficult to complete without resorting to hints.
[edit] Easter Eggs
To see the Easter Egg, after Graham slides down the snowy slope and breaks the sled, save the game and then toss Graham's cloak on the sled and watch. NOTE: This will not work on CD versions of KQV, only the early diskette version.
[edit] Remakes
A King's Quest V fan remake was released in 2007 in the form of an old style text adventure game. King's Quest V - The Text Adventure by Steve Lingle can be found at adventures.co.uk. http://www.textadventures.co.uk/review.php?game=112
[edit] External links
- King's Quest V Review at Adventure Classic Gaming
- King's Quest V at MobyGames
- King's Quest V - The Text Adventure
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