From Monochrome to Monarchy: The History of King’s Quest, Part Two

Continuing on from their initial entry, Good Old Games has kicked up a second installment to their excellent “From Monochrome to Monarchy: The History of King’s Quest” editorial. We’re almost up to my all-time favorite (King’s Quest III):

For many, King’s Quest II: Romancing the Throne was less a ground-breaking sequel to the commercially successful King’s Quest, and more along the lines of a minor iteration designed to capitalize on the changes Sierra’s AGI game engine had undergone during all of the original King’s Quest’s many re-releases. Some have even insinuated that it would be more aptly titled King’s Quest I: Part II.

“We saw how the previous games (Mystery House and King’s Quest I) were received by the public, and I was anxious to try my hand at a bigger story right away. In designing King’s Quest II, Roberta Williams readily admits that her focus was more on expanding the King Graham character than breaking new technological turf. “King’s Quest II reminded me a little of Wizard and the Princess,” said Roberta. “We saw how the previous games (Mystery House and King’s Quest I) were received by the public, and I was anxious to try my hand at a bigger story right away. Graham would be king by now. What quest should a lonely king go on? What should he see through the magic mirror? A maiden in distress! I started to foresee a family for Graham in the future.” The maiden in distress, Valanice, was not imprisoned in Daventry, but in another land called Kolyma. Should Graham be brave enough to venture there and work to unlock three magically locked doors, the fair Valanice will be his.

Featuring the same graphical fidelity as its predecessor, King’s Quest II offered players a new game world to explore with the interactive backgrounds they had come to expect from the original King’s Quest. Vistas ranging from thick forests and Dracula’s haunting castle to the colorful underwater kingdom of Neptune were integrated into the game, making sure that players could never complain about repetitively exploring similar locales.