Publisher: Phoenix Online
Developer: Phoenix Online
System requirements: Windows XP/Vista/Win 7; 1 GHz Intel or AMD CPU; 512 MB RAM (1 GB for Vista/Win 7); 256 MB DirectX 9.0c-compatible graphics card; DirectX 9.0c or higher.
Genre: Adventure
ESRB rating: Not rated
Release date: Available now

Earlier in my review of The Silver Lining: I went through Episode 1 nearly unscathed, but then braved Episode 2 and got pretty scathed. That’s pretty much what happened. The good thing is that now, with the third installment pitted against me, I don’t have to worry about writing of things like graphics, voice acting, and mechanics. I already covered them all, and unless some drastic change occurs in future episodes, assume that whatever I said in previous reviews still holds true. This frees me up to talk about some of the finer points of Episode 3, so here we go.

On one hand, after being subjected to Episode 2, I expected to be disappointed. And I was. This iteration still feels uncomfortably raw. Yes, I know it’s a fan project, but I know plenty of fan projects that brandish impressive quality. In addition to all of the previously mentioned woes, there is now a crashing issue that will make you want to rip your hair out. (Oh and if you happen to have a copy of Visual Studio installed, it will offer to start debugging. Nice.) Some of the conversations are simply repeated from Episode 2 for no particular reason, and there’s also now an action sequence, during which you cannot save, and yes, of course the game crashed on me there. Why anyone, especially a bunch of King’s Quest fans, would include an action sequence is beyond me.

Other minor problems abound, such as uninteresting characters, bad writing, and ridiculous puzzles. But there is something else there too. Something that would not allow me to make fun of the game mercilessly, as I had first intended. Something that would prevent me from giving it two stars again. Ladies and gentlemen, I think I may have caught a glimpse of something that is bigger than this game, and could in fact be bigger than the original series. Roberta Williams’s games have always been whimsical more than anything. In them the good guys were good and the bad guys were bad, save for an occasional good guy who was just acting up due to external circumstances. Yet this time around I believe there may be an actual Good Story hidden somewhere behind the shoddy execution.

I don’t necessarily want to go on record calling this game a diamond in the rough, as it remains to be established whether a diamond exists at all. Maybe I’m just seeing things, but having played through this episode, which is much longer than the previous two combined and could last you from 2 to 8 hours depending on your (in)aptitude, I noticed a few subtle hints that the creators of it actually have something to tell us. They clearly don’t know how to do so via locations, conversations and puzzles, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to listen. The cut-scenes in particular offered a window into a world that has the potential to be deep and meaningful. At this point, I am reluctant make any pronouncements. We’ll see what happens in episodes 4 and 5, because I feel that it is those two that will make or break the entire project.

Do not pick this game up for gameplay – it is simply not worth it as you are very unlikely to have fun. It is nonsensical, it is not pretty and it is buggy to boot. This is not a game in the entertainment sense, but something more akin to a piece of very niche art. Most will find it unpleasant, but it could also be fascinating to the right audience. Perhaps I would have preferred if it was released as a short film, or a graphic novel, since the authors clearly have more luck with a non-interactive medium. Either way, I am definitely going to watch out for the next chunk. It would be simply irresponsible to miss.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation: