A trio of new games based on series that got their start in the 80s were shown off last night at The 2014 Game Awards, including the long-dormant King’s Quest series.
King’s Quest
King’s Quest is one of the fathers of the adventure genre, and the flagship franchise of Sierra Online throughout the 80s and 90s. Originally designed to show off the capabilities of the ill-fated IBM PCjr, the games eventually found their way to many other platforms. The series was shuttered after King’s Quest VIII (1998), which strayed from the series’ text and 2D point-and-click roots.
While Sierra was shut down in 2008 following its acquisition by Activision, the brand was relaunched in 2014 with King’s Quest announced as one of the debut titles. The Odd Gentlemen, best known for The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom, is handling development duties.
I’ll be honest, this doesn’t look much like the King’s Quest I remember. While it’s obviously just meant to be a teaser, what is shown appears to be fairly action-heavy – not something the classic King’s Quest games were known for. It seems to have more in common with the arcade classic Dragon’s Lair, even down to the new logo and cartoonish art style. Time will tell if it is a worthy successor or not, I suppose.
Zelda (Wii U)
The next currently unnamed entry in The Legend of Zelda series was also teased – while it’s been talked about for several years, this is the second time in-game footage has been shown. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto and producer Eiji Aonuma provided commentary while showing off the (possibly?) open-world design. They claim that it will be out in 2015, along with a new entry in the Star Fox series.
Mario Maker
After a quick shot of the Majora’s Mask remaster for the 3DS, Miyamoto showed off Mario Maker for the Wii U, a Mario construction kit of sorts. From the brief teaser shown, it appears that Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. will all be represented.
While not 80s related by any means, a new No Man’s Sky teaser was shown as well. Personally, I am very excited for this title.