"King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Redux" Review

Publisher:  AGD Interactive Studios

Website:  http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/kq3/about/overview.html

Genre:  Adventure

Summary:  For as long as he can remember, Gwydion has been a slave to the evil wizard Manannan.  He must secretly learn spells to escape and find his true family.

Gameplay:  Most of the game involves puzzles and gathering spell ingredients while avoiding Manannan finding out.  The AGD version adds a timer the turns yellow and then red as his return grows closer, which is helpful.  It also highlights inventory items that need to be hidden from the wizard.  In turn, "Redux" adds some new puzzles and solutions in places.  These are sometimes interesting but sometimes feel unnecessary.

Style:  The point-and-click interface is welcome, as it makes it easier to cast spells than when typing (not easy, mind, but easier.)  The graphics are also nicely updated, although I wish Gwydion looked a bit more like the original's ragged yet noble waif than his more coiffed King's Quest 6 self here.

Story:  Even with the timer, the tension of escaping the evil wizard is strong, and I don't enjoy it at all.  Still, it's certainly always satisfying to finally defeat Manannan.  But I wish the game were better paced, as the post-Manannan game feels rushed and disparate, despite being very interesting and emotional.

The AGD version adds some backstory and ties in to other bits of King's Quest lore, but I found I wished it had better connected the miscellaneous characters and monsters of the original game like the AGD King's Quest II.  And more could be done with the revelation of Gwydion's true past.

Conclusion:  Despite some fun elements and some helpful updates in this version, I'll never enjoy the format of this game.  Too much of it is spent under the thumb of a tyrannical wizard.