Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers – 20th Anniversary Edition

Last updated: January 22, 2026

Overview

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers – 20th Anniversary Edition is a comprehensive remake of Jane Jensen’s acclaimed 1993 supernatural adventure game, released on October 15, 2014 for Windows and Mac OS X, with mobile versions following in July 2015¹². Developed by Pinkerton Road Studio in collaboration with Phoenix Online Studios, the remake features completely rebuilt graphics using 3D character models against hand-painted backgrounds, a remastered soundtrack by original composer Robert Holmes, and an entirely new voice cast³[^ref-4]. The project emerged from a Kickstarter campaign launched during the crowdfunding boom of 2012, representing Jane Jensen’s return to her most celebrated creation after a fifteen-year hiatus from the series⁴.

The 20th Anniversary Edition represents both a faithful preservation and a modernization of the original experience, adding new puzzles, additional locations, and streamlined gameplay while maintaining the core narrative about voodoo murders in New Orleans⁵[^ref-7]. Critics praised the remake for authentically paying homage to its predecessor while introducing the mature, horror-themed adventure to a new generation of players⁶. The remake received a Metacritic score of 74 and garnered mixed-to-positive reviews, with Adventure Gamers awarding it 4.5 stars and describing it as “a provocative story experience whose aim is to challenge, enlighten, horrify and enthrall”⁷[^ref-10].

As a “blockbuster retelling” of an award-winning murder mystery, the Anniversary Edition leverages modern technology to present what Computer Gaming World once called “audio and video that outshines any cartoon and a story that could scare the bejeebers out of Stephen King”⁸[^ref-12]. The game stands as testament to the enduring appeal of Jensen’s storytelling, which earned her the designation “the interactive Anne Rice” from gaming press upon the original release⁹.

Game Info

Developer: Pinkerton Road Studio, Phoenix Online Studios¹ Designer: Jane Jensen¹ Publisher: Pinkerton Road Studio² Engine: Unity 5¹⁰ Platforms: Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android¹ Release Year: 2014 Series: Gabriel Knight Protagonist: Gabriel Knight Sierra Lineage: Sierra Revival

Story Summary

The game opens in 1993 New Orleans, where Gabriel Knight operates St. George’s Books, a struggling rare bookshop in the French Quarter, while moonlighting as a struggling horror novelist¹¹[^ref-16]. Gabriel has been experiencing disturbing nightmares and finds himself drawn to investigate a series of ritualistic murders that the press has dubbed the “Voodoo Murders”[^ref-17]. Working alongside his assistant Grace Nakimura and his childhood friend Detective Mosely of the New Orleans Police Department, Gabriel begins researching the killings as material for his next novel, unaware that his investigation will uncover both supernatural forces and his own family’s dark legacy[^ref-18].

As Gabriel delves deeper into the case, he discovers connections between the murders and genuine voodoo practices, leading him to various New Orleans locations including Jackson Square, Lake Pontchartrain, and the city’s voodoo underground[^ref-19]⁵. His research introduces him to Malia Gedde, a mysterious and alluring woman from a prominent New Orleans family, with whom he develops a dangerous romantic attraction despite warnings that she may be connected to the cult responsible for the murders[^ref-20][^ref-21]. The investigation spans ten days, during which Gabriel uncovers evidence that a secret voodoo cult has been operating in New Orleans for generations⁵.

Gabriel’s journey of discovery eventually reveals that he is the latest in a line of Schattenjäger—German “shadow hunters” who have battled supernatural evil for centuries[^ref-22]. His family’s ancestral duty becomes intertwined with his personal quest when he learns that the voodoo cult is led by an ancient entity with ties to both his family’s past and his present attraction to Malia⁴. The narrative culminates in a terrifying confrontation that tests Gabriel’s courage, forces impossible choices, and transforms him from a cynical dilettante into a true warrior against darkness[^ref-23].

The original game’s plot drew significant inspiration from the film Angel Heart, grounding its supernatural horror firmly in the real-world culture and history of New Orleans¹²¹¹. Jensen conducted extensive historical and cultural research to ensure authenticity, resulting in a story that weaves together actual voodoo traditions, local folklore, and original mythology into what reviewers called “mature audiences for all the right reasons”⁸.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

The 20th Anniversary Edition modernizes the original interface significantly, replacing the eight-action verb system of the 1993 release with a streamlined context-sensitive cursor¹¹. This simplification allows players to interact with the environment more intuitively, with the cursor changing to indicate available actions such as examining objects, talking to characters, or manipulating items¹¹. The remake also introduces a comprehensive hint system to assist players who become stuck on puzzles, a feature notably absent from the unforgiving original¹³.

The point-and-click adventure gameplay remains faithful to the genre conventions Sierra helped establish, with players directing Gabriel through pre-rendered backgrounds, gathering inventory items, and engaging in conversations with numerous characters³. The game supports both mouse and keyboard input, with the Windows version utilizing DirectX 9.0c while the Mac version employs OpenGL 2¹⁰.

Structure and Progression

The game unfolds across ten in-game days, with new locations, characters, and story developments becoming available as Gabriel progresses through his investigation⁵[^ref-19]:

• Day 1: Introduction to Gabriel’s bookshop, Jackson Square, and initial crime scene investigation
• Day 2: Deeper exploration of New Orleans and initial voodoo research
• Day 3: Police station investigation and gathering evidence
• Day 4: Expanding the investigation to new locations
• Day 5: Key revelations about the voodoo murders
• Day 6: Infiltrating voodoo practitioners
• Day 7: Discovery of the Schattenjäger legacy
• Day 8: Preparing for confrontation
• Day 9: The voodoo conclave
• Day 10: Final confrontation and resolution⁵

Players must complete certain objectives and gather specific evidence before progressing to subsequent days, creating a structured mystery investigation that unfolds at a measured pace¹⁴.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The remake maintains the inventory-based puzzle design of the original while adding new puzzles and occasionally streamlining others³¹⁵. Notable puzzles include obtaining a snake scale from Lake Pontchartrain (which was notoriously difficult in the original), infiltrating Mosely’s office at the police station, and navigating the initiation ceremony of the voodoo cult¹⁵⁵. The game employs a point-scoring system with a maximum achievable score of 362 points, rewarding thorough exploration and optimal puzzle solutions⁵.

Some reviewers noted that certain new puzzles added to the remake disrupted the flow of the narrative, though the core puzzle design retained the logical—if sometimes demanding—sensibility of classic Sierra adventures¹³[^ref-28]. The game includes achievements tied to major story moments and optional discoveries, encouraging players to engage fully with the mystery⁵.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Upon release, the 20th Anniversary Edition received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics who praised its faithful adaptation while noting technical shortcomings and the challenges of updating a beloved classic. IGN’s Chuck Osborn awarded the game 7/10, declaring that it “authentically pays homage to its classic predecessor” and calling the original his “favorite game of all time”⁶¹⁶. Digital Spy’s Mark Langshaw gave it 4/5 stars, writing that “this is a remake done right and the care and attention that has been invested in it will delight existing fans—hopefully winning over some new ones, too”¹⁷.

Adventure Gamers awarded 4.5 stars, describing the game as “a superb game that excels in just about every area, held back only by one or two notable flaws or a collection of smaller ones”⁷. God is a Geek’s Robin Parker scored it 8/10, praising it as “a great way to bring a classic adventure game to a whole new audience” while noting that “the new backgrounds are somehow too colourful and lively—losing some of the grim tone that the original artwork had in spades”¹¹¹⁸.

More critical assessments came from Hardcore Gamer’s Geoff Thew, who awarded only 3/5, stating that “Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers is a good point and click adventure game, and its 20th Anniversary Edition is a very bad port. Technical issues abound, the high-definition graphics look far worse than their DOS forebears, and nearly every change that’s been made is for the worse”¹⁸. GameSpot’s Brandin Tyrrel gave 6/10, noting that “Gabriel Knight returns with a modern twist, bringing with him the good and the bad”¹⁸.

Modern Assessment

The 20th Anniversary Edition has maintained a respectable standing among adventure game enthusiasts, though it has not displaced the original in critical esteem. Digital Trends’ Will Fulton summarized the general consensus: “Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers holds up remarkably well after two decades, but loses some of its soul in this HD remake”¹⁸. RPG Fan’s Dave Yeager awarded 72%, concluding that “if the updated look and feel gets you to play this classic for the first time, it was a worthwhile endeavor”¹⁷.

Rock Paper Shotgun offered measured praise, with one reviewer characterizing the remake as “basically fine. Fine”¹⁵. The game has developed a dedicated community, with completion times averaging 10 hours for the main story and 15.5 hours for completionists according to HowLongToBeat data¹⁴.

Aggregate Scores:

• Metacritic: 74/100¹⁰
• OpenCritic: 72 (Top Critic Average), 39% Critics Recommend¹⁸
• MobyGames Critics: 76%³
• GOG User Reviews: 4/5 (124 reviews)²
• IMDB: 7.9/10 (139 ratings)¹⁹
• HowLongToBeat: 74%¹⁴
• Gamepressure Users: 5.2²⁰

Development

Origins

The 20th Anniversary Edition emerged from Jane Jensen’s desire to revisit her most celebrated work after years away from game development. Following the release of Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned in 1999—which proved to be the final adventure game published by Sierra—no new Gabriel Knight title appeared for fifteen years⁴. Jensen and her husband, composer Robert Holmes, founded Pinkerton Road Studio, named after the location of their farmhouse in Pennsylvania, specifically to create new adventure games and eventually revisit the Gabriel Knight franchise⁴.

The project was funded through a Kickstarter campaign launched during the 2012 crowdfunding boom that saw numerous classic adventure game creators return to the genre⁴. Jensen obtained permission from Activision, the current holder of the Sierra intellectual property, to develop the remake⁴. The decision to create a faithful remake rather than a reimagining reflected both fan expectations and Jensen’s personal conviction that the original story remained compelling¹⁶.

Production

Development proceeded as a collaboration between Pinkerton Road Studio and Phoenix Online Studios, the latter having previously developed The Silver Lining, a fan-made King’s Quest sequel that later received official sanction⁴¹. Jensen served as creative lead while also acting as creative consultant for Phoenix Online’s Cognition: An Erika Reed Thriller during this period⁴.

The production team faced the challenge of modernizing a beloved classic without alienating its passionate fanbase. The original voice recordings featuring Tim Curry, Mark Hamill, Leah Remini, Michael Dorn, and other notable actors were either unavailable or insufficient quality for the remake, necessitating entirely new voice recording sessions¹⁵²¹. The team rebuilt all graphics from scratch using 3D character models rendered against hand-painted backgrounds, departing from the pixel art of the original while attempting to maintain its atmospheric quality³.

Development Credits:³⁴

• Creative Director/Designer: Jane Jensen
• Composer: Robert Holmes
• Lead Voice Actor: Jason Victor (Gabriel Knight)
• Development Studios: Pinkerton Road Studio, Phoenix Online Studios

Technical Achievements

The remake utilized Unity 5 as its engine, allowing cross-platform deployment to Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, and Android¹⁰³. Pre-rendered backgrounds were created at 1920x1080 resolution and scaled for various display configurations¹⁰. The game represented a significant technical upgrade from the original SCI2 engine production, though some critics felt the 3D character models appeared incongruous against the 2D backgrounds, sometimes resembling “paper dolls”¹³.

The remastered soundtrack by Robert Holmes preserved the atmospheric quality of the original compositions while taking advantage of modern audio capabilities²⁰². The police station theme notably retained its humorous quality, with behind-the-scenes content revealing inspirations from Animal House and Airplane¹⁵.

Technical Specifications

Windows Version:¹⁰²

• Resolution: Pre-rendered backgrounds scaled from 1920x1080
• API: DirectX 9.0c
• Executable: 32-bit
• Minimum Requirements: Windows 7/8/10, 2.0 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, ATI or NVidia with 512 MB VRAM
• Recommended Requirements: 4 GB RAM, 1 GB VRAM
• Storage: 4 GB available space
• Download Size: Approximately 1.7 GB

Mac OS X Version:¹⁰

• API: OpenGL 2
• Minimum Requirements: OS X 10.6, 2.4 GHz processor, 2 GB RAM, 512 MB VRAM
• Storage: 4 GB available space
• Note: 32-bit only; does not function on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later

Cut Content

The remake streamlined certain aspects of the original’s exploration, with some locations removed from Day 1 including Napoleon House, the Voodoo Museum, Dixieland Drugstore, and Grandma Knight’s home—though these locations appear later in the game¹⁵. Analysis of the original suggested that “something appears to have been cut from Grace’s rescue scene at the conclave,” though specific details remain unclear¹².

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
1.0	October 15, 2014	Windows, Mac	Initial release1
2.01	January 24, 2017	Windows	Bug fixes22
2.01a	May 18, 2017	Windows	Additional fixes22
2.02	November 6, 2017	Windows, Mac	Latest version22

Engine Version:¹⁰

• Unity Engine Build: 5.4.3f1

Technical Issues

The launch version contained numerous technical problems that impacted the critical reception. Adventure Gamers noted that “avoidable technical issues both big and small made it into the launch version”⁷. GOG user reviews reported autosave issues and freezing problems, with the store noting the game is “not recommended for Intel systems with integrated/shared video memory”².

The Mac version faces a critical compatibility issue: as a 32-bit application, it does not function on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to Apple’s removal of support for 32-bit applications¹⁰. Some reviewers noted that character animation occasionally appeared stiff, and the new voice performance for Gabriel was considered “patchy” by some critics¹¹.

Easter Eggs and Trivia

• Gabriel’s name carries symbolic weight: “Gabriel” references the angel who battled Lucifer, while “Knight” serves as a metaphor for his destined role as a Schattenjäger¹²
• “Blake Backlash” is Gabriel’s detective character name within his novels, not his pen name—a detail some fans noted was inconsistently presented in the remake¹⁵
• The snake scale puzzle at Lake Pontchartrain was notoriously difficult in the original and represents one of the classic “pixel hunt” challenges of 1990s adventure gaming¹⁵
• Grace’s line “Gabriel is a lout. I mean, he’s out” was preserved from the original¹⁵
• Looking at objects as Grace may sometimes trigger Gabriel’s comments due to a scripting bug inherited from the development process²³
• The original game was listed as #7 on Computer Gaming World’s “15 best ways to die in computer gaming” for the scene where a zombie rips out the player’s heart²¹

Voice Cast

Character	Voice Actor (20th Anniversary)	Voice Actor (Original 1993)
Gabriel Knight	Jason Victor	Tim Curry
Grace Nakimura	Cissy Jones	Leah Remini
Detective Mosely	Ned Clarke	Mark Hamill
Narrator	Amy Kelly	Virginia Capers
Dr. John	—	Michael Dorn
Wolfgang	—	Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.
Malia Gedde	—	Leilani Jones
Grandma Knight/Tetelo	—	Linda Gary
Gedde Butler	—	Tim Curry (dual role)

⁹²¹⁴

Jason Victor, who voiced Gabriel in the remake, had previously voiced King Graham in Phoenix Online’s The Silver Lining, establishing a connection between the development teams⁴. The recasting of Tim Curry’s iconic performance proved controversial among fans, with IGN’s Chuck Osborn noting that while Curry was “ridiculously miscast as a Cajun,” he nonetheless provided a memorable performance that became inseparable from the character¹⁶.

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

The original 1993 Gabriel Knight and its 1995 sequel The Beast Within sold a combined 300,000 copies by December 1998²¹. While specific sales figures for the 20th Anniversary Edition have not been publicly disclosed, the game’s availability across multiple digital storefronts and platforms indicates ongoing commercial viability. The original game won Computer Gaming World’s Adventure Game of the Year for 1994 and received Best of Show honors at CES 1993²¹.

Collections

The 20th Anniversary Edition is available as a standalone digital release and has not been bundled into physical compilation packages. The original 1993 game appears in various Sierra collections and is available separately on GOG.com alongside the remake².

Awards and Recognition

Original 1993 Game Awards:²¹²

• Computer Gaming World Adventure Game of the Year 1994
• Computer Game Review Adventure Game of the Year 1994
• CES 1993 Best of Show
• Virginia Capers won Best Female Voice-Over Acting award for her narration

Ongoing Recognition:²

• Featured in Adventure Gamers’ 20 Best Adventure Games
• Honorable Mention in The A.V. Club’s Top 100 Games of All-Time
• Described as “voted one of the greatest games of all time”

Fan Projects

The 20th Anniversary Edition represents an unusual case where the original creator returned to remake their own work with fan and crowdfunding support. The speedrunning community has embraced the remake, with competitive times tracked on Speedrun.com²⁴.

Related Publications

• Behind-the-Scenes Content: The 20th Anniversary Edition includes the “Schattenjäger Archives” featuring original design notes and development materials¹³
• Original Game Documentation: The 1993 release included comprehensive manuals and copy protection materials
• Graphic Novel: Jane Jensen authored a graphic novel adaptation of the Gabriel Knight story

Critical Perspective

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers occupies a unique position in adventure gaming history as one of the first titles to successfully blend mature horror themes with the point-and-click format that Sierra had pioneered through lighter fare¹¹. As Robin Parker noted, “Whereas most point and click games of the time were comedies or fantasy adventures, Sierra took a chance with Sins of the Fathers, a horror thriller, grounded thoroughly in the real world”¹¹. The Sierra Chest retrospective declared it “probably the darkest most gripping game at the time, from the first animated sequence to the terrifying climax”⁴.

Johnny L. Wilson’s contemporaneous review in Computer Gaming World remains definitive: “Gabriel Knight is an exceptional blend of art, game and understanding. It is mature audiences for all the right reasons”—a sentiment echoed by his admission that the game represented “the first time I’ve actually experienced fear when viewing a computer game”⁸. The 20th Anniversary Edition, while imperfect, successfully preserved and transmitted this achievement to modern audiences. As one reviewer philosophically concluded, “In the end, it’s the storytelling that matters and this anniversary edition delivers”¹³.

The remake’s reception illustrates the challenges inherent in updating beloved classics: faithful enough to satisfy nostalgic fans, yet modernized enough to attract newcomers. While the original’s star-studded voice cast and pixel art aesthetics retain devoted admirers, the Anniversary Edition ensures that Gabriel Knight’s legacy remains accessible to players who might never experience a DOS game. Jane Jensen’s creative freedom—granted by Ken Williams despite reservations (“Okay, I’ll let you do it, but I wish you’d come up with something happier!“)—produced a landmark in interactive storytelling that has now been preserved for future generations¹².

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG
• Steam

Technical Resources

• PCGamingWiki – Technical fixes and compatibility information

Series Continuity

The Gabriel Knight series follows the supernatural investigations of its titular protagonist across three installments, each employing different graphical technologies and settings while maintaining narrative continuity. Sins of the Fathers establishes Gabriel’s transformation from struggling author to Schattenjäger, a legacy he inherits from his deceased uncle Wolfgang²¹. The game introduces key characters including Grace Nakimura and Detective Mosely who return throughout the series, while the voodoo mythology and New Orleans setting provide foundation for Gabriel’s ongoing battle against supernatural evil.

The 20th Anniversary Edition preserves all narrative connections to the subsequent games while updating the presentation for modern audiences. Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned (1999) features Gabriel as “the former owner of a book store in New Orleans, and now a Schattenjäger (‘shadow hunter’) living in a castle in Bavaria”—directly continuing from events established in Sins of the Fathers and The Beast Within²³.

• Previous: N/A (First game in series)
• Next: 1995 - Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within

References

Footnotes

1. Wikipedia – Gabriel Knight – release dates, developers, voice cast, platforms ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

2. GOG.com – Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition – ratings, technical specs, awards, user reviews ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

3. MobyGames – Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition – developer credits, engine, platforms, technical details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

4. The Sierra Chest – Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition – development history, Pinkerton Road founding, Kickstarter origins ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

5. Cheat Code Central – Gabriel Knight Achievement Guide – achievements, point system, gameplay structure ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

6. IGN – Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Review – Chuck Osborn review, 7/10 score ↩ ↩²

7. Adventure Gamers – Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Edition – 4.5 star review, technical issues noted ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. Wikipedia – Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers – original game development, Johnny L. Wilson quotes, Charles Ardai review, awards ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. Wikipedia – Gabriel Knight Series – “interactive Anne Rice” designation ↩ ↩²

10. PCGamingWiki – Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Edition – Unity 5 engine, technical specifications, Mac compatibility issues ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

11. God is a Geek – Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Review – interface changes, setting description, critical analysis ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

12. The Digital Antiquarian (Filfre.net) – Angel Heart inspiration, Ken Williams quote, name symbolism, development history ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

13. Draco Torre Review – low-budget analysis, hint system, Schattenjäger Archives, completion time ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

14. HowLongToBeat – Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Edition – completion times, player statistics ↩ ↩² ↩³

15. Rock Paper Shotgun – Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Preview – cut content, voice recording issues, Grace quote, police music inspiration ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

16. IGN – Gabriel Knight Game Page – Tim Curry casting comments, Jane Jensen interview ↩ ↩² ↩³

17. GOG.com – Professional Review Quotes – Digital Spy and RPG Fan review quotes ↩ ↩²

18. OpenCritic – Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Edition – aggregate scores, multiple critic quotes ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

19. IMDB – Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition – user rating, vote count ↩

20. Gamepressure – Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary Edition – user score, release dates, platform information ↩ ↩²

21. Wikipedia – Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (Original) – voice cast, sales data, awards, engine, development ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

22. GOG Database – version history, patch dates ↩ ↩² ↩³

23. MobyGames – Gabriel Knight 3 – series continuity, easter eggs ↩ ↩²

24. Speedrun.com – Gabriel Knight Remake – speedrunning community ↩