King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow is widely regarded as the finest entry in Sierra’s flagship adventure series, representing a remarkable leap forward in storytelling, puzzle design, and production values¹². Released on October 13, 1992, the game marked a pivotal collaboration between series creator Roberta Williams and newcomer Jane Jensen, whose partnership would reshape Sierra’s approach to adventure game design³. Prince Alexander journeys to the Land of the Green Isles to rescue Princess Cassima from the schemes of the sinister Vizier Abdul Alhazred, exploring five distinct islands drawn from fairy tale and mythological traditions⁴. Dragon Magazine declared it “the best King’s Quest game yet and certainly one of the best adventure games on the market”⁵. With a budget exceeding $700,000, professional voice acting, and Sierra’s first implementation of lip-sync technology, the game became a landmark release that dominated sales charts through Christmas 1992 and proved “the era of CD game playing is upon us”⁶⁷.

Game Info

Developer: Sierra On-Line⁴ Designer: Roberta Williams, Jane Jensen³ Publisher: Sierra On-Line⁴ Engine: SCI1.1⁸ Platforms: MS-DOS, Windows 3.x, Macintosh, Amiga⁴ Release Year: 1992⁴ Series: King’s Quest Protagonist: Prince Alexander Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

Following the events of King’s Quest V, Prince Alexander cannot forget Princess Cassima, the scullery maid he helped rescue from the wizard Mordack—only to discover she was royalty herself⁹. At the end of their previous adventure, Cassima invited Alexander to visit her kingdom, but after returning to the Land of the Green Isles, she was never heard from again⁹. Gazing into the magic mirror of Daventry, Alexander sees a vision of Cassima weeping in a tower, crying for help⁹. Memorizing the star positions visible through her window, he sets sail to find her, navigating by the night sky for three months until a violent storm shipwrecks him on the very shores he sought¹⁰³.

Alexander awakens on the Isle of the Crown to find the Green Isles in turmoil. King Caliphim and Queen Allaria have died under mysterious circumstances, and the royal Vizier Abdul Alhazred has declared himself regent⁴. Claiming Cassima is in mourning and cannot be disturbed, Alhazred plans to force her into marriage to legitimize his rule¹¹. The kingdom’s four main islands—once united under the Crown—have fallen into bitter dispute after their sacred treasures were stolen, each island blaming the others¹⁰.

Alexander’s quest takes him across a chain of islands, each inspired by classic literary traditions. The Isle of the Crown evokes the Arabian Nights with its bazaars and palace intrigue¹². The comma-shaped Isle of Wonder draws from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, populated by living chess pieces, grammatical puns made flesh, and quarreling queens¹³⁹. The Isle of the Sacred Mountain reflects ancient Greek mythology, featuring winged humanoids, a minotaur-haunted labyrinth, and an ancient oracle¹³. The Isle of the Beast reimagines Beauty and the Beast, where a cursed nobleman awaits true love’s release¹². A fifth island, the Isle of the Mists, lies hidden in perpetual fog, home to secretive druids¹⁰.

Alexander must not only rescue Cassima but uncover the truth about her parents’ deaths, discover who stole the islands’ treasures, and restore harmony to the divided kingdom. His journey ultimately leads to the Realm of the Dead itself, where he may attempt to bargain with Death for the souls of the murdered king and queen¹⁴.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

King’s Quest VI employs the refined point-and-click interface Sierra developed for SCI games, with an overhead icon bar accessed by moving the cursor to the screen top or right-clicking to cycle through cursors¹²¹⁵. Players interact using walk, look, hand, and talk icons, with inventory items usable directly on the game world¹. The implementation represents a marked improvement over King’s Quest V, with far more objects yielding custom responses—looking at, touching, or talking to the same item often produces different dialogue¹².

George Starostin’s retrospective praised the refinement: “Many more actions with real consequences—most objects allow different dialog lines depending on whether you look, use, or talk to them”¹². Notably, the game contains no arcade sequences whatsoever, representing “the ideal standard for adventure game” design according to the same review¹².

Structure and Progression

The game world spans five islands navigated via a magic map that only functions when Alexander stands on a shore⁹. Each island is relatively compact, typically comprising no more than half a dozen screens, but puzzles interlock across locations—solving challenges on one island often requires objects or information gathered from another, similar to the design approach of LucasArts’ Monkey Island 2, released the same year¹²¹².

A sophisticated point system tracks completion, with 231 total points available but only 116 required to finish the game¹⁶. This reflects the game’s signature feature: nearly half of all content is entirely optional³⁵. The design offers two major paths—a “short path” yielding between 116-184 points and requiring less exploration, versus a “long path” worth 179-231 points that involves rescuing Cassima’s parents from the Land of the Dead, freeing the enslaved genie, and recovering all stolen treasures¹⁶¹⁴.

Lead programmer Robert Lindsley emphasized this nonlinear design in InterAction Magazine: “It’s a very deep game. Players are going to see a lot of things they’ve never seen before. You’re going to be able to play this game two or three times over. It’s not linear at all. In fact, if anyone ever makes it through the game, if you ever solve it 100%, let us know. We’ll give you a medal”³.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The puzzle design reflects the combined sensibilities of both designers. Jane Jensen specifically claimed credit for the Cliffs of Logic sequence: “I would say I can claim responsibility for the Cliffs of Logic, though. That’s definitely my kind of puzzle”¹⁷. This challenging obstacle requires players to reference the Guidebook to the Land of the Green Isles, the game’s copy protection manual, to translate Ancient Ones inscriptions and solve riddles involving word order and logic¹³.

The Isle of Wonder features puzzles playing on Lewis Carroll wordplay, with literal representations of figures of speech—the Oxymoron creature, a Dangling Participle, a stick-in-the-mud, and a bump-on-a-log all serve as inventory items or puzzle elements⁹¹². George Starostin called the Isle “the most colorfully absurdist that King’s Quest ever got,” likely attributable to Jensen’s influence¹².

Magic plays a central role on the long path, with Alexander learning three spells from a magic spellbook: “Make Rain,” “Charming a Creature of the Night,” and “Magic Paint”¹⁸. These require gathering specific ingredients across the islands and enable access to otherwise unreachable areas and solutions.

The game does contain dead ends and death scenarios—criticized by some reviewers—though “nowhere near the level of the previous game”⁹. The minotaur’s labyrinth is particularly unforgiving: entering without specific objects guarantees an inescapable situation¹².

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Contemporary reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Dragon Magazine’s 1993 review declared: “Let’s not mince words—KQ6 is, simply, the best King’s Quest game yet and it is certainly one of the best adventure games on the market. It has enormous replay value, and it is challenging enough to keep the most avid player hooked for many days”⁵. The review particularly praised the “astounding” introduction with its “truly cinematic” 3D graphics⁵.

Peter Spear, writing in InterAction Magazine, proclaimed: “King’s Quest VI is not just good, it is a landmark game… the proof that the era of CD game playing is upon us”⁶. He elaborated: “King’s Quest VI represents a fin de siècle, the end of an era. It is a game that should have been—needed to be—first published on CD-ROM. Kill your hard drives!”⁷

The Amiga port, released in 1994 by Revolution Software, received mixed reviews reflecting the compromises necessary for the platform. CU Amiga scored it 89% calling it “a welcome and slick addition to the genre”¹⁵. Amiga Computing awarded 86% with a Gold Award, praising graphics “on par with Monkey Island 2 and Fate of Atlantis”¹⁵. However, Amiga Format gave only 69%, criticizing it as “adventure-by-numbers” where “It’s like Monkey Island never happened”¹⁵. Amiga Power scored 70%, wishing “Sierra check their watches and suddenly realise it is 1994”¹⁵.

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospectives consistently rank King’s Quest VI among Sierra’s finest achievements. Adventure Gamers awarded 4.5/5, declaring: “If you only play one King’s Quest game, make it this one. It’s the only game in the series where story and gameplay come together in perfect balance, and after a decade of working to get it right, it’s one of the best games Sierra gave us”¹. The site ranked it #3 in their Top 20 Adventure Games of All-Time in 2004¹.

PC Gamer’s 2020 retrospective ranking of all 63 Sierra graphical adventures placed King’s Quest VI at #3 overall—the highest-ranked King’s Quest game, trailing only Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers and Space Quest IV¹⁹.

Hardcore Gaming 101 called it “a remarkable improvement in almost every possible manner” over its predecessor, concluding: “King’s Quest VI is almost in an entirely different league than its predecessors or sequels… easily one of Sierra’s best”⁹.

George Starostin’s 2021 retrospective gave 4/5, describing it as “one of the best designed digital fairy tales ever told—probably the very best one in the family-friendly category” that achieved “a level of depth and complexity that put it at least on the Princess Bride level of entertainment”¹². He particularly praised the Land of the Dead sequence as “the single most emotionally heavy moment in King’s Quest history—perhaps the only time the game taking itself seriously managed to have me impressed rather than amused”¹².

Aggregate Scores:

• GameRankings: 88.75% (4 reviews)⁴
• MobyGames: 8.1 MobyScore, 83% critics (27 reviews)²⁰

Other Ratings:

• Adventure Gamers: 4.5/5 (Excellent)¹
• GOG: 4.6/5 (52 reviews for KQ 4+5+6 bundle)²¹
• IMDB: 8.5/10²²
• My Abandonware: 4.44/5 (125 votes)²³
• HowLongToBeat: 78% user rating, 6.5 hours main story, 8.5 hours completionist²⁴

Development

Origins

In May 1991, Roberta Williams began designing King’s Quest VI, knowing from the outset it would focus on Prince Alexander’s pursuit of Princess Cassima³. However, Williams was simultaneously serving as executive designer on Laura Bow II: The Dagger of Amon Ra, and by her own admission was “getting a little tired of playing the ‘Queen of Daventry’ for the nation’s schoolchildren”⁷.

Williams sought a collaborator for practical and strategic reasons. “I took on a co-designer for a couple of reasons,” she explained. “I wanted to train Jane because I didn’t want Sierra to be dependent on me. Someone else needs to know how to do a ‘proper’ adventure game. We’re all doing a good job from a technology standpoint, but not on design. In my opinion, the best way to learn it properly is side by side”⁷.

Jane Jensen had joined Sierra in 1990 after seeing an ad in a Los Angeles newspaper for “computer nerds who can write”²⁵. Her first design credit came on EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus, co-designed with Gano Haine⁷. King’s Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella was the first adventure game Jensen ever played³.

Production

Development spanned fourteen months from May 1991 to September 1992, with a team exceeding twenty people⁴³. The budget reached at least $700,000—equivalenttoapproximately$1,568,485 in 2024 dollars—with some sources indicating costs pushed past $1 million as production expanded⁴⁷.

The design process began at Williams’ home. Jensen recalled: “We sat down at her house with a huge pad of paper—that was her method of design. She already knew the game would be about King Graham’s son, Alexander, and his quest to the Green Isles to meet and save Cassima. Most of the rest was brainstormed between us”¹⁷.

The collaboration proved challenging but formative. Jensen reflected: “It wasn’t always easy at the time. She knew exactly what she wanted and I needed to bow to her sensibility of what King’s Quest was and wasn’t. She really understood her audience. My natural inclinations were to go a bit edgier and more adult, but she kept me in line. I learned a tremendous amount from her. It was one of the most important and beneficial training grounds I ever could have had and I respect her enormously”¹⁷.

Jensen wrote over 6,000 messages for the game—reportedly four times the script size of King’s Quest V⁴⁹. She also authored the Guidebook to the Land of the Green Isles, the game’s copy protection manual written in-universe as the travel journal of explorer Derek Karlavaegen¹³. The character name was suggested by Peter Spear, author of The King’s Quest Companion, to cement connections with his book series; Jensen’s original character was named “John the Wanderer”¹³.

Development Credits:²⁰³

• Executive Designer: Roberta Williams
• Co-Designer: Jane Jensen
• Project Manager/Director: William D. Skirvin
• Lead Programmer: Robert W. Lindsley
• Programmers: Randy MacNeill, Robert L. Mallory, Victor Sadauskas, Doug Oldfield, Carlo Escobar
• Senior Artists: Michael Hutchison, John Shroades
• Artists: Russell Truelove, Deanna Yhalkee, Darlou Gams, Tim Loucks, Rick Morgan, Jennifer Shontz, Cindy Walker, Karin A. Young
• Composer: Christopher G. Braymen
• Additional Music: Dan Kehler, Mark Seibert, Richard Spurgeon
• Quality Assurance Lead: Robin Bradley
• Additional QA: Mike Brosius, John Ratcliffe
• Technical Support: Rob Koeppel

The opening movie was created by Kronos Digital Entertainment, led by Stanley Liu and Albert Co⁴⁷. Originally rendered on cutting-edge graphics workstations at 1.2 GB and 10 minutes duration, it was compressed to 6 MB (2 minutes) for floppy release and 60 MB (6 minutes) for CD-ROM⁷.

Technical Achievements

King’s Quest VI was Sierra’s first adventure game to feature lip-syncing technology, acquired through Sierra’s July 1992 purchase of Bright Star Technology for $1 million⁷. The technology was developed by Elon Gasper, described as “a genius ex-college professor specializing in linguistics”⁷. This enabled character portraits to synchronize with voice acting, though only the CD-ROM version featured full voice acting throughout.

The game employed video-captured actors for realistic character animation, with over 2,000 character actions recorded via motion capture⁴³. Technical advances included “scaling” technology allowing characters to change size based on screen position for correct perspective, and “pather” technology enabling intelligent obstacle avoidance³.

John Shroades created 80 background paintings for the game⁴. The Windows CD-ROM version featured enhanced high-resolution (640x400) character portraits during dialogue sequences¹²²⁶.

Voice Cast

The CD-ROM version marked a significant leap in Sierra’s voice production, featuring professional actors rather than office staff⁷¹². Stuart Rosen served as voice director²⁷.

Principal Cast:²⁷²⁸

Actor	Characters
Robby Benson	Prince Alexander
Tony Jay	Captain Saladin, Gate Guard, Arch Druid, Lamp Trader
Josh Mandel	King Graham, Shamir Shamazel, Oxymoron, Druid, Guard Dog
Bill Ratner	Narrator
Stevie Vallance (as Louise Vallance)	Princess Cassima
Townsend Coleman	Vizier Abdul Alhazred, Shamir (additional), Lord Azure, Ferryman, Beast, Minotaur
Sheryl Bernstein	Queen Valanice, Rosella, Lady Aeriel, White Queen, Black Widow Spider
Ron Feinberg	King Caliphim, Lord of the Dead, Gruff the Guard Dog
Dave Fennoy	Pawnshop Owner
Don Messick	Ali the Bookseller, Sense Gnomes
Neil Ross	Chess Knights
Russi Taylor	Beauty, Lady Celeste, Ghost Child, Oyster
Linda Gary	Oracle, Red Queen, Mother Ghost, Queen Allaria
Chuck McCann	Jollo the Jester, Bookworm, Bump-on-a-Log, Woof
Patrick Pinney	Winged One, Diphthong
David Prince	Dangling Participle, Stick-in-the-Mud

George Starostin noted the significance of the cast: “The first ever appearance in a computer game of the inimitable Dave Fennoy (much-later-to-be Lee Everett in TellTale’s The Walking Dead) in a relatively small, but important role of Pawn Shop Owner”¹². He also observed that Robby Benson “had just provided his voice for Disney’s Beast,” creating an actor allusion given the game’s Beauty and the Beast-inspired island¹².

Girl in the Tower

The love theme “Girl in the Tower” became an unusual case study in video game marketing. Composed by Mark Seibert with lyrics by Jane Jensen and performed by Bob Bergthold and Debbie Seibert, the ballad was inspired by Cassima’s theme from King’s Quest V²⁹³⁰.

Ken Williams envisioned the song becoming a radio hit comparable to popular movie tie-in ballads of the era⁷. Sierra sent promotional CD singles to radio stations nationwide and included an 8-page pamphlet in every game box with phone numbers for major radio stations, urging customers to call and request the song⁷.

The campaign backfired spectacularly. Jimmy Maher recounted: “Program directors called Ken to complain, made vague legal threats about FCC laws. Ken agreed to pull pamphlet from future boxes”⁷. Williams later defended the effort: “In my opinion, the radio stations were the criminals for ignoring their customers, something I believe no business should ever do. Oh, well… the song was great”⁷.

George Starostin was less charitable, calling it a “horrendous power ballad”¹². However, the song gained a second life through Sierra self-parody—Space Quest VI featured a “Girl In The Shower” joke, and Leisure Suit Larry VI included the song as a phone number easter egg¹¹³¹.

Technical Specifications

CD-ROM Version:²⁶

• Resolution: 320x200, 256 colors (640x400 for character portraits in Windows version)
• Audio: Roland MT-32, General MIDI, Sound Blaster, Ad Lib, PC Speaker
• Disk Space: 15+ MB hard drive installation (entire game)
• RAM: 2 MB (DOS), 4 MB (Windows)

Floppy Version:⁷⁵

• Disks: 9 high-density (3.5”) or equivalent
• Size: Over 17 MB
• Intro Movie: 5-6 MB (recommended deletion after viewing to free space)

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
1.000	September 27, 1992	DOS Floppy	Original US release8
1.000 (German)	November 18, 1992	DOS Floppy	German localization8
1.000 (French)	1992	DOS Floppy	French localization8
1.000 (Spanish)	July 5, 1994	DOS CD	Spanish localization8
CD-ROM	September 11, 1994	DOS	Full voice acting, high-res portraits26
1.034 (Windows CD)	September 11, 1994	Windows 3.x	Windows version with MIDI support8
Amiga	1993	Amiga	Revolution Software port using Virtual Theatre engine1532
Macintosh	1994	Mac	Virtual Theatre engine (non-SCI)8

SCI Interpreter Versions:⁸

Game Version	Interpreter	Type	Notes
1.000	1.001.054	SCI1.1	US floppy release
1.000 (German)	1.001.054	SCI1.1	German localization
1.000 (French)	1.001.054	SCI1.1	French localization
CD-ROM	l.cfs.158	SCI1.1	DOS CD version
1.034 (Windows)	1.001.069	SCI1.1	Windows CD version

Amiga Port

The Amiga version was developed by Revolution Software, later renowned for the Broken Sword series¹⁵³². Rather than porting the SCI engine, Revolution used their proprietary Virtual Theatre engine—the same technology powering Beneath a Steel Sky³². The game shipped on 10 floppy disks with hard drive installation strongly recommended¹⁵.

The port made significant compromises. Graphics were limited to 32 colors rather than the original’s 256, though Sierra claimed the results were good enough to cancel a planned AGA 256-color version¹⁵. CU Amiga noted Alexander moved “fast—a veritable Linford Christie”¹⁵. Many puzzles, locations, and characters were removed or altered from the original⁴. Voice acting was omitted, with music and sound effects only¹⁵. The game is not supported by ScummVM due to its non-SCI engine³².

Legacy

King’s Quest VI is consistently cited as the fan-favorite entry in the series. A ResetEra discussion noted that “Roberta Williams mentioned that fans frequently bring it up with her when they want to talk about the series”³³. The Digital Antiquarian observed: “The consensus among fans today is that this is the best overall King’s Quest”⁷.

More significantly, King’s Quest VI launched Jane Jensen’s career as a lead designer. George Starostin stated plainly: “Without King’s Quest VI, there would be no Gabriel Knight—it was only due to this game’s major success that Jane Jensen, a relative newcomer to the Sierra planet, was given the green light to pursue her own creative vision to the fullest”¹². Jensen confirmed: “What happened was that I showed, to Sierra, that I could carry and complete an adventure game, and that was what gave me the opportunity. Basically I did a good job so they gave me a shot at my own title”¹⁷.

Critics attribute much of the game’s quality to Jensen’s involvement. TV Tropes notes: “This is because most of its design was done by Jane Jensen, rather than series starter Roberta Williams”². David Trivette observed in The Official Book of King’s Quest: “There is a darkness to the scenes not found in earlier quests. Overall the sixth has an ominous tone”².

Commercial Performance

King’s Quest VI became Sierra’s biggest success of 1992. It shipped approximately 400,000 copies in its first week and topped DOS game sales charts from October through December⁴⁷. It was the first computer game certified gold (100,000 units) by the Software Publishers Association before shipping, based on pre-orders alone⁷.

Sierra duplicated over one million disks for the first shipment—130,000 copies flew out the door on the October 13, 1992 ship date⁶. By November 1993, the CD-ROM version ranked as the 5th best-selling CD-ROM game⁴. PC Data tracked 300,000-400,000 units sold in the US by 2000⁴.

Soundtrack Releases

The original soundtrack was composed by Christopher Braymen, with additional contributions from Dan Kehler and Mark Seibert³¹. Nightingale recordings were licensed from the Library of Natural Sounds at Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology⁴.

In March 2024, Two Guys Records released “King’s Quest VI - An Ode to the Isles,” a two-LP vinyl reorchestration featuring Erik Elsom, Chris Braymen, and Error 47³⁰. The release included a new cover of “Girl in the Tower” and featured Troels Pleimert (Space Quest Historian) on drums³⁰. The original 1992 promo CD single of “Girl in the Tower” now commands $28-50 on the collector market³⁰.

Multiple Endings

The game features at least a dozen ending variations based on player choices¹⁴. Key variables include:

• Wedding Ring: Whether Alexander sends his signet ring to Cassima, reclaims it himself, or leaves it in the pawn shop
• Parents’ Rescue: Whether Alexander travels to the Land of the Dead to rescue King Caliphim and Queen Allaria
• Genie’s Fate: Whether Shamir Shamazel is freed or killed
• Stolen Treasures: Whether the four sacred treasures are recovered and the islands reconciled
• Jollo’s Friendship: Whether Alexander befriends the court jester

The “best” ending requires sending the ring via Sing-Sing the nightingale, befriending Jollo, rescuing the king and queen, saving the genie, and recovering all stolen treasures. This ending features Jollo performing at the wedding, Shamir’s magical tricks, attendance by rulers of all islands, and the arrival of King Graham, Queen Valanice, and Princess Rosella from Daventry¹⁴.

Easter Eggs and Trivia

Pawn Shop References: The pawn shop shelves contain humorous items referencing earlier King’s Quest puzzles¹¹⁹:

• Hull-hole detector (King’s Quest V)
• Cat-cookie mix (King’s Quest III)
• Golden bridle finder (King’s Quest IV)
• Tongue climbing gear (King’s Quest IV)
• Bridge repair kit (King’s Quest II)
• Owl Courage Potion “for spineless owls” (Cedric from King’s Quest V)
• Stair traction pads (various AGI-era games)

Name Origins:²³⁴

• Abdul Alhazred: Named after H.P. Lovecraft’s “Mad Arab,” author of the Necronomicon
• Shamir Shamazel: Corruption of Yiddish “schlemiel” and “schlimazel” (unlucky screw-up); also references the Laverne & Shirley opening credits
• Lord of the Dead/Samhain: Named after the Celtic festival of the dead; in-game lore states he was once a mortal cursed by the gods
• Cassima: Derives from Cassim, Ali Baba’s brother in Arabian Nights

Visual References:²

• Alexander’s costume was based on Kevin Costner’s wardrobe in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
• The catacombs theme incorporates the Dies Irae Gregorian chant

Unused Content (TCRF):³⁵

• Debug Script 911 was accidentally left in Spanish and Italian releases despite being cut from the final English game
• A complete talking animation for Shamir with golden eyes exists but is only used in the Amiga version
• Extra Ferryman dialogue about “three visitors” was re-enabled for the Amiga port
• An earlier, lower-quality Cassima voice recording exists in the DOS floppy version

Other Trivia:

• If Alexander falls at the Cliffs of Logic three times, he complains and tells the player to stop¹¹
• KQ6 references appear in Torin’s Passage (Girl in the Tower behind theater curtain), Space Quest IV (cut room using KQ6 art), Leisure Suit Larry 6 (phone number plays the song), and King’s Quest 2015 (tapestry in Gwendolyn’s room)¹¹

Fan Games

King’s Quest VI AGI Demake (2024): Brandon Kouri released a remarkable fan project that recreates King’s Quest VI using Sierra’s original 1980s AGI engine and text parser interface³³. Development spanned 18 years (2006-2024), with the first stable version released August 16, 2024³³. Described as “likely one of the largest and most complex AGI games ever made,” every background was hand-traced from the original and all text was copied verbatim³³. The project runs in DOSBox and is freely available.

Related Publications

Guidebook to the Land of the Green Isles: Written by Jane Jensen and illustrated by John Shroades, this copy protection manual is presented as the travel journal of Derek Karlavaegen¹³. The 25+ page guidebook includes island descriptions, the Ancient Ones’ alphabet puzzle key, Logic Cliffs riddles, and the Mali Mellin genie legend¹³.

King’s Quest VI Hintbook: Written by Lorelei Shannon and designed by Mark Empey, the 106-page official hint book included “The Royal Family: A Celebration,” a supplementary text written in-universe by “Bryanne Eridiphal” for King Graham’s 25th anniversary⁴³⁴.

The King’s Quest Companion: Peter Spear’s hint book series included a novelization of King’s Quest VI titled “Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow: From the Chronicles of Daventry, Part VI” by eluki bes shahar, narrated by Derek Karlavaegen³⁴.

The Official Book of King’s Quest VI: Donald B. Trivette’s strategy guide included an extensive interview with Roberta Williams discussing design philosophy⁶.

Collections

This game has been included in²⁰²¹:

• King’s Quest: Collector’s Edition (1994) – Games 1-6, King’s Questions trivia game, KQ7 demo
• The Roberta Williams Anthology (1996) – 14 games spanning Williams’ career
• King’s Quest Collection (1997) – Complete classic series
• King’s Quest Collection (2006) – Seven games with DOSBox for Windows XP
• King’s Quest 4+5+6 (2009) – GOG.com digital release, ScummVM-powered

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG.com – King’s Quest 4+5+6 – Includes both floppy and CD-ROM versions, ScummVM-powered²¹
• Steam – King’s Quest Collection – Complete classic series bundle³⁶

Download / Preservation

• Internet Archive – MS-DOS CD Version – Browser playable³⁷
• My Abandonware – King’s Quest VI – Preservation downloads²³

Fan Projects

• King’s Quest VI AGI Demake – Brandon Kouri’s 18-year AGI recreation (2024)³³
• Two Guys Records – An Ode to the Isles – 2024 vinyl soundtrack reorchestration³⁰

Manuals & Extras

• Sierra Chest – King’s Quest VI – Walkthrough, maps, memorabilia¹¹
• MobyGames – King’s Quest VI – Covers, screenshots, credits²⁰
• MOCAGH – KQ6 Hintbook – Official hint book scans⁴
• Sierra Help – KQ6 – Patches, saves, technical support
• PCGamingWiki – King’s Quest VI – Technical fixes²⁶

Series Continuity

King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow is the sixth entry in the King’s Quest series. The story continues from 1990 - King’s Quest V - Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder, with Alexander pursuing Princess Cassima whom he met during the previous adventure.

• Previous: 1990 - King’s Quest V - Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder
• Next: 1994 - King’s Quest VII - The Princeless Bride

The wedding of Alexander and Cassima establishes Alexander as King of the Green Isles, a title he holds in subsequent series lore.

References

Footnotes

1. Adventure Gamers – King’s Quest VI – – 4.5/5 Excellent rating, #3 Top 20 All-Time, “best game Sierra gave us” verdict ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. TV Tropes – King’s Quest VI – – Jane Jensen credit for quality, darker tone, character name origins, Robin Hood costume reference ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. InterAction Magazine Fall 1992 – The Quest for King’s Quest VI – – 14 months development, video-captured actors, Jane Jensen first adventure was KQ4, Lindsley “100% medal” quote ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

4. Wikipedia – King’s Quest VI – – $700K budget, 400K first week sales, GameRankings 88.75%, 6,000 messages, Cornell nightingale sounds, hintbook credits ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰

5. Dragon Magazine #192 – King’s Quest VI Review – – “Best KQ game yet,” 15MB hard drive, “astounding” intro, Monkey Island comparisons ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

6. InterAction Magazine Winter 1992 – – Peter Spear “landmark game” and “era of CD gaming” quotes, 130K first shipment ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. The Digital Antiquarian – The Mortgaging of Sierra Online – – Jimmy Maher article: $1M+ budget, Girl in the Tower radio fiasco, Bright Star acquisition, opening movie specs, Ken Williams quotes ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹

8. SCI Wiki – King’s Quest VI – – SCI1.1 engine, version numbers, interpreter details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

9. Hardcore Gaming 101 – King’s Quest VI – – Plot summary, Cassima backstory as Mordack’s slave ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

10. KQ Omnipedia – Land of the Green Isles – – Three months voyage, Edge of World location, star navigation ↩ ↩² ↩³

11. Sierra Chest – King’s Quest VI – – Plot summary, Alhazred’s marriage plot ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

12. George Starostin – KQ6 Review – – Island theme descriptions: Arabian Nights, Beauty and the Beast ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹

13. KQ Omnipedia – Guidebook to the Land of the Green Isles – – Isle of Wonder comma shape, rival queens, Isle of Sacred Mountain Winged Ones ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

14. Sierra Help – KQ6 Endings – – Land of the Dead quest to rescue Cassima’s parents ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

15. Amiga Magazine Reviews – – CU Amiga: “walk, talk, touch, look” four commands, right-click scrolls ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

16. KQ Omnipedia – Point System – – 231 total, 116 minimum, short/long path ranges ↩ ↩²

17. The Inventory – Jane Jensen Interview 2003 – – Cliffs of Logic credit, “huge pad of paper” design method, collaboration dynamics, Roberta as mentor, career impact ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

18. StrategyWiki – KQ6 Walkthrough – – Three spells: Make Rain, Charm Creature, Magic Paint ↩

19. PC Gamer – Every Sierra Adventure Ranked (2020) – – KQ6 ranked #3 of 63 Sierra adventures, highest KQ game ↩

20. MobyGames – King’s Quest VI – – 8.1 MobyScore, 83% critics, 27 reviews, credits, platforms ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

21. GOG.com – King’s Quest 4+5+6 – – 4.6/5 rating, ScummVM-powered, user reviews ↩ ↩² ↩³

22. IMDB – King’s Quest VI – – 8.5/10 rating ↩

23. My Abandonware – King’s Quest VI – – 4.44/5 (125 votes), preservation downloads ↩ ↩²

24. HowLongToBeat – King’s Quest VI – – 78% rating, 6.5h main story, 8.5h completionist ↩

25. Strong Museum – Jane Jensen – – Jensen joined Sierra 1990, “computer nerds who can write” ad ↩

26. PCGamingWiki – King’s Quest VI – – Technical specs, Windows high-res portraits, system requirements ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

27. Behind the Voice Actors – King’s Quest VI – – Stuart Rosen voice director, complete cast list ↩ ↩²

28. IMDB – King’s Quest VI Full Cast – – Voice actor credits ↩

29. Discogs – Girl in the Tower Promo CD – – Jane Jensen lyrics, Mark Seibert composer, Jeff Hill co-producer ↩

30. Discogs – An Ode to the Isles Vinyl – – 2024 Two Guys Records release, Troels Pleimert drums, Error 47 cover, promo CD market values ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

31. Space Quest Historian – KQ6 EP – – Chris Braymen verified composer credits, Mark Seibert “Alex Pining” theme ↩ ↩²

32. ScummVM Wiki – King’s Quest VI – – SCI support since v1.2.0, Amiga Virtual Theatre not supported, Revolution conversion ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

33. KQ6 AGI Demake – – Brandon Kouri, 18 years development (2006-2024), August 2024 release, “largest AGI game,” hand-traced backgrounds ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

34. KQ Omnipedia – Various Articles – – Hintbook details, novelization, Royal Family supplement by Lorelei Shannon ↩ ↩² ↩³

35. The Cutting Room Floor – King’s Quest VI – – Debug Script 911, unused Shamir portrait, Ferryman dialogue, early Cassima voice ↩

36. Steam – King’s Quest Collection – – Digital distribution ↩

37. Internet Archive – King’s Quest VI – – Browser-playable preservation ↩