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King’s Quest

Last updated: January 21, 2026

Overview

King’s Quest is a 2015 episodic adventure game developed by The Odd Gentlemen and published by Activision under the revived Sierra Entertainment brand for Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One12. Released in five chapters between July 2015 and October 2016, the game reimagines the classic King’s Quest franchise, featuring an elderly King Graham narrating his youthful adventures to his granddaughter Gwendolyn12. The entire game is told as a flashback, similar to the story structure of King’s Quest VII: The Princeless Bride, set in a fantasy universe and with a humorous tone2. The game received an “Excellent” 4.5/5 rating from Adventure Gamers, who called it “an instant classic” and recommended that “wise, brave, and compassionate adventurers alike should definitely consider having a crack at it”3.

Story Summary

The narrative of King’s Quest (2015) unfolds as a series of stories told by an elderly King Graham to his granddaughter Gwendolyn, who listens from his bedside in the kingdom of Daventry2. When Graham dies in the game, he often rewinds the story a bit or remarks it was not what he did2. His narration is also heard during regular gameplay, especially for descriptions of the environment2.

The game offers entirely new stories and characters, but they often reference the earlier games2. The new stories are not told in chronological order and are interspersed with sections in the present that revolve around Gwendolyn2. The protagonist is Graham, the same protagonist who first appeared in the original King’s Quest in 19842.

The game consists of five chapters2:

  • Chapter 1: A Knight to Remember - A young Graham arrives in Daventry and enters a grand tournament to become a Knight of Daventry
  • Chapter 2: Rubble Without a Cause - Graham must rescue his kidnapped friends from goblins
  • Chapter 3: Once Upon a Climb - Graham is trapped in a tower with two princesses and must choose between them for his future wife, reimagining King’s Quest II
  • Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home - Graham deals with challenges as an aging king
  • Chapter 5: The Good Knight - The concluding chapter explores themes of mortality, legacy, and what we leave behind

The Complete Collection includes an exclusive epilogue that shifts perspective to Gwendolyn, who applies the lessons learned from her grandfather’s stories during her first independent adventure4.

Gameplay

The game environment is shown through different perspectives for each scene with scrolling parts, but the camera cannot be controlled2. Visually it has a cel-shaded graphical style2. The player can move Graham freely in the 3D environment2.

Interface and Controls

  • When Graham is close to an interesting element, this is signified through one or multiple icons in the bottom right corner of the screen2
  • The player can choose to examine, interact, or pick up objects2
  • Collected items are stored in an inventory2
  • In many locations it is possible to switch to a first-person perspective to examine the environment2

Structure and Progression

  • The game largely focuses on the story and puzzle-solving, but there is also a large amount of exploration and action sequences with escapes and fighting2
  • Graham often needs to run and he can also push or manipulate objects in various ways2
  • These sections are sometimes shown from a first-person perspective2
  • There are many cut-scenes, on-rails sequences, and some Quick Time Events2

Puzzles and Mechanics

  • The game incorporates choices and consequences in various ways and they are carried across episodes2
  • There are many branching dialogue options that lead to different outcomes2
  • Puzzles often have multiple approaches without a fixed solution2
  • Generally there are three types of choices to make or paths to follow: bravery, wisdom, or compassion, though these are never mentioned explicitly2
  • This affects the story and especially the way Gwendolyn will act in the present as her grandfather’s stories are the inspiration for her acts2
  • These choice elements hearken back to the original King’s Quest games, such as the multiple ways Graham could deal with the dragon in the first game2

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Adventure Gamers awarded the game an “Excellent” rating of 4.5/5, stating: “A revival of a classic adventure series, the episodic King’s Quest is itself an instant classic, giving each new installment its own unique focus. Wise, brave, and compassionate adventurers alike should definitely consider having a crack at it”3. Critics praised the innovative narrative structure using the grandfather-granddaughter framing device, which allowed for heartfelt storytelling while explaining the game’s death mechanics in a clever way23.

GameFAQs users gave the game a rating of “Great” based on 26 ratings, with an average completion time of 30 hours for the full series4. The game’s reimagining of classic King’s Quest elements, particularly the tower sequence from King’s Quest II, received praise for its creative approach to series mythology2. The hand-drawn cel-shaded graphical style was widely praised for capturing the whimsical fairy-tale atmosphere of the original series while bringing it into the modern era23.

The Complete Collection earned recognition within the gaming industry, receiving a nomination for Adventure Game of the Year at the 20th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards in 20171. Individual chapters received varying reception, with Chapter 1: A Knight to Remember and Chapter 3: Once Upon a Climb generally receiving the strongest reviews1.

Modern Assessment

The game holds a MobyScore of 7.3/10 with a 3.8/5 player rating from 13 ratings2. Adventure Gamers rates it 4.5/5, calling it “Excellent”3. The game is considered a successful revival of the dormant franchise, bringing the series to a new generation while honoring its roots23.

  • MobyGames: 7.3/10 MobyScore, 3.8/5 player rating (13 ratings)2
  • GameFAQs: “Great” user rating (26 ratings)4
  • Adventure Gamers: 4.5/5 “Excellent”3
  • Completion Time: 30 hours average for full series4

Development

Origins

The 2015 King’s Quest reboot originated in August 2014 when Activision announced the revival of the Sierra Entertainment label and selected independent studio The Odd Gentlemen to develop a new entry in the classic adventure series14. Creative Director Matt Korba led the project, envisioning a reimagining of King Graham’s story structured around an elderly Graham recounting his adventures to granddaughter Gwendolyn4.

Production

The game was developed as a five-part episodic adventure series, serving as both a reboot and re-imagining of the classic King’s Quest franchise2. The development team chose to include the framing device of the grandfather-granddaughter storytelling to provide greater emotional depth and explore themes of legacy, heroism, and mortality2.

Technical Achievements

  • Built on Unreal Engine 3 supporting hand-drawn art integration with cel-shaded graphical style52
  • Multi-platform release across Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One2
  • Choice-consequence mechanics tracking player decisions across virtue categories (bravery, wisdom, compassion)2
  • Branching dialogue system affecting narrative outcomes across all five episodes2
  • First-person perspective mode for detailed environmental examination2
  • Quick Time Events integrated into action sequences2
  • Released: July 28, 2015 (Chapter 1), with subsequent chapters through October 20164

Legacy

King’s Quest (2015) played a crucial role in reviving interest in the dormant franchise, which had seen no major entries since 1998’s King’s Quest: Mask of Eternity1. The reboot demonstrated the enduring appeal of whimsical adventure gaming and fairy-tale storytelling, drawing both longtime fans and newcomers to explore the series’ rich heritage.

The game’s innovative narrative structure, blending traditional adventure game mechanics with choice-driven storytelling through the grandfather-granddaughter framing device, influenced modern episodic adventure design2. Creative Director Matt Korba confirmed that King’s Quest: Mask of Eternity is canon to the 2015 reboot, though Connor did not ultimately appear in the game1.

The series remains available through digital distribution on Steam6.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

This game is not available on GOG7.

Manuals & Extras

References

Footnotes

  1. Wikipedia – King’s Quest (2015) – history, plot, gameplay, development, reception ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  2. MobyGames – King’s Quest: The Complete Collection – developer, publisher, platforms, gameplay description ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22 ↩23 ↩24 ↩25 ↩26 ↩27 ↩28 ↩29 ↩30 ↩31 ↩32 ↩33 ↩34 ↩35 ↩36 ↩37 ↩38 ↩39 ↩40 ↩41 ↩42 ↩43 ↩44 ↩45

  3. Adventure Gamers – King’s Quest (2015) – review, rating ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  4. GameFAQs – King’s Quest: The Complete Collection – developer, release date, user reviews ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9

  5. PCGamingWiki – King’s Quest (2015) – technical specs, engine information ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. Steam – King’s Quest – purchase, availability ↩ ↩2

  7. Research JSON – GOG availability check (not available on GOG) ↩

  8. ScummVM Wiki – King’s Quest – series details ↩

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