The King’s Quest Collection on Steam is both a blessing and a curse for fans of classic adventure games. It compiles the legendary series created by Roberta Williams, which laid the groundwork for graphical adventure gaming as we know it. But if you’ve played these games, you already know: Sierra does not love you. These games were designed to frustrate, enchant, and maybe even break you.

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This collection brings together all seven of the original King’s Quest games (I-VII) without King’s Quest: Mask of Eternity, which shifted into an action-adventure direction. It includes includes two collections in one package: King's Quest Collection and King's Quest Collection Legacy. You choose edition at launch.

1. King's Quest Collection is just an updated King's Quest Collection from 2006 that has been optimized to support additional Operating Systems.
   
2. King's Quest Collection Legacy is just unchanged King's Quest Collection from 2006.

The King's Quest Collection changes include adding KQ1 AGI and KQ7 2.0 DOS (replacing KQ1 SCI remake and KQ7 1.5 from the previous 2006 collection). The King's Quest Collection Legacy is the same as the 2006 version with KQ1SCI, and King's Quest 7 Windows 95 1.5 version (16-bit windows only, but can be manually set up to run in ScummVM).

Here’s the breakdown:

1. King’s Quest I: Quest for the Crown – Where it all began. Help Sir Graham become king by solving puzzles that range from clever to infuriating.
   
2. King’s Quest II: Romancing the Throne – A slightly more ambitious sequel with a romantic quest at its heart.
   
3. King’s Quest III: To Heir Is Human – Now you’re Gwydion, a young slave trying to escape his evil wizard captor. Arguably one of the series’ most innovative stories.
   
4. King’s Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella – One of the first games with a female protagonist, and the day/night mechanic was groundbreaking at the time.
   
5. King’s Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! – Known for its gorgeous VGA graphics and that owl Cedric. We’ll get to him.
   
6. King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow – Widely considered the best in the series. A great mix of story, puzzles, and memorable characters.
   
7. King’s Quest VII: The Princeless Bride – A more cartoon-like entry that leaned into the whimsical side of fairy tales.

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Let’s talk about one of the most baffling and infuriating aspects of this Steam release: the publisher left the original copyright protection in place. Yes, you read that right. To play these games, you’re still required to look up specific information from the game manuals—like it’s the 1980s and you’re rifling through dog-eared papers to find the right spell or coordinates. The kicker? While the manuals are included as PDFs, the sheer laziness of not even attempting to modernize this process is astonishing.

This isn’t a charming quirk; it’s pure garbage. It’s one thing to preserve the gameplay, but to subject players to antiquated DRM is absurd. We’re decades past floppy disks and code wheels, yet here we are, held hostage by a system that should’ve been retired with shoulder pads and mullets. This decision reeks of apathy, showing just how little care went into adapting these classics for a modern audience.

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At its core, King’s Quest is about exploring whimsical fairy-tale landscapes, solving puzzles, and not dying… repeatedly. Every game in the series has a way of punishing you mercilessly for being curious or, heaven forbid, unprepared. Didn't pick up that one pixelated feather? Start over. Stepped too close to a staircase? Hope you saved recently.

The series evolved from the early text-parser interface (type commands like “TAKE SWORD”) to a point-and-click system in the later entries. The shift was welcome, but the games never lost their knack for frustrating players with obscure logic and random deaths.

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Sierra Online, led by Roberta and Ken Williams, made games for a very specific type of gamer. If LucasArts gave us forgiving puzzles and funny death screens, Sierra went the opposite way:

• “Oh, you didn’t save before you climbed those stairs? Too bad.”
  
• “Didn’t notice that small pixel on the ground? You’re doomed.”

But the cruelty often feels intentional, part of the series’ quirky charm. The eagle feather in King’s Quest III or the labyrinthine catacombs in King’s Quest V are badges of honor for those who conquer them.

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The series shines in its storytelling and world-building. From Graham’s ascension to the throne in the first game to Alexander’s journey in King’s Quest VI, these games are steeped in fairy-tale lore and charm. The settings vary from enchanted forests to magical islands and cursed kingdoms, with each game introducing memorable characters.

Cedric the Owl from King’s Quest V is infamous for his annoying voice, but even he adds a layer of nostalgia. The characters in King’s Quest VI, like the Winged Ones or the creepy Lord of the Dead, show how the series evolved into more nuanced storytelling.

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The early games were cutting-edge in their time but look rough now. However, the VGA updates for King’s Quest I-IV still have a certain charm. By the time you get to King’s Quest V and VI, the graphics hold up surprisingly well, especially considering their age. The voice acting is hit-or-miss, with Cedric the Owl being a love-it-or-hate-it situation.

The whimsical art style of King’s Quest VII divides fans, but it fits the tone of the game. Meanwhile, Mask of Eternity… well, it looks and plays like a very clunky 3D experiment.

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This collection is a history lesson in adventure gaming. The King’s Quest series is legendary for a reason, and playing it today is like traveling back to the origins of the genre. Just be ready for some outdated mechanics, obscure puzzles, and lots of saving and reloading.

Despite its flaws, there’s a charm here that modern games can’t replicate. It’s a mix of fairy-tale whimsy, brutal challenge, and a feeling of genuine accomplishment when you solve a tough puzzle.

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• RNG Hell: Some puzzles rely on random chance, which feels infuriating, especially in King’s Quest III.
  
• Pixel-Hunting: Missing a tiny detail can lock you out of progress.
  
• Stairs: Seriously, the stairs are a menace. Sierra clearly hated us.
  
• Presentation Gaps: While the stories and settings are timeless, the dated graphics and mechanics are harder to overlook in a genre that relies on immersion.

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King’s Quest Collection is a love letter to a bygone era of gaming. It’s challenging, frustrating, and occasionally maddening, but it’s also magical, imaginative, and rewarding. If you’re a fan of classic adventure games or want to see where the genre got its roots, this collection is a must-have.

Just remember to save often. Seriously.

I played these as kids and I still love the games