Story: KQ6 vs. KQ8

Anakin Skywalker

KQ6 is often said to have the best story in the KQ series...but what about KQ8? While KQ6 deals with the traditional themes of an evil vizier and a princess in a tower, KQ8 takes from the ancient myths of Arthur, from Tolkien, even from Biblical themes, to create a simple yet layered story.

Setting aside the gameplay differences and the automatic "KQ8 is bad!" mindset, which do you feel had the better story/plot?

nOmArch

Taking that into account, KQ6.

MusicallyInspired

One could have a better story and still not be as well presented as the other. For this reason, KQ6 did it better than KQ8 did for sure.

Lambonius

Everyone, take a moment to imagine a loud, wet farting sound, drawn out over about 30 seconds.

BagginsKQ

I liked both. I can't vote.

Olaus Petrus

Sure KQ6 has cliched story, but it's told in interesting way. And while I actually like story of KQ8 I think it's occasionally bit thin. Strong point of both games is that they introduce several completely different areas, but other than that I don't know why we are comparing just these two games. Neither of the games is my personal favourite, which is KQ4 followed by KQ5.

I don't mind fighting and all that, the fact is that I like Quest for Glory -series where fights are frequent events. Still, QfG games have interesting stories and puzzles. The problem with KQ8 is that many areas feel empty and there are only few characters and puzzles which actually advance the story. That said, the story follows the traditional chosen hero saves the land from almost godlike evil (who is surprisingly easy to defeat. In fact it's rather difficult to get killed in KQ8 unless you do it on purpose). Game and it's story would have benefited if it had less monsters (which are too easy to kill to offer any real challenge) and more puzzles and dialogue. Some of the puzzles are rather good and certainly better than what KQ7 had to offer. I don't mind that the hero wasn't member of the royal family, but the IMO Roberta could have at least given him some personality and background.

Then there's KQ6. It has your basic prince save princess from the evil vizier story, but it's strong point is that getting there is interesting. It has strong set of locations which are filled with interesting characters and puzzles. Weakest link in this game is Alexander, who is my least favourite KQ hero, although he was less annoying in KQ3 than he is in KQ6. He is bit too goody two-shoes for my liking and his constant whining how he can't do something because it's wrong is rather annoying.

BagginsKQ

It should pointed out, that KQ6 and KQ8 are stories told in a very different format.

According to Roberta KQ8 has more in common with KQ5 than KQ3 in storyline. That is to say she said it is more of a linear quest, with the adventurer having a linear progression through various lands, and a linear plot.

Whereas KQ6 was more non-linear, in the way the adventurer explored the lands, and how he finally reached his objective. Thus the plot was more non-linear as well.

While KQ7 has a few elements inspired by KQ6, they are very different beasts.

It's almost like comparing apples to oranges.

That said, the story follows the traditional chosen hero saves the land from almost godlike evil (who is surprisingly easy to defeat. In fact it's rather difficult to get killed in KQ8 unless you do it on purpose).

It might be said the most deadly aspect of the game is actually the platforming sequences, and poor control when trying to do such jumps! Some of the tile puzzles are pretty deadly too, if you don't know how to get through them (much like the one in KQ6).

The problem with KQ8 is that many areas feel empty and there are only few characters and puzzles which actually advance the story. That said, the story follows the traditional chosen hero saves the land from almost godlike evil (who is surprisingly easy to defeat. In fact it's rather difficult to get killed in KQ8 unless you do it on purpose). Game and it's story would have benefited if it had less monsters (which are too easy to kill to offer any real challenge) and more puzzles and dialogue. Some of the puzzles are rather good and certainly better than what KQ7 had to offer. I don't mind that the hero wasn't member of the royal family, but the IMO Roberta could have at least given him some personality and background.

Perhaps its catch-22, but the monsters initially added in when the designers figured out that there was alot of 'empty' and useless space between areas with puzzles. In some ways, this is more in common with KQ1 and KQ2, that had many useless screens with the only thing going on, was you could be attacked by random monsters (wolf, wizard, witches, dwarfs, etc). While 3D offered more area to explore, it also made areas more open between puzzles.

Technically the game actually has about as many "puzzles" as many of the previous KQ games, but they are spread about quite a bit. Again probably more similar to how puzzles were spread about in KQ1 and KQ2 between many useless screens.

They had ideas for more puzzles, but many of those were tied to lands that were cut from he game either due to time and budget, limits in technology, or because Roberta changed the direction of her storyline 2-3 times throughout the development (going as far to change and replace or remove characters that were no longer relevent to her finalized story). Perhaps also because she focused much time on getting 3D technology to work, and on combat, which were two aspects she had no previous experience in, and wanted to get right before she put in the puzzles.

According to Roberta in a 1999 interview;

You're right; there were three designs for "Mask of Eternity." (That's the only game I ever did whch had so many changes, in just about all of my other games, the first design was that stuck.) Between the first design and the second design everything changed: The story, the puzzles, the worlds, and the characters. Between the second and third design, the story and the worlds were pretty much set, but we still had some major changes and changes and additions to puzzles and characters. In fact, we still were changing and adding puzzles and characters right up to the very end!

I don't mind that the hero wasn't member of the royal family, but the IMO Roberta could have at least given him some personality and background.

Sure, his 'personality' is practically perfect 'knight' from start to finish. He has no character flaws, he's almost too perfect...

Ugh, come to think of it King Graham almost the same way throughout most of the games he appears in... KQ4 I think helped to define and give him more personality than any previous game or later game. That was done through putting his life in jeopardy.

As for background, I think previous versions of the story were more interesting in that regard (that he was to be a fisherman, of the 'mac Lyrr' (son of the sea) line (did he have a connection to Manannan?), who 20 years before when he was born, he was physically scarred by a shattered piece of the Mask of Eternity. I'm reminded of concept used in Harry Potter, where Harry has a scar given to him by his arch-nemesis, whome he was fated to finally defeat.

Though in the final game you can glean some of his updated backstory from the manual and a few optional and/or required interactions throughout the game (mainly in the Town of Daventry section, the Oracle of the Tree, Hector, and other various characters who understand the Prophecy of the Champion Eternal). But again his backstory makes him nearly 'perfect' and flawless in character!