King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (1992)

Could I enjoy this game now? Maybe, maybe not. But I review according to the joy it gave me when I played it

This game is generally regarded as the highlight of Sierra's adventure games and I whole heartedly agree

Robby Benson(remember him?) provides the voice for the protagonist

This is obviously a point and click game, so if that's not your thing you will not enjoy it. Gameplay involves solving puzzles which are logic based, but, of course, being an adventure game from the early 90's really means that in many cases it's just trial and error with you maddingly trying to click on every freakin' item in your inventory.

Sounds like a not every enjoyable experience, right? Well, I loved it back then and it does hold up better than any other Sierrra game

This might be one of the first games that I can recall there being multiple endings that depended on the choices you made during the game

Many of the quests are optional and have multiple solutions. This somewhat mitigates the frustration that some point and click games can force you to endure. Also, while it wouldn't be called an open world game by today's standards it really kind of is. You don't have to solve A before the game let's you move on to B. You can choose the order, so if you do get stuck (and you will) you can move on to another puzzle

The animation was excellent, particularly for this time period

Yes, there are instances of instant death, but that comes with the territory.

There is adventure and a romance that actually feels genuine

For it's era, it's one of the greatest adventure games ever

(Rose colored glasses removed)

The mixture of classic fairy tales and mythology making up King's Quest VI's story is loaded with personality, color, and excitement. Its age is of course apparent not just in its visuals and moment-to-moment mechanics, but also in some annoying design decisions like sudden deaths and obscure logical leaps required to progress. I used a walkthrough rather often for help to save time on trial and error, which I would honestly recommend to save some headache unless you're very committed to being a purist and getting the full replayability factor (of which there is seemingly a lot).

I also had some technical issues on Windows 11, such as voice acting stopping working for about 1/3 of the game, and one puzzle not being completable without slowing down the game in the settings. Not too terrible, though.

Ultimately, the game's vibrant, imaginative core fun factor really shines through past the age and any negatives. The point-and-click adventure genre has been very hit or miss for me, but this is definitely one I can recommend.

I think it's almost been 30 years since I originally played this and was nervous that I was remembering this childhood favorite of mine through rose colored glasses. After completing it, I am very relieved to say that the game has held up.

Up until this entry, I believe the previous King's Quests games have such deep flaws that they're difficult to recommend unless you're a die hard classics fan or you plan on relying on a guide heavily. This game does have a few flaws, but they are forgivable and easily realized.

For instance, the dead end situations in King's Quest 5 are such that you are literally walking around with no idea of what the next puzzle is or the fact that you'll never solve it or even reach it because you didn't pick up an item much earlier in the game. KQ6 does have dead ends unfortunately, but I was able to easily recognize them. Unfortunately this led to a couple frustrating situations, I believe I had to make my way through the catacombs at least 3 times, but you should be able to recognize that you don't have the necessary item to move further along and usually can recognize what it is. The puzzles are logical and I doubt one would ever look up a solution and say to themselves "wow, how was I able to figure that out?" With this game I'd say stick with it, and if you look something up you'll kick yourself for not figuring it out.

The game is split up into unique islands to traverse and explore. The previous King's Quests seemed guilty of stealing cliché's from other fairy tales and gluing them together. I love how this game paints a coherent plot with characters who have their own motivations that tie in with the overall story.

I have a few recommendations. Make sure you explore everywhere and take anything that isn't nailed down. If you see an item, especially in a place you don't think you'll be able to return to, try to figure out how to acquire it before proceeding. Also the Cliff's logic puzzles also double as copy protection. You can't solve the problems without looking in the manual too (took me a while to figure that out). And obviously save often.

I also highly recommend you play through the AGDI remakes of the first three King's Quest games. Especially KQ3 Redux if you want more back story.