King's Quest VIII: The Mask of Eternity

1998

Audio: English

point-and-click
puzzle
strategy
adventure
action
fantasy
educational
single player

The story

King's Quest: Mask of Eternity (also known as King's Quest VIII: The Mask of Eternity) is an action-adventure video game written and designed by Roberta Williams and released in 1998 by Sierra Studios, is the eighth, and at present remains the final, official computer game in the famous King's Quest series. It is the first and only game in the series where the main character is neither King Graham nor a member of his family, the first in the series to use a full 3D engine as opposed to the 2D cartoon or pixel style of the earlier games and the first to omit the sequel numbering system on box artwork and title screen, though references to it being the eighth game appear in the file structure and the game was marketed as KQ8 on the official website, interviews, and other places.

What it’s like

Early polygonal 3D with bright, saturated fantasy colours: sunlit meadows, lush forests, and gloomy tombs lit by torches and eerie blue glows, all seen from a third-person camera that trails the hero across pre-rendered-feeling backdrops. The sound leans on orchestral fantasy cues, chirping birds, and the odd comic sound effect, while the spoken voice acting carries a playful, storybook warmth. It feels like a late-nineties adventure on a Sunday afternoon: light, curious, and a little goofy, with an unhurried pace that rewards poking around, talking to talking animals, and solving item-based puzzles. Its tone is whimsical rather than tense, a gentle fairy tale about a lost hero trying to set things right in a strange kingdom. The fighting is simple and mostly inoffensive, with cartoonish skirmishes against trolls, bats, and undead foes, and nothing graphic. Suited to players who enjoy old-school exploration, quirky humour, and comfortable, low-stakes problem-solving, and who don't mind clunky controls and dated graphics.

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