Not That Episode 3: More The Silver Lining
For a wonderful second I was convinced this was the fourth episode of the unofficial King's Quest fan-game The Silver Lining, and was all braced to use the headline "Four Ever Cloud." Imagine how clever and funny that would have been. Just. Imagine. Instead, you're stuck with whatever the heck I've written up there instead. I haven't even decided what it is yet, I'm just hoping inspiration will somehow strike as I'm typing this.
So, The Silver Lining - a free game made by devout enthusiasts of the old Sierra adventure series (the ones that some people keep complaining we didn't cover in The List, which spans the last two decades; as I said in comments somewhere, an 80s appendix strikes me as a good idea for the near-future). Episode 3 here now, and its trailer is below.
While King's Quest is a sprawling old series, TSL is particularly aimed those who wanted more of the characters in King's Quest IV. John WITed the first episode last year and found it technically impressive, especially given its fan-origins, but a little lacking on meaty game-stuff; we've not had his thoughts on episode 2, but I hear it was somewhat improved. What of episode 3, My Only Love Sprung From My Only Hate? See what you think...
Lavish - which isn't necessarily something you'd expect from something released for free, by and for a relatively niche crowd.
Official blurb is that this installment is "bigger, darker, and more exciting than anything that’s come before it. Graham’s quest grows more mysterious due to strange visions of old foes and unexplained oddities in the Land of the Green Isles. And Queen Valanice seems to have reached her breaking point…"
Devs Phoenix Online Studios are also hosting some in-game competitions and challenges of sort, which you can attempt to master via the instructions here.
The game itself is available here; if you have the first two episodes installed already grab the smaller one, otherwise you'll want the Full Version which includes all three chunkettes to date.
Oh yes, and it's also worth reminding yourself of the battle Phoenix had to fight against Activision to get this made.