King’s Quest – Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home Review – Sets Stage For Grand Finale

King’s Quest – Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home Review

King’s Quest – Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home finds us with Graham and his two new babies. Manny, the ever-present villain, is back in a big way and he’s not happy King Graham is living out his life in peace. I’ll try not to spoil anything, but it’s not long before you’re off to get revenge and bring back what’s been taken from you.

The title is as fitting as ever of course, and as you may have guessed there’s a lot of snow and ice involved this time around. You’ll find the royal family solving puzzles for a mysterious sphynx within a frozen tower, moving onward and upward through a barrage of puzzle rooms. While the main idea of following a path to each door remains the same throughout, the method in which you make that path can change quite a bit.

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“Admittedly, there are a few rooms that could have probably been removed altogether and instead replaced with more story exposition.” 

Some of these rooms moved at a snail’s pace, and it really detracted from the actual puzzle design. In one, you move the queen or a statue and then the AI takes a turn. The slower movement and animation style really killed this one for me, despite it being an interesting concept. Failing halfway through and being forced to go through the first few steps became incredibly monotonous and rage-inducing. Another puzzle was a great concept that involved several layers, but making Graham climb through each one felt like a waste of time. I’m just glad I didn’t get stuck; I can’t imagine the frustration someone might feel having to go up, and down, and up, and down before figuring it out.

Admittedly, there are a few rooms that could have probably been removed altogether and instead replaced with more story exposition. There’s a bit of a wrench thrown into Graham’s tale, and while it’s slowly explained, what you get is shallow. What’s especially strange is that when this happens, there’s barely any talk of it. Instead, Graham and his family simply move on to their adventure. For the first half of the chapter, I was dying to find out what took place during that huge jump forward in time.

Once you do learn more and everything sort of falls into place, there are some terrific reveals that were a lot of fun. The sphynx in particular was a very interesting character, and I loved the model for her. Just wait until you finally find out what’s turned the land into an icy waste!

Despite the flaws, I thought this was a fantastic addition to the series. Chapter 4: Snow Place Like Home, brings more of the same magical wonder that you should come to expect from King’s Quest. It felt like the pacing was done rather well, and it seems The Odd Gentlemen have truly hit their stride this time. Only time will tell just what will happen to Graham and his family, both in the past and the present. Will Daventry get a new King, or Queen? What’s going to happen to Manny? Stay tuned for the final chapter, it’s sure to be a doozy.

***A PS4 review code was provided by the publisher***