King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow

King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow is an adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line on October 13, 1992, and it serves as the sixth game in the King's Quest saga. This game thought of by some fans as the high point of the series for its in-depth plot, landmark 3D graphic introduction movie. It was the last King's Quest game to be released on floppy disk. The floppy disk version does not include the character voices found on the CD-ROM. The opening movie is also slightly different on the floppy disk version of the game, and some of the art and animation is less detailed.

The Multimedia CD-ROM version of King's Quest VI released a year later. It contained professional voice acting, with Hollywood actor Robby Benson provides the voice for Alexander. There is also a special Macintosh release of the game produced for Mac System 7 and up. It underwent a number of changes to the interface location, the intro movie, and other minor details. The Amiga port was built from the ground up using the Virtual Theatre engine (used in other Revolution games) and it includes assets derived from the SCI versions.

Background
An adventure so vast you may never experience it all.

Continue the Quest

Enter an enchanted world that has thrilled millions of people all over the world. Explore the largest, richest, most puzzling, and most exciting chapter of the best-selling series in the history of computer gaming.

A shipwrecked prince must find his way across a series of islands in search of a princess in peril. You'll need all your wits and imagination to overcome the gauntlet of baffling puzzles and fantastic creatures that block you on your quest.

In this richly detailed game of discovery and adventure, every choice you make can affect your future options and the attitudes of the many characters you'll encounter. Depending on your skill and the paths you follow, your adventure can end in many different ways. Nearly half of the possible events are optional!

Filled with deeper puzzles, more fantastic creatures, and a moving saga of romance and adventure, King's Quest VI is a mysterious and magical adventure for the entire family.

FEATURES:


 * More flexible design allows you to overcome obstacles in almost any order.
 * More puzzles and a greater variety of challenges than any King's Quest episode.
 * Multiple paths and different endings. Nearly half of the game action is optional.
 * A cast of costumed, video-captured live actors brings the adventure to life.
 * Over two hours of original music.

The Story
Prince Alexander can't get Princess Cassima out of his mind. They met at the end of KQV when Alexander's father King Graham freed his family and the kidnapped princess from the wizard Mordack, but have not seen each other since. The Magic Mirror sends Alexander a vision of Cassima at home in the far-off Land of the Green Isles. Alexander sets sail for the Green Isles, but is shipwrecked in a storm. Alexander washes up onshore alone with nothing but the clothes on his back.

He soon learns that Cassima is being held prisoner in her castle by Abdul Alhazred, the evil Vizier of the Green Isles. Abdul Alhazred has murdered the King and Queen and plans to force Cassima to marry him so that he can rule the Land of the Green Isles himself. Alexander must expose the Vizier's plot, stop the wedding, and free Cassima. Alexander also discovers that the islands of the kingdom are on the verge of war. Precious artifacts from each island have been stolen, and the different leaders all blame each other. Can he solve the mystery and restore peace to the kingdom?

The Game
Early in KQVI, Alexander discovers that the ferry between the islands of the kingdom is no longer running. To progress in the game the player must obtain a magic map. This map allows Alexander to teleport instantly from one island to another. The major islands are the Isle of the Crown (with an Arabian Nights theme), the Isle of Wonder (reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland), the Isle of the Beast (Beauty and the Beast), and the Isle of the Sacred Mountain (Classical mythology). Later in the game Alexander will discover information that allows him to travel to one or two other hidden areas.

A booklet titled "Guidebook to the Land of the Green Isles" (written by Jane Jensen) is included in the KQVI package. Aside from providing additional background to the game's setting, this booklet serves as part of the game's copy protection. The player will not be able to pass the puzzles on the Cliffs of Logic that guard the Isle of the Sacred Mountain without information from the booklet. The booklet also includes a map to the labyrinth on the Isle of the Sacred Mountain.

KQVI was designed with replayability in mind. The last portion of the game splits into two separate branches, leading to two different major endings. The "short branch" is easier to complete, but the more difficult "long branch" includes puzzles, locations, characters, and information that cannot be found in the short branch. In order to win full points and reach the best possible ending the player must take the long branch, but it is possible to defeat Abdul Alhazred and rescue Cassima at the end of both branches. There are minor variations on the endings of each branch, depending upon which optional tasks the player performs.

KQVI is plagued by several plot inconsistencies that did not appear in other 'King's Quest' adventures such as KQV. One such inconsistency is how Alexander knew which bottle to choose to use in place of the genie's bottle, when the hint that shows which bottle to choose takes place in a cutscene when Alexander is not present. Also, some items seem to appear in some places at random, and this can be quite irritating when you have completed everything else, and much search the lands for one item, or when an item will not appear due to not speaking to someone and so forth.

Floppy version

 * The Floppy version has its an alternate menu in a creamy yellow color.
 * It has a unique intro cutscene that's voiced by unknown Sierra staff for the voice of Alexander, Valanice and Cassima. The cutscene is optional and does not need to be installed to run the game.
 * The complete cutscene is also included in the stand alone demo version.
 * The cutscene has some panning scenes not found in other versions of the game such as complete pan around the throne room showing the door at front of the room.
 * The floppy version came in four different colored boxes.

CD version

 * More puzzles and a greater variety of challenges than any King's Quest episode.
 * Multiple paths; your choices determine the story's ending.
 * Many hours of dialog and narration by internationally famous actors.
 * A stunning 50-megabyte animated introduction, created by Kronos, the special effects masters who brought you Batman Returns and The Lawnmower Man.
 * High-res 640x400 close-ups of characters using a revolutionary, patented lip-synching technology.
 * Includes a special Video for Windows presentation of The Making of King's Quest VI, including interviews with Roberta Williams and rare behind-the-scenes footage shot during production.
 * Can be played under MS-DOS or Windows. (Not all features available under MS-DOS)
 * A spectacular 50-meg animated introduction sets the stage for adventure.
 * Experience an adventure so vast, you may never see it all.
 * Super VGA characters with revolutionary patented lip-synching technology draw you into the story.
 * The CD version of King's Quest VI includes Girl in the Tower, the theme song to the game, composed by Mark Seibert in full length. A sample of it can be heard on the floppy version for five seconds, then the game urges you to ring up radio stations that was listed in the manual and request it. Also the introduction was also extended in the CD version.

Macintosh version

 * The engine is still based on SCI, but the file structure is a bit different than other versions of the game.
 * The game has the morphing Halfdome to Sierra logo like in the Enhanced windows version.
 * The intro movie is a QuickTime video that can run upwards of 'millions of colors'. However the actual game only runs in 256 colors.
 * The intro is unique to this version and has its own edits, while it lacks speech it is narrated at points with descriptions much like a 'silent film', see KQ6 Mac transcript.
 * The menu is seperate is below the playing field, and always viewable, it is 'greyed out' on the title screen.

Amiga version

 * The back cover of the Amiga version contains information: "Beautiful graphics in 256 colours or 32 colours (two versions available)." but the game was released only in 32 colours version.
 * According to KQ VI reviews in Amiga Computing, Amiga Format and Amiga Power magazines Sierra originally planned to release a 256 colours version but decided that 32 colours version looked so good already so they shelved the idea. The back of the box still advertised the 256 color version strangely enough.
 * The game was ported to the Amiga by Revolution Software, though the company wasn't credited on the box or in the manual. This is why this version uses Revolution's Virtual Theatre engine instead of SCI.
 * Although certain puzzles were removed, the game's maximum point total remains 231.

Long and Short Quests
The game has two quests: Long Path ('main-path', "Magic Paint" Path, All Puzzles Path ) and Short Path (aka Easiest Path , or "Beauty's Clothes" Path).

For the short quest, Alexander must disguise himself as a serving girl as a way to enter the castle. This will skip the revival of the King and Queen and the discovery of the sacred items, resulting in the bad ending (especially if the genie is killed).

For the long quest, Alexander must go to every island. The slave clothes must be used on the Isle of Mists to put out the fire in the cage. Alexander must go to the Realm of the Dead to revive the King and Queen. He must also find the sacred items. For full points, Alexander must send the following items (in order) to Cassima via Sing Sing: his ring, the poem, and the rose. Also, the only way to get the good ending is to capture Shamir. Giving him a mint will kill him, preventing him from transporting everyone to the castle.

Reception
"This game is proof positive that the era of CD Gaming is upon us. Kill your hard drive!"-Peter Spear, Questbusters Magazine.

"...King's Quest VI is a landmark computer game. It's fitting that it also marks the end of an era. The plot is almost trite: princess imprisoned in a tower, a really evil Vizier running amok, kingdom in turmoil, and a lone prince to set it all right. But then Star Wars was little else boys meet girl, they all save the universe...King's Quest VI is not just good, it is a landmark game.-Peter Spear, Interaction Magazine, Winter 1992, 37.

"I'm pleased to say it also won the Software Publisher's Association's "Best Adventure Game" award in 1991."-Roberta Williams

Continuity Error
Alexander says that he was a servant of Mordack when he was under control of Manannan.

Trivia
Narrator Bill Ratner would go on to voice Ambassador Udina in the Mass Effect series of action roleplaying games.

Staff Roll

 * Directors: Jane Jensen, William D. Skirvin, and Roberta Williams
 * Design / Writing: Jane Jensen and Roberta Williams
 * Text & Dialogue: Jane Jensen
 * Producer / Art Design: William D. Skirvin
 * Composer: Christopher Braymen
 * Sound: Dan Kehler
 * Additional Music and Sound Effects: Dan Kehler, Mark Seibert and Richard Spurgeon
 * Senior Artist: Michael Hutchison and John Shroades
 * Team Artist: Russell Truelove and Deanna Yhalkee
 * System Development: Ed Critchlow, Dan Foy, J. Mark Hood, Brian K. Hughes, Ken Koch, Terry McHenry, Martin Peters, Larry Scott, Christopher Smith, Mark Wilden
 * Senior Programmer: Robert W. Lindsley
 * Team Programmer: Robert L. Mallory, Randy MacNeill, and Victor Sadauskas
 * Team Quality Assurance: Robin Bradley
 * Talent Coordinator: Jon E. Grayson
 * Voice Director: Stuart M. Rosen
 * Character Lip-Syncing (Bright Star Technologies): Kevin Cannon, Todd Greene
 * Character Lip-Syncing (Sierra): Eric Kasner, Donald Waller, Christopher Willis
 * Hi-Res Character Art: Kevin Cannon, Todd Greene, Eric Kasner, Christopher Willis, Donald Waller
 * Guidebook Writing: Jane Jensen
 * Guidebook Illustrations: John Shroades
 * Guidebook Design: Mark Empey
 * Additional Artists: Darlou Gams, Tim Loucks, Richard Morgan, Jennifer Shontz, Cindy Walker, Karin Ann Young
 * Opening Cartoon: Kronos:, Stanley Lui & Albert Co
 * Cinematography: Rod Fung, Robert Ballew
 * Additional Programming: Doug Oldfield, Juan Carlos Escobar
 * Configuration Team: Sharon Simmons, Dave Clingman, Roger Clendenning, Tina Deardorff, Douglas Wheeler, Lynne S. Dayton, Matthew Genesi, Michael D. Jones, Diana Mulligan, Sharon Hoban-Smith
 * Customer Service: John Cunney
 * Special Thanks: Tammy Dargan, Rebecca Sebastian, Mark Seibert ('Girl in the Tower' song), Fresno State University, Mike Weiner, KQVI Beta Testers

Voice Cast

 * Narrator: Bill Ratner
 * Prince Alexander: Robby Benson
 * Princess Cassima: Stevie Vallance (as Louise Vallance)
 * Vizier Abdul Alhazred / Shamir Shamazel / Lord Azure / Ferryman / Beast / Minotaur: Townsend Coleman
 * Captain Saladin / Gate / Arch Druid / Lamp Trader: Tony Jay
 * Queen Valanice / Princess Rosella / Lady Aeriel / White Chess Queen / Black Widow: Sheryl Bernstein
 * King Caliphim / Lord of the Dead / Gruff: Ron Feinberg
 * Pawnshop Owner: Dave Fennoy (as David Fennoy)
 * Ali / Gnomes: Don Messick
 * Chess Knights: Neil Ross
 * Beauty / Lady Celeste / Ghost Child / Oyster: Russi Taylor
 * Oracle / Red Chess Queen / Mother Ghost / Queen Allaria: Linda Gary (as Linda Grey)
 * King Graham / Shamir Shamazel / Oxymoron / Druid / Guard Dog: Josh Mandel
 * Jollo / Bookworm / Bump-on-a-Log / Woof: Chuck McCann
 * Winged One / Diphthong: Patrick Pinney
 * Dangling Participle / Stick-in-the-mud: David Prince