King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder!
Encyclopedia
King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder! is a 1990 adventure game
released by Sierra
. Released in November 1990, it featured a significant improvement in graphics (achieved through the introduction of VGA
into the series). It was also the first King's Quest installment to replace the typing user interface with a point-and-click user interface. It was also the last King's Quest to have a stand alone EGA release at 320x200. Dual VGA/EGA versions of the game turned the 256 colour graphics into 16 colour at 640x400 resolution.
King's Quest V won Computer Gaming World
s 1991 Adventure Game of the Year award. It was later released as a "talkie" CD-ROM
, meaning the characters have voices, done by members of the Sierra staff. The music was MIDI based and written by Mark Seibert
and Ken Allen.
Cedric witnessed the cloaked figure's attack, and tells Graham that it was a powerful, evil wizard named Mordack who did it. Cedric then brings Graham to the land of Serenia, where his master Crispin resides. Crispin is also a wizard, but a good one, who gives Graham some advice, his old wand, and a piece of white snake which allows Graham to speak with animals. Graham then starts on his journey.
Later, Graham learns that Mordack is the brother of the wizard Mannanan, who Graham's son, Prince Alexander, turned into a cat in King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human
. Mordack has imprisoned the castle and royal family of Daventry out of revenge, and threatens to feed the royal family to Mannanan unless Prince Alexander agrees to restore him to his true form. King Graham travels through the land of Serenia, gathering helpful items and information, and eventually makes his way to Mordack's island to save his family from their impending doom.
. The transformation of Manannan into a cat is a necessary task to completing King's Quest III. And this act has profound consequences for Alexander (and his family), as it is the impetus for the KQV storyline. Also, KQV's ending ties into its sequel, King's Quest VI. Cassima was introduced as a slave to the wizard Mordack. Before she is sent home at the end, Alexander mentions wanting to visit her in the Land of the Green Isles, which happens at the beginning of KQVI. And Cassima mentions her Vizier
, who first introduced Mordack to her. In KQVI, we find out that Mordack and the Vizier (who is the primary antagonist of KQVI) are both part of an organization known as the Society of the Black Cloak. Even the music for Cassima in Mordack's castle is enhanced and used for the love theme for Alexander and Cassima. In the end of that game the Vizier is defeated by Alexander and Cassima and the two marry.
#170 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
version was announced via Sierra Online's magazine: Sierra News Magazine for a Spring 1991 release but was later cancelled. Sierra's Srini Vasan and Sierra UK fought for continued Atari ST development but unfortunately Sierra Online discontinued Atari ST support entirely shortly afterwards.
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
released by Sierra
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
. Released in November 1990, it featured a significant improvement in graphics (achieved through the introduction of VGA
Video Graphics Array
Video Graphics Array refers specifically to the display hardware first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, but through its widespread adoption has also come to mean either an analog computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector or the 640×480 resolution...
into the series). It was also the first King's Quest installment to replace the typing user interface with a point-and-click user interface. It was also the last King's Quest to have a stand alone EGA release at 320x200. Dual VGA/EGA versions of the game turned the 256 colour graphics into 16 colour at 640x400 resolution.
King's Quest V won Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
s 1991 Adventure Game of the Year award. It was later released as a "talkie" CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, meaning the characters have voices, done by members of the Sierra staff. The music was MIDI based and written by Mark Seibert
Mark Seibert
Mark Seibert is an American musician, composer and producer best known for his work on various video games from Sierra Entertainment.-Biography:...
and Ken Allen.
Story
In the introduction to the game, a view of Castle Daventry is shown, when suddenly, a mysterious cloaked figure appears. He enchants the castle, causing a whirlwind to appear, which soon engulfs the castle and lifts it out of sight. Because he is out walking when this happens, King Graham is the only member of the royal family to be left behind. He returns to the castle to find that it has disappeared, and is soon confronted by a talking owl named Cedric.Cedric witnessed the cloaked figure's attack, and tells Graham that it was a powerful, evil wizard named Mordack who did it. Cedric then brings Graham to the land of Serenia, where his master Crispin resides. Crispin is also a wizard, but a good one, who gives Graham some advice, his old wand, and a piece of white snake which allows Graham to speak with animals. Graham then starts on his journey.
Later, Graham learns that Mordack is the brother of the wizard Mannanan, who Graham's son, Prince Alexander, turned into a cat in King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human
King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human
King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human is the third installment in the King's Quest series of computer games produced by Sierra On-Line. It was the first game in the series not to feature King Graham as the player character....
. Mordack has imprisoned the castle and royal family of Daventry out of revenge, and threatens to feed the royal family to Mannanan unless Prince Alexander agrees to restore him to his true form. King Graham travels through the land of Serenia, gathering helpful items and information, and eventually makes his way to Mordack's island to save his family from their impending doom.
Connections to other King's Quest games
Whereas most of the other games in the series tend to build on the basic story elements of the previous games, with new characters that are introduced in one game becoming important in later games, King's Quest V is one of the few where the plot itself is directly connected to events in both previous and future games. The location the game is set, Serenia, was first visited in the earlier game, Wizard and the PrincessWizard and the Princess
Wizard and the Princess, also known as Adventure in Serenia, is a 1980 computer game by On-Line Systems for the Apple II and Apple II Plus. It is the second title released in On-Line Systems' "Hi-Res Adventure" series after Mystery House...
. The transformation of Manannan into a cat is a necessary task to completing King's Quest III. And this act has profound consequences for Alexander (and his family), as it is the impetus for the KQV storyline. Also, KQV's ending ties into its sequel, King's Quest VI. Cassima was introduced as a slave to the wizard Mordack. Before she is sent home at the end, Alexander mentions wanting to visit her in the Land of the Green Isles, which happens at the beginning of KQVI. And Cassima mentions her Vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
, who first introduced Mordack to her. In KQVI, we find out that Mordack and the Vizier (who is the primary antagonist of KQVI) are both part of an organization known as the Society of the Black Cloak. Even the music for Cassima in Mordack's castle is enhanced and used for the love theme for Alexander and Cassima. In the end of that game the Vizier is defeated by Alexander and Cassima and the two marry.
Gameplay
The owl Cedric accompanies Graham through the entire game to provide commentary and advice. He has to be rescued from danger at several points, but the owl rarely says or does anything useful.Version differences
The diskette (EGA and VGA) and NES versions require Graham to cast spells throughout the game, requiring the user to refer to the manual as a form of copy protection. This was omitted in the CD-ROM version. The CD version also added voice acting. The disk version has a slightly different game interface. There is also some script differences in parts.Reception
The game was reviewed in 1991 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#170 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
Cancelled version
An Atari STAtari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
version was announced via Sierra Online's magazine: Sierra News Magazine for a Spring 1991 release but was later cancelled. Sierra's Srini Vasan and Sierra UK fought for continued Atari ST development but unfortunately Sierra Online discontinued Atari ST support entirely shortly afterwards.
External links
- King's Quest V Review at Adventure Classic Gaming
- King's Quest V Technical Help on the Sierra Help Pages
- King's Quest V on the Sierra Chest