KQ7: Underrated?

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by BagginsKQ

KQ5 has its Black Cauldron edgier moments actually... the Dark Forest, the incredibly evil Wizard's Island and Castle... Even the desert and icy mountains, and open ocean have their lonely darker feel to to them...

Then the whole cannibal subplot on the Harpy Island...

The art style is realism full detailed painted characters, rather than feature film cell style animation...

Even the narrator gives KQ5 a more somber tone!



Careful, if this was POS forums you might be banned !


Sorry, but the swamp was not that creepy to me... KQ4 has a creepier swamp... Your examples with the canivorous plant... and the 'swamp monster''' You take out the swamp monster in an amusing manner with a perfume bottle, and its not generally that threatening of an enemy really (the Yeti in contrast was much more threatening creature, looked more threatening due to its more detailed appearance... yes, you do still take it out in a silly manner, but as a monster its much more believably threatening)... The carnivrous plant is probably one of the most sillly characters in the game (being eaten gives them the Butter crown... from the old 1980's parkay commercials)... Sorry the lighthearted, come here sugar plum, so we can eat you, doesn't creep me out at all. Malicia is probably the least threating villain in the series, and its undermined by the silly dog...

There is very little in Oogga Booga graveyard that I would consider 'dark and creepy'... Almost everyone there is silly beyond all levels of sillyness.. the Deaths are incredibly silly there too... The boogeyman jumping out at you is a cheap thrill... The Land of the Dead in KQ6 and the graveyard in KQ4 have much darker foreboding feel to them...

Being dead doesn't make somethign more 'dark'... Just look at the old movie Dracula: Dead and Loving It!

As far as artwork... KQ7's style has a far more exaggerated look to it, on the side of Alice in Wonderland, with maybe some of Tim Burton's iconic style (without Tim Burton's trademark dark moody anxiesty character style)...

I much prefer the realism of KQ5 and KQ6's style...


It also screwed up her character turning her from a strong willed, polite, heroinne willing to think of everyone but herself into to an overly selfish, pompous, and rude snot, more interested in herself than others...

It was not the same Rosella seen in KQ4...

I don't remember acting "overly selfish, pompous and rode" or "more interested in herself than others" in KQ7. I know everyone only watches the intro and thus gets that impression because she doesn't want to marry at 19 but if you ever play through the game fully or watch a playthrough, you see she does help a lot of people in the game and even helps to save all of Etheria.

And I always found the Swamp Monster pretty creepy. Same with the Werewoods bear, especially the Death scenes. And Colin Farwalker, arguably the creepiest character in the whole series.

The same "but the creepiness is taken away by it being dispatched in a silly manner" can be used against the Blue Beast in KQ5. Come on, a bag of peas? Cheesy.

Or throwing a pie in a yeti's face. That takes away all of the scare factor out of what could be a really scary monster.

And the Cannibal Harpies are cheesy too...They act like arguing teenage girls.
"Isn't he luscious? Mhm!"
"I don't know, he doesn't look like my type. What do you think, Cruelina?"
"I think he looks too old and tough. I like my meal to be young and tender."
"Don't be so picky. I'm tired of fish. I haven't had a man in months!"
"Yes you did! I saw you steal a man off a raft just last weak"
"Oh, he doesn't count. He was already tipped over by the time I got to him!"
"Well, at least this one's fresh."
"I don't know about you girls, but I'Mready to eat."
"Oh, you're ALWAYSready to eat. That's why you're so FAT!"
"I AM NOT!"
"YOU ARE TOO!"
"I AM NOT!"
"YOU ARE TOO!"

Present the harp to them:
"What's he doing? What's that doing?"
"I DON'T KNOW BUT I WANT IT!"
"Hey but that's not fair! Go and get it from her, get her!"

The Land of the Dead is creepy right up until the xylophone scene with the dancing skeletons. Way to utterly break a nice, spooky atmosphere!

The only game that can legitimately be called creepy/eerie/scary most of the way through is KQ4. In that game, there are no breaks really. Very few light breaks. It's the only game where the storyline is bleak (Graham dying, Genesta dying; time is of the essence) and depressing, the land is lonely and desolate save for a few inhabitants, everything and everyone else is out to kill you, and you have Lolotte, who is genuinely a scary sort of villain. A real evil witch. For me it borders on horror.

KQ6 isn't really so much dark as it is more mature in storyline and tone. But mature =/= dark. It's just simply a more complex, mature story.

KQ4 is the arguably darkest entry in the series.

[BagginsKQ]

No, I get that impression from her actions not only from the intro, but as a troll, and later in the game.. She has a very whiny voice, and complains about nearly everything going on in the game... Worst voice cast ever in a KQ game...

And I always found the Swamp Monster pretty creepy. Same with the Werewoods bear, especially the Death scenes. And Colin Farwalker, arguably the creepiest character in the whole series.

I found swamp monster and the were-bear kinda amusing actually... They are exagerrated cartoon monsters...

I never found Colin Farwalker that scary... maybe a little trajic but never scary... The desert just isn't that scary of a location...

Boogeyman, Headlses Horseman, and his wife are more scary than Colin... They are more cheap thrills than anything...

There is a serious difference in that unless you know how to solve how to defeat the yeti, or the harpies, they seriously feel threatening... The death seems realistic...

The death from the plant monster and the were-bear are actually kinda funny!

KQ6 isn't really so much dark as it is more mature in storyline and tone. But mature =/= dark. It's just simply a more complex, mature story.

It actually touches on several dark themes, such as a villain who places himself into a trusted position of power, stabs his benifactors in their sleep, tries to even off the next in line to push himself into next in line... He is a extremely evil and manipulative character, that puts on airs of being a good guy...

btw creepy =/= necessarily equal dark either! I know at least a few people that argue that KQ4 isn't really 'dark'...

Hell even Roberta Williams admitted that KQ6 has a dark tone. Probably for the evil and malign villain in the story...

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by BagginsKQ

No, I get that impression from her actions not only from the intro, but as a troll, and later in the game.. She has a very whiny voice, and complains about nearly everything going on in the game... Worst voice cast ever in a KQ game...



I found swamp monster and the were-bear kinda amusing actually... They are exagerrated cartoon monsters...

I never found Colin Farwalker that scary... maybe a little trajic but never scary... The desert just isn't that scary of a location...

Boogeyman, Headlses Horseman, and his wife are more scary than Colin... They are more cheap thrills than anything...

There is a serious difference in that unless you know how to solve how to defeat the yeti, or the harpies, they seriously feel threatening... The death seems realistic...

The death from the plant monster and the were-bear are actually kinda funny!



It actually touches on several dark themes, such as a villain who places himself into a trusted position of power, stabs his benifactors in their sleep, tries to even off the next in line to push himself into next in line... He is a extremely evil and manipulative character, that puts on airs of being a good guy...

btw creepy =/= necessarily equal dark either! I know at least a few people that argue that KQ4 isn't really 'dark'...

Hell even Roberta Williams admitted that KQ6 has a dark tone. Probably for the evil and malign villain in the story...

We agree to disagree. You don't like KQ7; I do. At the end of the day, the argument is on my side, because it IS a part of the KQ series.

[BagginsKQ]

We agree to disagree. You don't like KQ7; I do. At the end of the day, the argument is on my side, because it IS a part of the KQ series.

No, I never said that KQ7, isn't a KQ game...

I just feel its the weakest KQ game, and had a completely different feel... There is a big difference...

So no the arguement is not on your side, its not on either of our side... We have different opinions... It doesn't make your opinion or my opinion any more or less valid...

If you think that your opinion is more valid than other people's opinion, that just makes you a pompous ass and possibly even a jerk...

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by BagginsKQ

No, I never said that KQ7, isn't a KQ game...

I just feel its the weakest KQ game, and had a completely different feel... There is a big difference...

So no the arguement is not on your side, its not on either of our side... We have different opinions... It doesn't make your opinion or my opinion any more or less valid...

If you think that your opinion is more valid than other people's opinion, that just makes you a pompous ass and possibly even a jerk...

Sorry if I came off badly I just am not in the best of moods and wasn't interested in debating.

[BagginsKQ]

Sorry if I came off badly I just am not in the best of moods and wasn't interested in debating.

A wise person once said, "If you know you have nothing good to say, sometimes its best not to say anything at all".

Another wise person once set, "Sometimes its best to know when to keep your mouth shut, or you might make an ass of yourself".

In general its best only discuss soemthing, when you are in a good mood...

Generally speaking, if you get so riled and defensive to the point, that you start attacking other people (ad hominem), rather than their viewpoints, the debate is weakening on your end.

Besides its very difficult to 'debate' opinions on a subject that has no 'facts'. What we are discussing are feelings based purely on opinions, it's not a 'fact-based' subject.

If the purpose of 'debate' is to somehow influence and change beliefs, its very difficult to change beliefs, on something that is based purely on opinions. Where neither view point is right or wrong. Basically it would be virtually impossible for me to make you stop loving the game, or you to make me love the game with zero reservations...

[Anakin Skywalker]

Originally Posted by BagginsKQ

A wise person once said, "If you know you have nothing good to say, sometimes its best not to say anything at all".

Another wise person once set, "Sometimes its best to know when to your own mouth shut, or you might make an ass of yourself".

Generally speaking, if you get so riled to the point, that you start attacking other people (ad hominem), rather than their viewpoints, the debate is weakening on your end.

Besides its very difficult to 'debate' opinions on a subject that has no 'facts'. What we are discussing are feelings based purely on opinions, it's not a 'fact-based' subject.

If the purpose of 'debate' is to somehow influence and change beliefs, its very difficult to change beliefs, on something that is based purely on opinions. Where neither view point is right or wrong.

Well by debate I mean that we'd be throwing countering subjective opinions back and forth with no real purpose or point, because neither of us is going to change the other's opinion. I can't go on forever and convince you why KQ7 is a good game...So why continue it?

[BagginsKQ]

No offense, but you created this thread for people to discuss their opinions. If you don't like reading other peoples opinions, then maybe don't make the threads?

[KuroShiro]

Well, unlike previous KQ games which I almost uniformly loved, KQ7 was a bit of a mixed bag for me. There were some things I liked a lot about it -- the art (yes, I'm one of the few who like it) the alternate endings, and the characters. There were also some things about it I really hated -- the puzzle design was annoying, particularly the many 'timed entrance' puzzles with the dog and bogeyman, and in my opinion the second half of the game was rather lack-luster and repetitive. In general I think it's rated properly -- fun but not fantastic. Put it this way: I've played all other KQ games at least 3 times, KQ7 I only felt the need to play through once, plus the alternate ending.

[Chyron8472]

I like KQ7, but my primary issues are that there is no control over walking speed, and the player is capable of only playing certain chapters. That is, at the beginning of a new game, you are asked outright what chapter you want to start on, and I don't like that.

[BagginsKQ]

BTW, I don't exactly 'hate' KQ7, I just have many criticisms for it.

[Lambonius]

I don't HATE KQ7, per se...but I do think it is a steaming pile of turds. Especially compared to KQ5, which I feel like is more of a gleaming, solid gold turd.

[Chyron8472]

Originally Posted by Lambonius

I don't HATE KQ7, per se...but I do think it is a steaming pile of turds. Especially compared to KQ5, which I feel like is more of a gleaming, solid gold turd.

I would say that KQ7 is appropriately silly in places on purpose while KQ5 is annoyingly absurd in places by mere ineptitude. Sure KQ5's backgrounds are pretty, but that's about it.

[Lambonius]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

I would say that KQ7 is appropriately silly in places on purpose while KQ5 is annoyingly absurd in places by mere ineptitude. Sure KQ5's backgrounds are pretty, but that's about it.

I think it's over-simplifying to suggest that it was ineptitude that led to some of KQ5's questionable design elements. Through the lens of today's video games, where hand-holding is the norm and everything has to be utterly unified and connected to be considered "good," yes, KQ5 has its absurdities, and you have to wonder what the designers were thinking. But when you stack it up to other video games made at the same time, in the same day and age, KQ5 is light-years ahead in many respects. Compare it to contemporary NES games for example, or even many PC games. KQ5 was a brilliantly designed title by comparison. Context is everything here.

Now, in my opinion, KQ5 still holds up great today, but what I like in an adventure game isn't the same as what everyone else likes, and I can accept that. KQ5 has dead ends and a handful of odd puzzles by design, not by accident. You may disagree with a particular design decision, but it doesn't mean the designers didn't know what they were doing.

[Chyron8472]

You forgot to mention that the animal voice acting in KQ5 is so bad as to defy adequate description.

[Lambonius]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

You forgot to mention that the animal voice acting in KQ5 is so bad as to defy adequate description.

Again though, being one of the first games ever to be fully voiced, that sort of thing is fairly forgivable.

They certainly improved upon it in the next game of the series, but then for some reason, stepped way backwards with even WORSE voice acting in KQ7.

[KuroShiro]

Originally Posted by Lambonius

Again though, being one of the first games ever to be fully voiced, that sort of thing is fairly forgivable.

They certainly improved upon it in the next game of the series, but then for some reason, stepped way backwards with even WORSE voice acting in KQ7.

I don't recall KQ7 having particularly horrible voice overs... then again I didn't think KQ5's were that bad either, so maybe I just have a weakness for cheese-tastic voice acting.

[Lambonius]

Yeah, I suppose KQ7's voices weren't HORRIBLE, but they definitely weren't as good as KQ6, in my opinion. They are nowhere NEAR as good as the Sierra game that has, in my opinion, the BEST voice acting of any game they ever did--QFG4.

[BagginsKQ]

The voice of Rosella in KQ5 was better than the actress that did her voice in KQ7, in my humble opinion...

She's almost chalkboard scratching annoying in KQ7... Whiny as hell...

[Anakin Skywalker]

I never mined her voice in KQ7 personally...I never got the complaints about the voices in KQ7. I love a lot of them...The Mocking Bird, Valanice, King Otar, Oberon, the Spider (a wonderful tribute to Peter Lorre! It actually led me to look up Peter Lorre and do a drawing of his face using Windows Paint at around 8 years old--still have it), and some of the others. It's up there with my favorite KQ games of all time.