Nostalgia is a funny thing. It can create such powerful feelings of reminiscence and longing in reaction to the most unexpected catalysts, and can often cause you to appreciate something more than you otherwise would.
Such was the sensation I felt while playing Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition, the recent re-release of the 1993 PC point-and-click adventure of the same name (minus the commemorative moniker, of course). It’s by no means a perfect game, but it’s a very welcome sendback to the graphic adventure games of decades past, and a refreshing revitalization of a genre monopolized by Telltale Games these days.
The first thing you’ll notice upon playing Gabriel Knight is its charming aesthetic, which effectively blends the familiar HUDs and interfaces of 90s adventure games with the shiny, accessible nature of this generation. Sins of the Fathers’ presentation is quite good, and the revamped graphics do a great job of maintaining the spirit of the original game while updating it for its modern platforms. The comic book-esque story scenes are especially eye-popping and are a definite improvement over the original’s blurry, digitized illustrations. Also of note is the remastered music, which while not particularly grand or amazing, manages to be very catchy and serves to establish the aforementioned sense of nostalgia that’s so prevalent in this title.
The story, which follows mystery writer-turned-investigator Gabriel Knight as he attempts to unravel the mysteries surrounding a series of macabre voodoo-themed murders in his hometown of Louisiana. As the plot progresses further and further the scope of the game begins to increase, resulting in a globe-trotting adventure rife with curses, intrigue and conspiracy.
The gameplay is your standard adventure game affair: players will use a variety of tried-and-true commands such as pick up, interact, open, talk, etc. to interact with a multitude of characters, items and environments. Those who feel alienated by the genre’s rather-infamous lack of guidance and occasionally-spotty logic are in luck, as the 20th Anniversary Edition includes a hint system in the form of Gabriel’s handy journal. The journal can be checked in order to get a vague idea of where to go next, and players stumped by a tricky puzzle can get unstuck simply by checking the “Hints” tab. Also included in the journal are dozens of area-specific developers’ notes, interviews, and pieces of concept art provided by both the original and 20th Anniversary Edition teams. These bonus additions provide a nice look into the making of the game, and are a must-see for series veterans and newbies alike. Being an adventure game, Sins of the Fathers doesn’t have much replay value, and it’s unlikely that most will revisit it again after finishing other than to nab the last few achievements or grind Steam trading cards.
Although the story as a whole is intriguing and engaging (even the dumbest plot points have an Indiana Jones-style charm to them), Sins of the Fathers’ writing can leave something to be desired. Much of the dialogue, especially during the early segments, is cheesy at best and downright trite at worst. The characters can often come across as cliched as well, with Gabriel’s “egotistical Cajun skirtchaser” shtick (sound familiar, comic book readers?) and Detective Mosely’s bumbling skepticism being particularly grating.
This brings me to my biggest issue with the game: the voice acting is really, really terrible. Say what you will about Telltale’s modern adventure games, but they consistently delivered strong, varied vocal performances that helped a player immerse themselves in the world and characters. Sins of the Fathers’ voice acting seems like it was ripped directly from an 80s exploitation film, with every character save for a few sounding like irritatingly exaggerated stereotypes (special mention going to the “voodoo lady” narrator whose ridiculous pronunciation and exaggerated hamminess will have you reaching for the mute button) that actually hurts a lot of the characterization and outright ruins some potentially emotional scenes. Every VA sounds like they’re trying way too hard to emulate their character’s regional accent, which can lead to some infuriating cases such as Gabriel sounding like he’s trying to seduce police officers due to his incessant smooth-talking and every Louisiana-based character using the slurred “Nyaahlans” pronunciation of New Orleans even when they lack an accent altogether.
What’s especially baffling to me is that all of the game’s dialogue was re-recorded for the 20th anniversary edition, meaning that even if the voice acting was this bad in the 1993 original, the directors had the perfect opportunity to improve it and allow the game to fulfill its full potential but instead chose to give the most bizarrely comical voice direction in recent memory (and it is the director’s fault, as many of Sins of the Fathers’ VAs, like Adam “Bigby Wolf” Harrington have proven themselves to be nuanced and skilled in other works). This remaster also lacks the star-studded voice cast of the original (which featured such talents as Tim Curry and Mark Hamill), so the VA really has no saving grace no matter how you slice it.
This is a relatively small nitpick in the grand scheme of things, however (and one that can be remedied simply by muting the voice track), and does not ultimately detract from the rest of the game’s competence. If you’re looking for a story that’ll keep you relatively engaged from start to finish, a devilishly clever puzzle game, or simply a nostalgia trip to give you your retro-adventure game fix, Gabriel will be your knight in shining armor. Just, err, don’t let the voice acting hamper your experience.
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father 20th Anniversary Edition is currently available on Steam for $20, and is expected to hit iOS and Android platforms later this year.
(7.5 / 10)
Good
(7.5 / 10)
