Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned

Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned
Developer(s)	Sierra On-Line
Publisher(s)	Sierra On-Line
Designer(s)	Jane Jensen
Engine	Sheep
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	NA October 5, 1999 PAL October 30, 1999
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ELSPA: 15+ ESRB: Mature
Media	3 CD-ROMs
System requirements	166 MHz Intel Pentium CPU, 32 MB RAM, 4 MB video card RAM, 4X CD-ROM drive, DirectX 6.1, Windows 95 or Windows 98
Input methods	Keyboard and mouse

Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned is the third and final game in the Gabriel Knight series of adventure games by Sierra Online. The game was designed by Jane Jensen, Gabriel Knight's creator. In a departure from the previous two entries, the score is composed by David Henry, expanding on some of original composer Robert Holmes's themes. The game also sees Tim Curry return in the role of Gabriel although the voices of other re-occurring characters such as Grace and Mosely have been recast. It was released in 1999 for PCs and again in 2001 as a part of Sierra's Best Seller Series.

Each installment in the Gabriel Knight series has had a significant change in graphic design, with the first featuring computer-generated, partially rotoscoped graphics as well as scanned comic book art and the second being entirely FMV. Gabriel Knight 3 is the first game in the series to be in full 3D. Despite critical and financial success^{[citation needed]} it would be the last adventure game published by Sierra.

The plot of the game now concentrates on vampires (previous titles concentrated on the paranormal aspects of Voodoo, and werewolves) but also has a great deal to do with the history of the Knights Templar, the proposed conspiracies relating to the Freemasons and The Priory of Sion as well as Jesus.

Gameplay

The game's main character, Gabriel Knight

The game uses a classic point-and-click interface. A command-bar appears whenever the player clicks a highlighted item with the left-mouse-key. The game does not use fixed camera-angles, but instead the player has full control over the camera-angle except during dialogue and prescripted sequences. Whenever the camera is the right distance away the player character teleports behind the camera thus allowing the player to progress without excessive waiting.

The game also uses a score-system. The score indicates how much of the game's plot has the player uncovered. Certain events that are necessary to finish the game will earn the player points as well as actions that are not required to complete the game. However, if the player wishes to learn the motives of the other characters he is required to do a number extra activities, thus prompting players to try again in order to get a better score and more out of the game's story. However, there is no reward for completing the game with a full score.

Synopsis

Plot

Gabriel Knight comes from a long line of Schattenjägers ("Shadow Hunters") whose mission is to fight various seemingly paranormal entities. As detailed in the Gabriel Knight 3 Graphic Novel, featured as either a hard-copy or scanned on the game CD, it has been four years since their last case (The Beast Within) and Gabe and Grace are invited to the estate of Prince James of Albany, who is descended from the House of Stuart, the exiled monarchs of Scotland. He reveals that his family is plagued by bizarre vampire-like creatures he calls Night Visitors. Prince James asks Gabriel to protect his infant son Charlie. However, while guarding the baby Grace mysteriously falls asleep and Gabe is paralyzed and forced to watch as a shadowy figure enters the room and takes the child. Gabriel follows the kidnappers to a train where he is knocked unconscious.

The game's opening movie begins with Gabe waking up and hearing one of the kidnappers utter the words San Greal. When the train stops Gabriel finds himself in Couiza, in the South of France. He takes a cab to Rennes-le-Château where he checks into the local hotel and begins to unravel the mystery.

Characters

Soundtrack

The game's score was composed by David Henry, based on themes created by the series' original composer, Robert Holmes. In every Gabriel Knight game, the popular gospel hymn "When the Saints go marching in" can be heard, albeit in different remixes and forms. In Gabriel Knight 3 it can be heard in the bar in Rennes-les-Bains.

Reception

Gabriel Knight 3 received fairly positive reviews from critics. IGN said the game "proves that adventure games still have some life left in them" and provides "a welcome change for the action-heavy PC market" with "[an] excellent story and well worked out plot". At the same time, they criticized Tim Curry's voice-over, "a cold and over exaggerated interpretation of the southern accent", and the switch to 3D which they felt "is not yet ready to depict the emotions and feelings in the way actors can".^[5] GameSpot attested the sentiments about Curry's "terrible acting job", calling the "fake accent and overly dramatic delivery [...] almost unbearable". The dialogue was also criticized, as were the puzzles, the latter which fortunately "get better as the story progresses". The story itself was more positively received, including "some excellent plot elements" and "fascinating" connections between fact and fiction.^[4] Adventure Gamers found some of the smaller puzzles "outright silly", but at the same time the vast Le Serpent Rouge "one of the best designed puzzles in adventure gaming history". The storyline with its "interesting narratives" was called "epic in every sense of the word" and the game "ultimately a success".^[3]

Trivia

In Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, the first game in the series, when Gabriel uncovers the Schattenjäger library in Schloss Ritter, he can examine the bookshelves to browse their contents. Among the books he finds are reference material alluding to werewolves and vampires — which would turn out to be the supernatural antagonists in his next two games.

Works with similar themes

• Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars
• The Da Vinci Code
• The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail
• Dogma

References

External links

• Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned at MobyGames