King’s Quest II: Romancing the Stones is a fan-made VGA remake of Sierra’s classic adventure, retelling the quest for the three gems of birth, growth and death. The complete campaign was finished in a single stream, from the swamp and the church to the wedding and the traitor’s curse.
The length is the headline, coming in at roughly five times the size of the first game. The campaign also avoids the first game’s worst puzzle, with no condor-grabbing section to dread.
The fan voice cast earns a credit-screen reaction, with a huge roster of characters voiced by dedicated fans. The tower-realm set piece impresses, with the escape portal established earlier visible from afar.
The puzzle design is enjoyed, with the truth-and-lie statue riddle and the weather, fire, water and earth wordplay worked out on screen. The lion-guard reveal lands a sympathetic beat for the transformed former suitor.
The Hagatha finale is a delight, with the youth potion backfiring and turning the witch into a cat. The wedding is the climax, with the count’s magic ceremony, the crowd’s cheer and the return to Daventry.
The traitor reveal pays off the whole run, with the Father of the church of Kolyma unmasked as the man behind the brotherhood. The humour lands throughout, from the graveyard epitaphs to the book of general knowledge and the Wookie end-credit joke.
Overall, the length, the fan voice cast and the puzzle craft make this a worthy tribute to the classic. The finicky magic carpet prompts, the pixel-perfect bridge moment and the swamp maze are the caveats.