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

"Woah! Times has changed since the first two games!"

When I first played Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, I though it was great and well done for the technology back then. 3 years later, Sierra used live people for the Beast Within, and it was even better. Gabriel Knight 3 opened up the world of 3D Adventure/Mystery, and 3D rendered worlds.

Generally, Gabriel Knight 3 was a great game. But of course there are some feedback on the game. One example of a feedback of this game is that for example, when your assigned something, like a mission, you do that right? Well, this game is like it, but things get stacked up quite a bit as you go along.

Story/Plot: 7/10

The story of this was a a little controversial. It deals with the Roman Catholic church/Christianity, vampires, Holy Grail, and other stuff that were almost off-topic when Gabriel was supposed to protect a young child from a young Prince. Though, it was annoying to me at first, but then I realized that if you have to rescue the hostage, you need background information obviously. Though, it was reasonable enough to go through the story. It wasn't that bad.

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay was basically simple, with a point and click. The interface of the game was also simple, yet you have to learn a little more about verb icons when you click on a noun (person, place or thing). For example. If you click on the door, it gives you an amount of actions: open the door, knock on the door, eavesdrop, use an item with it, or cancel action. Walking around the place was also simple by just a point, and click.

The game is fragmented into Time-Blocks, which fits through a game that has three days. Compared to other games like Majora's Mask, you have plenty of time to do a lot of things in the game.

Controlling the camera would be hard at first, but after a while, or if your good at it, you can control cameras like they're in the movies. It's pretty straight forward when you tweak the angles.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics of this game was okay. You have to have a graphics card that has 4 megs or higher. I used my 8 Meg graphics card, and it ran smooth as knife through butter. Though, you have to have a powerful processor to make the game to optimal performance.

There were points in the game that needed a little review. But overall, the rendered Rennes le Chateau and surrounding areas were exceptionally well done. Even the characters motion capture was balanced with the game.

Characters: 8/10

Gabriel Knight is voiced over by the veteran actor of GK1 Tim Curry. Compared to Dean Erickson, Curry is more like a player, a ''Ladies Man,'' a guy who has a lot of wit. Dean Erickson was a more serious type. A look alike who has different characteristics than the animated Gabriel Knight, but let's not go there. The voice over for Grace, Mosely, and others were good too. Some say it was horrible. Well, see for yourself of what you think.

Sound: 7/10

The sound was really okay. It wasn't good, but it has good effects on distant travelling, for example, from a far distance, you can hear the water fountain from one point. As you get closer, it gets louder. The effects were nearly as good, but it needed to be a little cleaned up. Overall, its all good.

Music: 8/10

The music of GK3 fitted through this trilogy. I thought it was great music. From a warm hallway in a hotel, to a dark shadowy cellar in a winery. Though, since it associates with the sound effects, I would have gave it a 9. But the music and sound were a little off balanced. Therefore, its an 8.

Challenges/Strategic Input: 9/10

The games puzzles are very challenging. Some are easy, yet challenging, and others were hard, yet simple. Some of these puzzles can lead to serious injury, or death to Gabe or Grace, if done incorrectly. Well done.

Replayability: 7/10

If you want extreme challenge, the best way to play the game is the first time. The second time can be easy, depending on how you approach the game. When I played it the second time, the challenge of the game was more simplified, and it was lower. The time block of this game can sometimes be a hassle. But nothing much.
---
Overall, Gabriel Knight 3 was a blast. I'd recommend it to gamers who likes horror/mystery/adventure type games. Play the game, or reef it. Gabriel Knight 4? We'll see...

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/25/02, Updated 03/25/02