New school gamers may be puzzled to hear about 80’s gaming company Sierra On-Line, but anyone who grew up in the era, as well as retro game enthusiasts, may feel the burning embers of nostalgia flickering into a flaming blaze of desire to download emulation software and relive the richly rewarding bygone days of a simpler time in gaming history.
We say simpler but we certainly do not mean less revolutionary. Trace gaming lineage back to this century and try to picture what it must have looked like. Arcade games and Space Invaders were the introductions into gaming as we know it, but, these types of games, although mechanical masterpieces, were not groundbreaking narrative adventures. Around this time, Sierra On-Line stepped on the scene and changed the course of gaming forever with the release of the first real graphically-advanced, for the day and age, exploration-based games that would serve as the foundations for adventure titles and RPGs of the modern gaming industry.
There were so many fantastic games released by Sierra On-Line and it is somewhat difficult to pinpoint the best. So, we have compiled a list of great games to get your hands on via emulation or other means if you wish to fuel the nostalgia fire.
Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness
Narrated by John Rhys-Davies, the titanic actor who portrayed legendary scraggly red-headed dwarf warrior Gimli in ‘The Lord of the Rings’, Quest for Glory IV is a standout entry into the long run of exceptional adventure titles released by Sierra On-Line for this reason and more. Established in an ominous eastern-European setting, riddled with horrifying characters seemingly lifted from a Lovecraft novel, and steeped in a fascinating plot grounded by intriguing characters, Quest for Glory IV combines several elements carefully to create a compelling adventure from start to finish.
Space Quest V: The Next Mutation
The Space Quest series was beloved for its tongue-in-cheek parody of traditional sci-fi media, but it wasn’t until Space Quest V that Sierra On-Line nailed the Space Quest storytelling. Sure, Space Quest V was still littered with burlesque references to ‘Star Trek’, ‘Alien’, and ‘The Terminator’, but, this time around Sierra On-Line managed to draw the line between colorful comic-book gags and immersive narrative structure. The two blend fairly well, giving long time Space Quest fans the penultimate they deserved.
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
A critical smash hit and a community cherished feature, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers proved to be the zenith of Sierra On-Lines game catalog. Though not perfect, as things rarely ever are, Gabriel Knight boasted engaging puzzles, a challenging non-linear way of playing, and a more forgiving stat building system that allowed players to explore the entire game without feeling the ramifications of one questionable choice. There was so much to love here that gamers could hardly get enough of Gabriel Knight.
Knight’s Quest 6: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
Proving that the Knight’s Quest series could be better than a retread of medieval tales skinned as an adventure game, Knight’s Quest 6 rose to the occasion and propelled the series forward in its finale. With stellar voice actors, a non-linear campaign, and captivating thematic cornerstones bolstering the story, this Sierra On-Line feature was another great addition to their impressive range of adventure games.
