Gabriel Knight 2-2: The Streets of München

And we do have to go home for a bit before we can find our way through the streets of Munich!

Got back to the game today, after shamelessly looking up what to do next. Good thing I did that. There are two puzzles in Chapter One that I'm not sure anybody could figure out without at least a hint. The first is the tapes. Once you decide what to do with them it's pretty easy. But you're going to be staring at the zoo wolves for a long time before you realize what you need to do, because there is no further action you can take until you figure it out (or shamelessly look at the WT).

Next I got stuck wandering around the streets of Munich. I remember this from the first time I played the game back in the 90s, if you don't know what to do Gabriel will spend far too much time walking back and forth on the Marienplatz.

It's a pretty street, but you can spend half the game here

By this time, having done the tape puzzle, I was looking for an address. Turns out you have to figure out another thing that you can only do back on the farm, because even if you find the location you need, the game won't identify the address for you until you've taken that simple action. Back and forth. Back and forth. Went to the WT for that too. Otherwise, I was able to play on my own and made great progress! 

Der schöne Baron von Glower

Once you solve that puzzle, however, you get to meet the rather irresistible Peter Lucas as Baron von Glower (who indeed glowers rather nicely). Lucas turns out to be a Polish actor, but one who clearly speaks German well. He tried to make it in Hollywood but never did. Nobody who played this game can understand why he couldn't get any traction here as an actor (my bet is that it's because he's European. Hollywood accepts British actors, sometimes. Nobody else). Hope he did better in Europe. 

Anyway once we're in, we're really in! Have a drink with the boys!

Meeting the boys

And so we get to Chapter Two! Whew! Sorry about the walkthrough, but really, I'm playing for fun here and I don't want to go through too much frustration. I've already won the game twice in the past (and when I first played there was almost no internet and no walkthroughs, so somehow I figured out that tape puzzle on my own! Must have!)

More thoughts on Full Motion Video. Pros: It really does give you a sense that you're in an interactive movie. Cartoons are fine for a basic story, but real human actors in actual locations convey the urgency of the plot so much better than animation.

Cons: Repetition, repetition, repetition. Whenever you walk into the lawyer's office, it's the same scene. When you leave, it's the same scene. That problem applies to other areas. I remember getting heartily sick of seeing Grace put on her coat every single time she left Schloß Ritter when I played the game years ago.

Speaking of Grace, I found her! She starts Chapter Two with a fairly long video, ending in her bedroom at Schloß Ritter.

Hello Gracie!

So, whew! Really glad I looked at the WT. I was one hundred percent stuck. Shameless, I know!

Tomorrow!

Next Entry