Gabriel Knight 1-4: Getting into it Now!

Oh yes! Oh yes indeed! I got so into the game that I played it all evening instead of watching TV. That's the kind of game I like! Played for a total of four hours today!

Did Day 3 rather easily. However, in Day 4 things start to get far more intense. I'm also rather proud of myself. Yeah, I'm sure my memory of the game is helping me a bit, but I've been able to figure out almost all of it. I needed to look at the in-game hint about how to find a lady I met in the drug store, but it's a good hint system. It points you toward the solution, but doesn't give the solution to you.

I'm really enjoying the voice acting! The guy paying Gabriel is doing a really good job. He may not be Tim Curry but he's very credible and enjoyable. Grace is every bit as good as the original, and many of the supporting players are excellent. Grandma stands out especially. That's a serious relief. Bad voice acting can just ruin a game, but really good work greatly enhances it.

One of the easier days

Things went quite smoothly for me in Day 3, which isn't all that extensive anyway. There are long talks with people, and that takes up most of the playing time, but the puzzles aren't all that difficult.  But when we get to Day 4 . . .

(Just proof that I got there!)

. . . things get much more complex. Even so, I only needed two hints. Plus, I confess that I remembered some things from the first game, and noticed a real change. In the original game we went "backstage," so to speak, in the cathedral. This time we find what we need much more easily, without having to leave the main cathedral area. Plus, I was able to figure out some puzzles all on my own!

I am now aaalllllmost halfway through the points. No doubt I've missed some things--you always do in Jane Jensen's games--but I'm pretty close to halfway, and I'm quite sure that I'm about halfway through the game. 

Finally I got to visit Grandma! I know for certain that was one of the first places we went in the original game. This time it's Day 4 before we get Grandma's place showing on the map. I found the infamous clock puzzle. I had no qualms about looking up the solution to that, and finally I see the logic of it--although the clue is quite obscure. The clock really looks better this time.

Chatting with Grandma

Grandma's attic

The famous clock puzzle

I definitely missed finding the first mention of "Shattenjäger." It just shows up in Gabriel's conversation. That had to be somewhere in the attic, and yet I was really sure that I looked at everything that was available there. Maybe I'll try to go back and find it, although it doesn't matter. I'll also have to look to see if the German letter I found is legible. Everybody in the game says they don't speak German, but I do (well, enough to make some sense of things). "Shattenjäger," by the way, means "shadow hunter," but we're getting ahead of ourselves!

So I'm really getting into the voodoo stuff. I've managed to get a couple of important items that I'm going to need later: an animal mask and a snake bracelet. The bracelet already has come in handy, actually.

And although the game isn't x-rated, it makes things quite clear that Gabriel and Malia Geddes are getting together at night. Grace is a bit jealous. 

 However, there's really no doubt who Malia Geddes is at this point. And I know that Gabriel will be going to Germany soon. Things are getting dangerous, clearly.

Makes for a great atmosphere! Yes! Can't wait for tomorrow!

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