I said I was gonna jump right into the sequel and nothing can stop me. Knight's Saga follows up on the rather impressive original, with author Cliff Hensley making a claim in the bloated genre of fantasy adventure. He already had me with the first game, where high quality writing elevated an otherwise average game into one to remember. It left me immediately wanting to check out the next game in the unfinished trilogy, and with high hopes that in the intervening months between games that Hensley could hone his skills in ZZT-OOP and perhaps graphics and really make a game that shines.
And... well, he didn't do that. Knight's Saga looks and acts just like its predecessor, but while the items on my wish list didn't get checked off, Hensley wasn't without his own ideas on how to make the sequel bigger and better than before. The game's writing is even better, with a significantly more complex story featuring a larger cast with differing motives and ideals that create tension between one another. The writing focuses now on character interaction which would make your average ZZTer of the era envious at Hensley's ability to go beyond a battle between clearly defined good guys and bad guys.
To top it all off, the game gives players a far more active role in the story, offering a number of dialog options and decisions to make which impact how the new wielder of the Gladiator sword is perceived, and even where the adventure takes you. It makes the game feel ahead of its time with this amount of dynamic moments scattered throughout. This is one I'm eager to play again on stream sooner rather than later, and you'll soon see why.
Is The Vizier Evil?
Hensley asks players to get themselves more involved with the game's story than most of other ZZT games, so it's important that the story he wants to tell manage to players invested. In the first Gladiator, the story wasn't really any more original than any other ZZT adventure. Edgar needed to find a talisman, and then bring it to the tower, shooting bad bad guys along the way. The game excelled thanks to the writing taking bland empty boxes of locations and giving players something to imagine in the space.
This time, the storyline is much more involved than a game-spanning fetch quest. It has twists and turns! Loyalties are tested and you'll find yourself trying to figure out who you should trust. It's a big step forward made all the more impressive when you realize that as the player, you actually have some ability to influence events. The game's writing is once again its most appealing attribute, now focused on character dynamics above all else.
The sequel is set more than two decades after the events of the first Gladiator. King Halon and his queen are no longer with us, with princess Elora taking the reigns of the kingdom. She's considered a caring ruler who wants to see her kingdom flourish. This means doing some unsavory things outside the kingdom's borders develop the nation's power and reach. Depending on which characters you want to believe, she's either being manipulated by corrupt council members seeking personal gain, or she's oblivious to the chaos her imperialist ambitions. At least this time the negatives aren't simply glossed over.
In the previous game we learned that the dwarves were exiled to the wasteland outside of the kingdom for their "beliefs", an aspect of the world that was never explored. Despite the struggle they managed to build their own functioning society. Edgar seemed impressed. It turns out all those criminals and dwarves weren't just sent out of the kingdom to die of dehydration.
Under now-queen Elora, Atheria has decided to take the region into its fold, by force if necessary. The Borderlands, as the former-desert is now known, is being conquered by the very people that sent them there in the first place. For obvious reasons, they have begun to band together and fight back against Atheria. These raids set the events of the game in motion.
Players control the son of Edgar Knight, Derek. The game begins on your 22nd birthday when one of these conflicts breaks out outside the castle and your father, the legendary Gladiator, falls in battle. It's a very A Link To The Past opening specifically, as Derek watches him leave with instructions that he's not to be followed, and when he doesn't return Derek heads to the battlefield where he discovers his father dying from his wounds.
It is then that Edgar asks his son Derek to swear the vow he once did. A vow to uphold the light and always take a stand against darkness. To take the sword and become the new Gladiator. Derek does so without apprehension, and we get to see the difference between the Gladiator's reputation and reality. The one who bears the sword is revered by all just as before, yet now we know that there is no training, there is no chosen one. It is a matter of practicality to keep the sword always in someone's hand where it can be a symbol of good. Like it or not, Derek suddenly finds himself in a position of power.
Three months pass with Derek training (probably a good call) until he is summoned by Queen Elora herself to the palace for an unspecified reason. While it could have certainly been an interesting direction for the series if the conflict here was going to be Derek expanding the queen's empire and him being horrified at the things he must do (and then we'd got from LttP to Final Fantasy 4), the queen's reason for meeting with Derek are appropriately gladiatorial in nature.
Someone has been tampering with the seal on the Gate of Darknesss, and in order to prevent the same events that Derek's father worked so hard to stop from reoccurring, a group of clerics needs to give it a little tune-up. Derek's job is much simpler than his father's quest, he merely needs to clear a safe path through the forest so that the clerics can reach the seal without issue. However, there is one small catch.
Elora is deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Edgar. (As is Derek, though he puts on a brave face despite it eating him up inside.) The last thing she wants is for this newcomer to meet a similar fate so soon after taking up the sword. To that end, she introduces Derek to Shianna, a mercenary for hire who she wishes to accompany him through the forest. Players get to choose how Derek reacts to having a partner, which introduces players to the more fluid aspects of the game's story.
Whether happily or begrudgingly, A path is cleared through the forest allowing the clerics to do their job and the two return to the castle to deliver news of their success. Queen Elora wishes to speak to Derek in private, but is interrupted by Sir Felix Dagon, the royal vizier. (Immediately, Derek can choose to distrust him, so you wouldn't be the only one.) The vizier wishes to discuss allowing some currently forbidden tactics to be employed in order to ensure a swift victory against the Borderlanders. The queen is visibly distressed by the idea, and Derek has the option to pry into the conversation a little, though the specifics go unstated. Realizing now isn't a good time, Derek is excused for now, taking his leave to see the sights of the surrounding the town.
Just down the hall, a council member quietly approaches Derek and warns him that something sinister is going on in the castle. Not wanting to be discovered, he pleads with Derek to meet him at a nearby tavern where they can speak freely. Derek agrees and heads to a private room above the tavern...
...Only to find the council member dead, killed from a massive sword wound. While investigating the body, there's an uproar downstairs. Dagon has taken a regiment of Atherian royal guards (ARG) to raid the tavern on suspicion that the council member was planning to defect to the Borderland forces. When the body is discovered, Derek is presumed responsible for the killing, not only because he was at the scene but due to the murder weapon being a very very big sword like the Gladiator he carries. (This is important.)
Treason is one thing, but murder is another. Dagon orders Derek be arrested, leading to a fight breaking out to capture a fleeing Derek that suddenly finds himself wrongfully accused of murder.
This scene is really well put together. A lot happens all at once that leaves players confused in a good way as they try to unravel how the events all fit together. Someone killed the council member. The vizier gets to be the obvious suspect if albeit just because of his title. But if Dagon did it, the question becomes why.
If the council member was indeed defecting, then killing him, while a tad much, is still protecting the kingdom, which would keep him on the queen's side. So why not just arrest him? If the council member hadn't been killed, he'd have been taken in alive no problem here. Maybe the council member wasn't defecting, and was in fact going to warn Derek that the vizier is the defector. If so, killing him would make sense, but arresting him wouldn't. The plan could be to frame Derek for murder, but it's unclear how he'd know Derek would be there. He was in audience with the queen when Derek agreed to meet the council member. Something is still an unknown.
For Derek, saving his skin become priority number one, and the best way to do that is to travel through the eastern forest that leads outside of the kingdom and into the Borderlands where the Atherians have no jurisdiction (until they conquer it at least). While a few guards are out searching for Derek in the forest, he's able to evade them and make it to a bar just on the border where he can order a drink and collect himself.
The bar is right next to the river that marks the border, and crossing that bridge marks a successful escape. Or at least, that's what Derek thinks. He doesn't get very far though before discovering Shianna has been waiting for him to arrive. Derek pleads his case, while Shianna's crossbow is pointed at his neck. Soon it becomes clear that Shianna is well aware he didn't kill anyone. Could she be the killer? ...Probably not, as she brings Derek into the capital city of the Borderlands and reveals the truth about her own loyalties.
Shianna is a part of the Atherian Liberation Movement (ALM). She is working with Borderlanders to restore peace, prevent the return of darkness, and bring down the corrupt members of the Atherian government responsible for this expansionist war. The council member was indeed sympathetic to to their cause and served as an informant. The ALM members inquire about anything Derek knows about Dagon, and become worryingly silent when he mentions the "special tactics" the queen refuses to allow.
Dagon, they explain, has been manipulating government officials and the queen herself in his own bid for power (the vizier??? really???). Dagon's tactics are to summon a creature of darkness that he believes he will be capable of controlling and using them as a tool to defeat the Borderlanders. The "tampering" with the seal on the gate of Darkness was Dagon's doing, and if he's to be stopped from unleashing an uncontrollable evil in the mortal world, then they're going to have to steal the Talisman of Light to stop it.
As a reminder, the Talisman of Light was the primary goal of the first Gladiator game. It's capable of being used to banish creatures of darkness back to their own realm and after the events of the previous game has been held safely in the castle lest it fall into the wrong hands again. It's nice to see how Hensley includes all these connections to the previous game, without making the game feel like it's just a rehash. The people, places, and things will all be easily recognized by anyone who played the original, without requiring players to have played it in order to enjoy Knight's Saga
Unfortunately for the Halon dynasty who planned to keep the talisman safe within their walls, the dark forces are coming from inside the house. Someone needs to take the secret tunnel from the bar to get inside the castle and retrieve the Talisman before Dagon takes it for himself. Derek of course gets first dibs on the job, and should he choose to accept the mission, will be leaving first thing in the morning after a night of well deserved rest. He's had quite a day after all.
The plan is changed abruptly as the unknown assailant of the council member claims another life. When Derek awakens and steps outside, lying in the streets with a number of panicked ALM members is the body of one of their leaders found dead from a large sword wound. Even more gruesome than the previous slaying, his heart has been cut out and taken as a prize.
And this time, the killer left a note.
The "Dark Gladiator" is his name, and he seems to have a vendetta against Derek. His killings appear to be for no greater cause, merely to incite chaos and make a fool of this new Gladiator that is unable to protect those around him. Now, with a threat on queen Elora's life, the plan is forced to change. To protect the queen, Derek vows to find her and keep her safe before the Dark Gladiator makes good on his promise, not caring that he is currently viewed as a murderer in Atheria.
The tunnels through the bar hide an underground canal meant to allow the royal family to make use of a small watercraft to flee the castle in the case of an invasion. The hope that the tunnels would be empty is dashed as they're actually full of elven archers (tigers) and royal guards (lions) who are still on a manhunt for Derek. It's a prolonged fight across a maze of waterways and bridges that eventually leads to Derek emerging from behind a tapestry in the castle where who should be waiting for him with another group of guards but vizier Dagon?
Derek's request to speak with the queen falls on deaf ears what with the "wanted murderer" thing and all. Yet Dagon's resolve is slowly whittled away as Derek explains what he knows about all the recent events. The vizier denies any wrongdoing, but is won over when Derek presents his own theory about what's going on. He proposes that if Dagon wasn't responsible for the seal being tampered with, that perhaps the forces of darkness themselves managed to get the Dark Gladiator through as an agent to sow chaos and spark a greater conflict between Atheria and the Borderlanders. Once he reveals to Dagon the Dark Gladiator's warning, he is forced to relent, also shifting his priorities to protecting the queen. Vizier redemption arc?
Derek then asks for the Talisman so that he can bring it to Mount Dragon and banish the Dark Gladiator before he can kill again. A guard then informs Dagon of the news: the Talisman is missing! Its whereabouts are quickly intuited as an earthquake rocks the kingdom and the sounds of the undead rising on the mountain are heard. The Dark Gladiator has the Talisman and has opened the gate. Demons and other evil beings will soon be arriving.
It's a great scene of chaos. There's the moment of panic when Dagon discovers you, and you can in fact choose to attack him here triggering a unique game over where the guards overtake you, but not before you kill Dagon yourself. Derek spends his last moments wondering if his actions just saved a kingdom or contributed to its demise. Hensley can even make the bad decisions ones to remember.
Dagon reveals another hidden shortcut from the castle to Mount Dagon (would have been nice if he told the clerics about it earlier) and Derek makes his way to the mountaintop where demons are now prowling about as they enter the mortal realm freely. Derek refuses to allow any soldiers to accompany him, believing this to be his battle to fight. Dagon reluctantly agrees, but only on the condition that a squadron be sent if Derek doesn't return soon. Derek's final battle is one to prove whether he is truly worthy of the title Gladiator. He's Atheria's only real hope now.
The Dark Gladiator is the final foe, and of course he's been waiting for Derek to arrive. While Hensley still finds himself unable to code up a traditional ZZT boss battle, the climax is significantly more interactive that the compelling but entirely scripted finale from the first game. While it's not as cool as pouring blood on someone to make them the target of a lightning bolt, it is a proper sword fight portrayed through narrative with a prompt at the end of each passage offering a few possible moves Derek can make to overcome his opponent. Through some smart decisions, Derek can slay his opponent and learn the truth of the Dark Gladiator, the murders, and the danger Atheria and the Borderlands have yet to realize they are both in.
Game too cool to just blab the ending. Spoilers await below!
Defeating the Dark Gladiator breaks him from the spell. He asks for forgiveness for not upholding his oath to live a pure life which allowed his soul to be bound by a necromancer. Removing his helmet, the Dark Gladiator is none other than Edgar Knight, Derek's father, who was forced to serve the will of the one who revived him. Vizier Dagon. No redemption.
So while the vizier was in fact the game's villain as anyone would have guessed from the start, I think Hensley did a great job giving players reason to doubt that it would be so simple.
After tearful farewell as he loses his father for the second time, Derek returns to the castle to deliver the news that the Dark Gladiator was defeated, the talisman recovered, and the gate to darkness closed once more. Everyone, including the vizier is ready to celebrate, until Dagon extends his arm to shake Derek's hand and finds himself spurned. Derek reveals Dagon's necromancy, and everyone believes him over Dagon's defense of "Nuh uh!".
The vizier crumbles pretty quickly, lunging for the queen who is quickly protected by one of the more respected ALM members. They have their own fight, and as the vizier is about to lose, he hurls a dagger at his opponent and kills him on the spot. Making a hasty escape in a puff of smoke, he reveals that while he did resurrect Edgar and very much wanted to kill the queen, it was not to merely take the throne for himself. He is a servant of darkness fighting not for petty mortal kingdoms, but to reclaim the dark empire that was taken away when Edgar defeated Darque Ness. The current threat is over, but the forces of darkness are just beginning their assault to reclaim the mortal world for their own empire. The group is assured that they haven't seen the last of Dagon, who refers to himself as "The Dark Prophet".
With everything settled (for the time being at least), the queen finally gets her chance to speak with Derek about what she wanted to this whole time.
Namely, his mother. Derek was raised by Edgar alone, and told his mother died in childbirth. But this was not the truth. In reality, Elora and Edgar got together not long after the first game. They were in love, but Edgar wasn't seen as "noble" enough by her parents for her to be allowed to wed. She was forced to give up her child, and unable to reveal the secret for twenty-two years. Derek must then decide whether he wishes to accept her inviation to live in the castle with her or to continue to be the Gladiator.
Neither option is really a happy one. Hensley tries to avoid a fairytale ending, and regardless of what decision players make as Edgar, there's a sense that something important was lost. Either he upholds the vow he made to his father when he accepted the sword, leaving the castle while his mother tearfully cries out for him, or he makes Shianna take the oath he so quickly abandoned. Shianna seems as capable as any other of the skilled ALM members, but it feels like Derek is giving up on fighting evil, abandoning his responsibility and dumping it on the nearest person he can find.
I'm rather curious which would have been canon for the final game in the series had it been completed. I'm more inclined to go with staying Gladiator, but have to admit that it would make for an interesting game to see how Shianna would handle the responsibility, and what role, if any Derek would play in future events. As well as whether the beings of darkness would or wouldn't still seek out Derek for the indignity they suffered at the hands of him and his father.
Perhaps more than any other incomplete ZZT series, I would so very much like to have seen this one completed. Hensley had me absolutely hooked with this one. Even in the earliest moments before things began to pop off, thanks to getting to choose my own adventure for a change. This is just such a well put together story that does so much more than its contemporaries.
Around this point in time, ZZT games with strong stories meant the early chapters of Chrono Wars, whose story was getting underway. Not to mention Chrono Wars is a very ZZT-esque story, where the appeal is more in how much there is rather than in what it entails. Knight's Saga doesn't have jarringly weird moments like hitting someone with a car and planning to make it right later. Its villain doesn't hide himself by renaming himself to his first initial. Its cast doesn't balloon to such a level that nobody gets a chance to develop.
Knight's Saga is easy to follow, invites players to figure out its mystery, and permits them to bend the direction of the game a little. I've been a rude protagonist before, but it's much harder to think of games that you repair relationships that get off to a bad start. The series feels like a big step forward for ZZT games with more story than an opening paragraph of text or cut-scene. I still can't get over the fact that I've just never heard of these before and only stumbled across them now.
