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KINGSLEY'S ADVENTURE (PS)
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Publisher: Sony.
Developer: Psygnosis Camden Studio. Released: October 1999 (Europe). Genre: 3D Adventure. Posted 30th October 2020. By Tom Clare © 2020 |
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For an adventure so thoroughly overlooked as Kingsley’s Adventure has been, it’s easy to forget that it garnered quite a bit of attention from games magazines in the run up to its release in late 1999. A Sony-published, Psygnosis-developed 3D adventure in the mould of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and with a lead character bearing more than a passing resemblance to Star Fox’s Fox McCloud. This was bound to get chins wagging, a move from Sony to combat Nintendo’s perceived hold on the mascot market. Ultimately, it’s a chequerboard of blacks and whites, hits and misses. For every clever touch, a clumsy mistake. For every bit of smart design, a fundamental error. It doesn’t achieve its mediocrity through middling means, there aren’t any shades of grey to Kingsley’s Adventure.
Kingsley is a fox cub summoned to save the Fruit Kingdom from the evil machinations of Bad Custard, a chef whose banishment in the wake of a food poisoning incident leads to a megalomaniacal change of career, as he aims to seize the throne. Chefs, eh? His cooking may have been inadequate, but he’s a dab hand at black magic, transforming the four gallant knights of the Kingdom into… well, four knights that do his bidding. Kingsley must collect all the necessary garments of a True Knight, before putting them to use. For our intrepid hero, its dungeons aplenty with combat, platforming and puzzling along the way.
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There are some fun conversations to be found in the villages, but sadly little besides.
From here on out, there’s plenty of pros and cons, with relatively little in-between. The adventuring is a blend of lively, creative 3D design, neutralised by sluggish and imprecise platforming controls. It comes with all the block-nudging, switch-pushing antics of a Lara Croft Jr., with combat that typically involves blocking melee attacks and waiting for an opening to strike. Kingsley also wields a bow that’s handy for taking down awkward archers and for activating out-the-way switches via an effective first-person aiming system. The dungeons are decent, making for a varied and engaging adventuring experience where you’re never sure what’s around the next corner. However, the controls are excessively heavy, resulting in perilous and frustrating jumps, and timed sequences are awkward to navigate. The fox’s lack of mobility proves a hindrance in all aspects of his journey.
Bosses may look comical, but they can be particularly punishing. Typically, you’ll encounter them at the culmination of a lengthy, energy-sapping dungeon trek. The pressure is on, as lives are limited and there are no save points until after you’ve triumphed. The first few are okay, but as Kingsley progresses, he’s met with significantly more powerful opposition. They’re mega-aggressive and it isn’t always clear how best to exploit their weaknesses. That’s because you’ll be preoccupied trying not to die, trying to evade hugely damaging and unfair area attacks or projectiles. It becomes clear though that the majority of the bosses follow the pattern of a melee phase when you can attack and a flight and/or projectile phase, where you have no choice but to keep on the move. Once you’ve sussed this, things become a little more manageable. Kingsley can only withstand a couple of hits though, so it’s best to locate health replenishments around the periphery of each arena.
Bosses may look comical, but they can be particularly punishing. Typically, you’ll encounter them at the culmination of a lengthy, energy-sapping dungeon trek. The pressure is on, as lives are limited and there are no save points until after you’ve triumphed. The first few are okay, but as Kingsley progresses, he’s met with significantly more powerful opposition. They’re mega-aggressive and it isn’t always clear how best to exploit their weaknesses. That’s because you’ll be preoccupied trying not to die, trying to evade hugely damaging and unfair area attacks or projectiles. It becomes clear though that the majority of the bosses follow the pattern of a melee phase when you can attack and a flight and/or projectile phase, where you have no choice but to keep on the move. Once you’ve sussed this, things become a little more manageable. Kingsley can only withstand a couple of hits though, so it’s best to locate health replenishments around the periphery of each arena.
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It’s far shorter than it first appears, with just four chief dungeons. Once you’ve passed these and their respective bosses, there’s the four dark knights (mercifully, battles tackled individually) before a showdown with Bad Custard. Depending on how quickly you get a handle on the bosses, you’ll likely finish the game in eight to ten hours. The small handful of villages are likeable, but they’re little more than window dressing ultimately. Some players will appreciate the old-school, straightforward nature of KA’s adventuring, but with no shops to visit, no items to buy and nothing in the way of side-missions, both longevity and replay value take a major hit.
Perhaps inevitably, the visuals are up and down as well. Kingsley looks excellent, the rest of the cast less so, appearing garish, lacking shape and detail. Town and Castle interiors shine with cartoon personality and a number of excellent little touches, such a giant ship-in-a-bottle, all manner of heraldic equipment and vases lining the royal hall. Around the edges, there’s some truly oddball British humour, such as a fridge locked in a cell and a shark who’s experiencing his own personal hell after drinking too much coffee. Exteriors and dungeons, typically larger areas, suffer from slowdown and draw attention to the game’s extremely restrictive field of view.
Perhaps inevitably, the visuals are up and down as well. Kingsley looks excellent, the rest of the cast less so, appearing garish, lacking shape and detail. Town and Castle interiors shine with cartoon personality and a number of excellent little touches, such a giant ship-in-a-bottle, all manner of heraldic equipment and vases lining the royal hall. Around the edges, there’s some truly oddball British humour, such as a fridge locked in a cell and a shark who’s experiencing his own personal hell after drinking too much coffee. Exteriors and dungeons, typically larger areas, suffer from slowdown and draw attention to the game’s extremely restrictive field of view.
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The dungeon design is good, aiming to test your platforming acumen. Unfortunately, the controls will test your patience.
The game’s best aspect is its sound, and in particular, the music. Psygnosis opted for traditional fantasy fare with an effective mix of harps, horns and heraldic anthems. It’s not quite Final Fantasy VII, but the tunes cover a broad range of tempos and a few of them, particularly the Castle theme, will have you humming along in no time. Also, Bernard Cribbins delivers the opening narration, which is a nice touch.
Why was Kingsley’s Adventure forgotten so completely? A little over twenty years on from its release, it’s likely the answer to that is the same now as it was then: many PlayStation alternatives distinguish themselves better in the same field. In terms of 3D platformers, take your pick: Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Gex 3D: Enter the Gecko all offer more playable, more enjoyable and lengthier endeavours. If you’re dying for a true Zelda experience on the PlayStation, then The Adventures of Alundra should do the trick. As nineties mascots go, Kingsley isn’t a bad one. His adventure just lacks the cohesive quality of the established big-hitters whilst certain aspects of its design haven’t aged kindly.
Why was Kingsley’s Adventure forgotten so completely? A little over twenty years on from its release, it’s likely the answer to that is the same now as it was then: many PlayStation alternatives distinguish themselves better in the same field. In terms of 3D platformers, take your pick: Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Gex 3D: Enter the Gecko all offer more playable, more enjoyable and lengthier endeavours. If you’re dying for a true Zelda experience on the PlayStation, then The Adventures of Alundra should do the trick. As nineties mascots go, Kingsley isn’t a bad one. His adventure just lacks the cohesive quality of the established big-hitters whilst certain aspects of its design haven’t aged kindly.
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VERDICT
"For every clever touch, a clumsy mistake. For every bit of smart design, a fundamental error. As nineties mascots go, Kingsley isn’t a bad one, but there are plenty of superior alternatives on the PlayStation" OVERALL: 5/10 |
OTHER PLAYSTATION MASCOT PLATFORMERS REVIEWED
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997, PlayStation)
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Spyro the Dragon (1998, PlayStation)
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