Gabriel Knight: 20th Anniversary Edition hands-on

The characters also move quite awkwardly at this stage, but this is compensated for by the wide range of movements they have for various activities. There are many nice touches like Gabriel putting on his legendary black leather jacket, Grace turning around in her chair to speak to him, Officer Franks taking Gabriel and Mosely’s photo, and Gabriel idly browsing Malia’s study while waiting for her. You see the characters interacting with each object they use, like Gabriel jotting notes in his sketchbook, returning a hanger to the closet after taking a shirt off it, or collecting paperwork from Sergeant Frick. They also turn to look at things that catch their attention or are being discussed, and this impressive animation is continued to the conversation screens as well. Lip sync matches the spoken dialogue, and facial expressions convey emotions like surprise, amusement, irritation, sadness, and in Grace’s case, exasperation, via subtle gestures likes smirks, blinks, frowns and raised eyebrows.

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The music is another high point of the anniversary edition. The soundtrack has been re-mastered by Jensen’s husband Robert Holmes, who also composed the music for the original game as part of Sierra On-line. The theme music is a treat to listen to on repeat play, and there are some great location-specific soundtracks too, like at the Dixieland store, the lake and Jackson Square. There are many subtle sound effects as well, like the rustle of leather when Gabriel puts on his coat, and the clinks of his cup as he makes coffee. The voice-overs are another source of delight, with the all-new cast led by Jason Victor as Gabriel doing full justice to the legacy of stars like Tim Curry, Mark Hamill and Leah Remini who voiced the original. Victor’s delivery of Gabriel’s charismatic Southern drawl is outstanding, and every other voice is also done expertly, with great attention paid to accents, dictions, use of slang and dialects, and intonation of emotions. The narrator enlivens even the most mundane hotspot descriptions with her distinctive voice, and her irrepressible talent for snarky remarks – in particular at Gabriel’s expense – led me to examine every nook and cranny of each scene. As before, however, you do have the option to play with the narration off.

The script retains most of the original dialogues but has been updated to include more detailed conversations, a more contemporary style of speaking, and mild, occasional profanity. Most characters, no matter how grim their personalities or situations, are adept at witty repartees, which keeps the proceedings from getting weighed down by the serious plotlines. Gabriel banters genially with Grace, Mosely and Malia, makes some wildly inappropriate comments, and takes the putdowns from Dr. John and Sergeant Frick in stride.

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The demo does have room for improvement, particularly with the graphics. Some of the backgrounds are hazy and the character sprites stand out sharply against them, while in many locations, speeding up conversations causes jumps in the background animation as well. Sometimes characters pass through walls and other hindrances, some items are missing or mislabeled, and there is a noticeable lag in Gabriel’s response when you direct him to do something. Dialogues sometimes overlap each other, and though the choice to make the background music softer when someone is speaking is a logical one, during lengthy chats the frequent waxing and waning of the music volume is distracting. It remains to be seen how many of these issues make their way into the final version, of course.

Earlier this year, Jensen stated that, “the word for this game is ‘more-ish’”, explaining that the development team’s intention is to make the new edition of the game “even cooler” than the original while retaining all the content that has made it a fan favourite for two decades now. In line with her vision, the most interesting aspect of the remake is how closely it resembles the original despite the brand new graphics, updated script, and totally different interface. One reason is that the new screens are based on the layouts, décor and colours of their earlier counterparts, and another is that the gameplay and the quests are mostly the same as before. But the most important reason is that Jensen and her team have ensured that the essence of the game – the heady combination of the complex, evocative story that explores the sociopolitical milieu of the American south in the mid-1800s as well as the tragic histories of Gabriel’s and Malia’s families over the centuries; the deeply personal emotions and motivations of each character, both overt and latent; the exotic beauty of New Orleans; and the volatile impact of the enigmatic ancient art of voodoo in the modern day – has remained intact.

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But it is not just old wine in a new bottle: the remake succeeds in incorporating enough improvements to refresh it and tune it to the sensibilities of today’s players, to the extent that, despite having played the game several times in the past, I was fully engrossed in the demo and crestfallen when it abruptly ended at the dawn of Day 3. An obvious labour of love, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers – 20th Anniversary Edition looks set to be a real treat not only for those devoted to the original, but also newer players who can now enjoy a genre classic that entwines unforgettable characters and a timeless story of love and hate, good and evil, revenge and forgiveness, with engaging gameplay and solid production quality.