Game 114: Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon (1993) – Introduction

That’s pretty big guarantee! Could I play the game to completion, come to the conclusion that some small detail didn’t satisfy me and get a new game?

What a better way to begin a new year of gaming, but with – not one, but – two Coktel Vision games. Alfred has for a while been playing Ween: The Prophecy, and now I get to continue the saga of Gobliiins
Nothing much seems to have changed in the development team. The creative force behind the game is still Pierre Gelhodes, while Muriel Tramis had only the ephemeral position of project manager for the game. Other people from the team were experienced Coktel Vision workers.

Indeed, when I started the intro of the game, a feeling of familiarity came over me. The music and the graphical style were very familiar from the first game, as were the visual gags and the whole comedic style.

The plot of the game, as described by the manual, begins with a familiar note: king has become berserk!

I just love the look on the king’s face

This time, it’s not a voodoo doll that’s behind it, but a demon Amoniak, who has stolen king’s only son, because king Angoulafre defeated him in a battle fifty years ago. King asks the assistance of Modemus, the magician, who then sends the two heroes of the game to a village near a castle that the evil demon has conquered.

I mentioned there are two heroes, which is also reflected in the number of Is in the title of the game. The three heroes of the first game had their own distinct abilities – we had a magician, a strongman and a handyman. Here, the two characters – Fingus and Winkle – don’t have different abilities, but different attitudes, one being straight man, the other a trickster. I don’t yet understand how that will work puzzlewise, but it sounds interesting.

I gave the first game of the series the score of 48. I enjoyed the humour, but the game also had its flaws, which were mainly due to cumbersome interface choices, such as an energy meter, sections limited to one screen and a lack of a proper save feature. I won’t yet go into the interface of this game, but the manual appears to promise that some of these flaws have been fixed. Furthermore, judging by the intro, the comedic elements still manage to put a smile on my face. Take that into account as you wish, when you guess the score of this game. Personally, I am already a bit excited.

Note Regarding Spoilers and Companion Assist Points: There’s a set of rules regarding spoilers and companion assist points. Please read it here before making any comments that could be considered a spoiler in any way. The short of it is that no CAPs will be given for hints or spoilers given in advance of me requiring one. As this is an introduction post, it’s an opportunity for readers to bet 10 CAPs (only if they already have them) that I won’t be able to solve a puzzle without putting in an official Request for Assistance: remember to use ROT13 for betting. If you get it right, you will be rewarded with 50 CAPs in return. It’s also your chance to predict what the final rating will be for the game. Voters can predict whatever score they want, regardless of whether someone else has already chosen it. All correct (or nearest) votes will go into a draw.