Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 105 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 73 out of 105
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 105
  3. Negative: 12 out of 105

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  1. Quazatron
    May 21, 2017
    6
    Hello all.
    I will be very clear and objective about this remake of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, so all who read this review can understand exactly what I mean with my words.
    1) In regards of graphics, this remake is amazing, with scenarios full of details, colors and clear passion in each one. Although, 3D models are not as good as I was expecting. In fact, I think that 2D and    Hello all.
    I will be very clear and objective about this remake of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, so all who read this review can understand exactly what I mean with my words.

    1) In regards of graphics, this remake is amazing, with scenarios full of details, colors and clear passion in each one. Although, 3D models are not as good as I was expecting. In fact, I think that 2D and 3D does not combine well.

    2) In regards of musical scores, this remake is also great, in the same line of the original, with new instruments and, again, a lot of passion.

    3) Puzzles and extras are also good and I don't have anything to point out.

    4) But in this remake of GK there is one particular thing that does not surpasses the original and that thing is the interface. This remake's interface is somehow strange, sometimes unresponsive and annoying, especially when we try walking to a certain area of screen and extra options show up undesired.

    5) Animations contribute to increase the atmosphere, but GK's animations react badly. Each time messages are shown on screen, skipping them makes ALL game animations run fast-forward until they reach the start loop point, which is awful, annoying and, most importantly, unacceptable for a new game like this. The original version did not suffer from this and even in 1994 this "strange thing" was also not an acceptable thing!

    In SUMMARY, Gabriel Knight is a decent game, with a great story, excellent graphics but with serious failures that should already be solved before launch date. I understand the passion, dedication and efforts around this project, but if the original did not miss in its aim, this one cannot definitely fail! For all this, and for the great annoyance certain things in the game causes to players, I'd give it just a 6 out of 10. I give it a 6 because I'm a GK admirer and lover, otherwise I'd rate it 5 out of 10.

    PS: I'd change my mind if I saw, in the future, these main problems solved. I can't be totally on the side of user CURUNIR, but I do understand his frustration.    … Expand
  2. SherlockHolmess
    Oct 18, 2014
    7
    The game itself is ok... it is GK after all.
    But somehow i miss the magic in the remake which the original inherited.
    The graphics tbh.. i think they could been better, the backscenes often look very stale and lifeless. Same goes to the characters, they look like moving puppets. The music is good overall, Robert Holmes still has it. The voice acting... well it's not bad i know some of    The game itself is ok... it is GK after all.
    But somehow i miss the magic in the remake which the original inherited.
    The graphics tbh.. i think they could been better, the backscenes often look very stale and lifeless. Same goes to the characters, they look like moving puppets.
    The music is good overall, Robert Holmes still has it. The voice acting... well it's not bad i know some of the actors but most voices do not fit to the person and even if they put effort in it trying to sound like the originals, they just don't
    Overall it is a nice game but i think they could have done much better for the remake.    … Expand
  3. Curunir
    Oct 18, 2014
    7
    The game released in a poor technical state but all the leaks were plugged promptly. The story is the same old classic people love so not much to say about that. Now that the most glaring, immersion-breaking technical issues have been dealt with, I can recommend this as a pretty decent way to relive the original without any DOSBox shenanigans.
  4. Dunge
    Oct 20, 2014
    7
    Review from someone who did not play the old version, but who played tons of point&click. Great game in general.

    The HD remake portion is pretty good. New backgrounds and cutscenes are nicely detailed and the technology work great. 3D models are a bit low-res, but still good. Game length is fair. The story start a bit dull, but near the end it get really interesting. It is also    Review from someone who did not play the old version, but who played tons of point&click. Great game in general.

    The HD remake portion is pretty good. New backgrounds and cutscenes are nicely detailed and the technology work great. 3D models are a bit low-res, but still good.

    Game length is fair. The story start a bit dull, but near the end it get really interesting. It is also pretty evident a female was the writer here based on some sentences.

    I encountered two places where I think it's impossible to think you need to do this without a guide, which is much less than the majority of p&c games, so it's good. I encountered few smalls bugs (Gabriel not pushing the dead professor out of his chair the first time I entered the room, the mummies animation not getting triggered and wondering why I was dead, journal hints stay active even after completion of objective), but it's nothing game breaking.

    Voice acting is the poorest point of this game. The narrator voice is seriously irritating and cringe-worthy. Gabriel was not really nice to hear too. (sorry devs).

    Still a very great game to play for others like me who did not play the original, or for big fans of the original who want to see it again.    … Expand
  5. fluxmulder
    May 27, 2016
    6
    When I heard they were re-releasing this, I thought it would be a straight up remaster; upres the original graphics, improve the sound quality, squash a few bugs, etc. Instead they straight up remade the whole game. I'm not sure this was such a good idea. The original was VERY unique, created by a group of master artists and programmers at the now defunct Sierra. Pinkerton Road are quiteWhen I heard they were re-releasing this, I thought it would be a straight up remaster; upres the original graphics, improve the sound quality, squash a few bugs, etc. Instead they straight up remade the whole game. I'm not sure this was such a good idea. The original was VERY unique, created by a group of master artists and programmers at the now defunct Sierra. Pinkerton Road are quite frankly not up to the challenge. Yes, they may have more cutting edge tools at their disposal, but it's like telling a high school art student to recreate the Mona Lisa. Some of the "improvements", such as streamlining down the UI, feel like concessions made for the casual crowd. Go back and play the original if you want the true authentic experience.… Expand
  6. Thilus
    Oct 31, 2014
    7
    A nice comeback for Gabriel Knight, even though I would much rather like to see a GK4 instead of a remake, especialy that the original GK had this old-school feel that everybody loves (at least everybody who lived in that era). Basicaly it's the same old GK1, but with refurbished graphics, audio and UI. The rest is pretty much the same. Unfortunately the game is bug-riddled. I spent moreA nice comeback for Gabriel Knight, even though I would much rather like to see a GK4 instead of a remake, especialy that the original GK had this old-school feel that everybody loves (at least everybody who lived in that era). Basicaly it's the same old GK1, but with refurbished graphics, audio and UI. The rest is pretty much the same. Unfortunately the game is bug-riddled. I spent more than 10 hours with this game and encountered at least 10 crashes. That gives an average of one crash per hour. Horrendous. Hey, Phoenix Online techs, do something about it!… Expand
  7. Archvile-UT
    Oct 23, 2020
    7
    Отличный квест с большим внимание к деталям и интересным сюжетом. После прохождения очень много узнал о вуду, прямо как небольшую энциклопедию прочитал. Стоит отметить просто шикарнейшую музыку, которая идеально вписывается в историю и играет на атмосферу.
    Идиллию нарушает провисающая как в плане истории, так и в качестве загадок вторая половина игры. До середины сюжетная интрига лихо    Отличный квест с большим внимание к деталям и интересным сюжетом. После прохождения очень много узнал о вуду, прямо как небольшую энциклопедию прочитал. Стоит отметить просто шикарнейшую музыку, которая идеально вписывается в историю и играет на атмосферу.
    Идиллию нарушает провисающая как в плане истории, так и в качестве загадок вторая половина игры. До середины сюжетная интрига лихо закручивается, а вот с середины (когда мы уже приблизительно узнали, что тут собственно происходит), начинается более ровное повествование. В концовке ждешь что расскажут почему все происходило, но разработчики как-то плавно обходят этот вопрос стороной и выдают вполне обычную концовку без изюминки. Но несмотря на это история получилась очень даже.
    PS Всю игру впечатление настырно портили постоянные рандомные зависания, причину которых установить не удалось, но игра определенно недотестирована.    … Expand
  8. bancandrei
    May 21, 2020
    5
    Couldn't get into it because it is old school frustrating and don't have any nostalgia for it. Sorry is good and engaging. Grab it on mobile, you will figure out during the first chapter demo of you like it.
  9. bergcamp101
    Oct 5, 2020
    7
    Very challenging game... Nice plot, nice characters, but puzzles really do it. Can't complain!

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 38 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 38
  3. Negative: 1 out of 38
  1. GameCritics
    Mar 6, 2015
    70
    For players new to the adventure genre, this package offers a great opportunity to play one of the best adventure titles ever made. The compelling crime narrative, intriguing characters, and great puzzles are all there, and an integrated hint system minimizes the need to alt-tab to a walkthrough. It's a shame that this remastered version squanders much of the charm of the original, though—I can't see it converting those cold on the genre, but fans and players interested in adventure gaming's roots would do well to check it out.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Jan 9, 2015
    80
    Sins of the Fathers is possibly the best showcase of the golden era of point’n’click games. [13/2014, p.71]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Dec 3, 2014
    60
    Nicely done remake that shatters the veil of nostalgia and reveals the mistakes of the original. Fortunately remake also brings the story we can't see these days anymore. Must-have for all adventure fans. [Issue#247]
See all critic reviews »