The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight® Mystery

I played a lot of the original Sierra games when I was a kid, but never played this one (probably due to the adult themes). My daughter insisted I buy this series because I "don't know all the answers". This is also the first FMV I think I have played outside of 7th Guest, and this was more involved than that. The second game picks up shortly after the end of the first game. I like the story a lot, pretty predictable, but still enjoyable. The actor for Gabrielle is not quite like I pictured him overall after the first game, but that was fine. Grace did pretty well and Von Glower was awesome. There was a lot of waiting around for the scenes to get through (I accidentally clicked through an important one and had no idea what was going on so had to reload) or walking the character back and forth through multiple areas to get through the puzzles...a bit different from just reading the text and increasing the movement speed like in the pixilated point and click games. Overall though, I really enjoyed it.

Granted... the graphics of this 90s FMV game have *decidedly* not aged well. Everything else, though, has aged like the finest of wines, kept in a king's secret cellar. (Sorry. I got a bit carried away after spending so many hours among fairytale kings, charming barons and pseudo-Wagnerian arias). I’m pretty sure you won’t find a story like this in any other video game ever produced, and perhaps in other media, too. So hang in there; endure the grainy videos and the over-the-top acting. Drink your fill of everything Jane Jensen poured into this masterpiece: mystery, murder, real history intertwined with fantasy so subtly you’ll believe every word, conspiracies, beauty, danger, and a final act that I won't spoil, except to say it will BLOW YOUR MIND. Okay, kidding, let me spoil it right here: [spoiler]When else in your life have you experienced a fictional, yet brilliantly composed Wagnerian opera written just for a game? I'm talking about a full performance, with actual opera singers, actors, costumes, and even a libretto. All made for a video game. In the 90s.[/spoiler] It’s still mind-blowing, 30+ years later. P.S. I’ve read everywhere that Baron von Glower is the "true" protagonist and the coolest character, but I maintain that Übergrau is the real MVP here! :D" P.P.S. The store page says it's unsupported for Steam Deck, but it plays totally fine. Just save often, just in case it crashes here and there! *** FOR THIS AND MORE ADVENTURE GAMES My Steam Curator Page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43938467-TheGamingMom/

Total nostalgia trip. I played this game as a teen and was a huge fan of Sierra adventure games. It introduced me to Neuschwanstein Castle (never heard of it back then!), and to this day, visiting it is still on my bucket list. The story of King Ludwig and Richard Wagner stuck with me so much, I even wrote a school play about Wagner once. We didn’t win, but hey—memories! Some graphics look a bit rough on my setup (still working on upgrading my GPU). If anyone has tips to make the visuals less grainy, I’m all ears. Tried messing with the Steam overlay—no luck so far. Still, despite the dated visuals, this game holds up. Such a great trip down memory lane. Also, how did I never notice how fine Baron Von Glower is?! 😂 I was a kid back then… now I totally get it. Tho I might have to compete against Gabe for that spot. HAHAHA!

This is truly an amazing adventure FMV game. creepy, disturbing, and sometimes funny.

It's cheesy and outdated and a lot of fun for this genre.

Classic game lives up to the FMV style. Some things are corny and granted I kinda wish the game's ending was better, it's still a great game. It was patched overall very well and used the GK project nicely. If you've never played a horror/FMV style point n clicker. GK2 is certainly a banger and runs overall great on modern hardware with little to no issues. The finale was a bit buggy and you have to click differently, but beyond that. Great game as always!

I had a blast with this one, jank and all. It's not an especially challenging game, and I wish it didn't end so abruptly, but I greatly enjoyed what I got and any issues are more than made up for with the charming atmosphere and cast. It's a game made of heart, strong artistic vision, and the 90's best CGI wolf technology -- what more could you want? Also, Von Glower is there. You should play this just for him. [spoiler]Have we considered that maybe he was not so bad, and all the people he's killed simply had bad vibes? #truth #wisdom #freehimfromtheoven[/spoiler]

This game is probably the greatest mix of FMV and Point and Click Adventure. It's so very 90's, and I love it

This is peak FMV point and click gaming.

The absolute Stilton of cheesy nineties FMV adventure games.