...and how the bookstore looks now in the Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary version. It's not just a graphic overhaul; the actual setting has changed.
Image Credit: Phoenix Online Studio
The 20th Anniversary edition of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers comes out early this fall for PC, Mac, and iOS. It’s been completely rebuilt on the Unity Engine, with an updated soundtrack, new dialogue, extras sprinkled throughout, and the return of material that previously didn’t show up until the sequels.
The original Gabriel Knight was a pioneer in its day, a dark point-and-click mystery adventure with supernatural themes.
Jane Jensen and Robert Holmes, who helmed the original, are back for the anniversary edition, developed by their own Pinkerton Road Studio and published by Phoenix Online. (Be sure to check out our interview with Jane Jensen about the difference 20 years can make.)
Click through our gallery to see what’s changed — and what remains delightfully the same — in the new version, releasing two decades later.
The character of the original painted-graphic intro movie remains the same in the 20th Anniversary edition.
As do the credit screens, still in their ragged retro glory.
But you can see the difference, starting with this menu screen. Here’s the original …
… and here’s the new menu from the 20th Anniversary version, showing off the graphic changes you’ll see throughout.
The introduction to the first chapter as it appeared in the original Gabriel Knight …
… and the start of Day 1 in the 20th Anniversary edition Gabriel Knight. In places where important drama begins, the graphic style often remains the same.
For instance, the opening screen of the New Orleans’ French Quarter, seen here from the original game …
… appears in more visually appealing version in the 20th Anniversary.
The map of the city remains much as it did in the beginning — just prettier and a whole lot easier to read.
Major settings have changed, however. Here’s how Gabriel Knight’s St. George’s bookstore looked in the original game …
…and how the bookstore looks now in the Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary version. It’s not just a graphic overhaul; the actual setting has changed.
Gabriel Knight interview screens (the 20th Anniversary version is shown here) look similar to the originals, but the dialogue has been dramatically cut back, and the characters’ looks —including Gabriel himself — have changed considerably. He used to be a short-haired clone of Conan O’Brien.
The super-bright color tones of the original have been toned down. Here you can see a chapel from the original Gabriel Knight …
… and the same chapel from the Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary version, with more detail and richer tones.
The Louisiana bayou from the original Gabriel Knight (it’s set in New Orleans) …
… and the 20th Anniversary version of the bayou in Gabriel Knight. Note the lighting effects that now appear throughout the remastered version.
The town square as it appeared in the original Gabriel Knight…
… and the town square from the 20th Anniversary Gabriel Knight. Hello, shadows.
Because the environments were redone at such higher resolution in the new game, they give the impression of much more depth. Take this depiction of the cemetery from the original Gabriel Knight …
… and the same St. Louis cemetery from the 20th Anniversary edition of Gabriel Knight. The detail makes it seem like a real place, with other structures besides just the one you’re looking at.
Some scenes now broaden out to give a better feel of New Orleans. This is an image of a building from the original Gabriel Knight …
… and here’s the street scene from the new 20th Anniversary edition of Gabriel Knight. The street gives much more of a feel of New Orleans and the depth of the place.
The characteristic photo montage presentation of characters during transitions from the original Gabriel Knight remains in the 20th Anniversary version — this montage of Gabriel’s love interest, Malia Gedde, is from the new edition.
The overall change makes the new Gabriel Knight feel even moodier than the original. Here’s a crime scene from the original …
… and a crime scene from the 20th Anniversary edition of Gabriel Knight. Note the moody lighting, the way it highlights the blood on the ground. This version of the game suggests more than it shows, based on our two-chapter preview.
