February 24, 2011 - AGD Interactive, an acclaimed developer of classic adventure game remakes, is proud to present King's Quest III Redux: To Heir Is Human after eight years of undercover production. This retold and remastered version of the 1986 Sierra On-Line game can be downloaded free of charge from http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/kq3 for PC and Mac. Today's release brings an end to over a decade of free game production for AGD Interactive, who will now turn their talents to commercial projects.

Unlike the earlier King's Quest games, which starred King Graham of Daventry in the lead role, King's Quest III explores the fate of Gwydion, a slave who was snatched by the cruel wizard Manannan as an infant. Knowing nothing of his origin, Gwydion has been forced into a life of servitude and misery—until now. Using brainpower and a bit of ancient magic, it's up to the player to thwart Manannan, secure Gwydion's escape, and finally discover the truth about the young man's identity.

King's Quest III Redux stays true to Sierra's 1986 classic while improving on elements that detracted from the original experience. Where the original King's Quest III had blocky 16-color EGA graphics and a frustrating text parser, AGD Interactive's remake features hand-painted SVGA graphics and a point and click interface reminiscent of later games in the series. The game has been polished to perfection, with lush storybook-style visuals, professional voice acting with Hollywood actor Robert Adamson in the role of Gwydion, and an original digital soundtrack composed especially for the remake. While the gameplay is largely unchanged, King's Quest III Redux does include a number of original puzzles and puts a new spin on the story.
"We're very excited to finally release this game after developing it in secret for so long," says Chris Warren, who co-founded AGD Interactive as well as its sister company, Himalaya Studios. "We've poured a lot of love into this particular project and I think King's Quest fans will be very pleased at the results, even though reaching the end may be bittersweet. Now we plan to focus on new, original games that retain the same retro charm that made the Sierra games so enduring."

A first look at the group's next endeavor, Mage's Initiation: Reign of the Elements, has been revealed today at http://www.himalayastudios.com/games/mages. Planned for release in late 2012, Mage's Initiation will combine classic adventure puzzles with RPG-style character customization in a format reminiscent of Sierra's famed Quest for Glory series. Additional game details, a mailing list sign-up for production updates, and the unique opportunity to reserve a Limited Edition copy of the game can be found on the Himalaya Studios website. Fans can also follow the game's progress on Twitter: http://twitter.com/himalayastudios

About AGD Interactive
AGD Interactive is a Limited Liability Company dedicated to bringing classic adventure games back to public attention. Company co-founders Britney Brimhall and Chris Warren began developing enhanced King's Quest remakes in 2000, initially under the pseudonyms "Anonymous Game Developers" (AGDs for short). In the decade since, the AGD team has developed several highly acclaimed remakes based on Sierra franchises, under license. Their titles have been downloaded by millions of fans, making AGD Interactive a major contributing factor in putting a dying genre back on the market. To learn more, visit http://www.agdinteractive.com.

About Himalaya Studios
Himalaya Studios is a Limited Liability Company established in 2004 in Arizona, with key staff and independent contractors located throughout the world. The development house is continuing in AGD Interactive's footsteps, forging new paths in adventure game production. Their focus is on designing original, classic-style adventure games that utilize detailed 2D graphics, incorporate inventive puzzles, and feature engaging storylines. To learn more, visit http://www.himalayastudios.com.

Too bad they can't remake King's Quest IV.

Too bad they can't remake King's Quest IV. It's my favorite of the pre-VGA era, and I'd love to see their take on it.