King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride - Gameplay

Gameplay

KQVII is very different from other King's Quest games in terms of structure. The action is separated into six chapters, each set primarily in a different region of Eldritch. The player alternates between Valanice and Rosella with each chapter. The two heroines travel through some of the same places during the course of the game, finally meeting up again in the end. Aside from the multi-chapter layout, the most significant change in game structure was the introduction of the "smart" pointer. When playing the game, the pointer lights up when passed over an object that can be used. Players can get or use objects and talk to characters by directly clicking on them, whereas previous games required the player to select an action icon and then clicking on the environment, without indicating which parts of the game could be interacted with.

Although less linear than earlier King's Quest games, KQVII does not include as many different endings or optional tasks and plot threads as KQVI. Some puzzles do have multiple solutions, and there are two possible endings—one happy and one sad—depending on whether Rosella manages to rescue her love interest Edgar (introduced in King's Quest IV) at the very end of the game. Sierra marketed the game as an improvement in the series by stating that completion of earlier King's Quest adventures was not necessary to fully enjoy the game even though a character from a previous game was reintroduced in the final chapter, leaving players who did not complete that earlier adventure confused as to his relationship with Rosella (though both endings quickly sum up the events of KQIV to explain how they met).

One of the game's highlights was its graphics; King's Quest VII had very elaborate and colorful graphics for the time with painted backgrounds and animation techniques. Also included was areas that pan from one side to the other, rather than going from screen to screen.