''Kingsley's Adventure'' is an

action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...

video game developed and published by

Psygnosis Psygnosis Limited (known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999) was a British video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984 by Ian Hether ...

exclusively for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

Gameplay

''Kingsley's Adventure'' is an

game in which Kingsley, an orphaned

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, wants to become a True Knight, like his father. The player, as Kingsley, must go to several places through foxholes to collect the weapons that will allow Kingsley to do so, helping people in distress, and defeating enemies and the Dark Knights along the way. Afterwards, the player must defeat the evil Bad Custard, who is responsible for turning other True Knights into the aforementioned Dark Knights. Said weapons are an

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has many for ...

, a

sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

, a

crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fi ...

and a

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

. A

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

can also be used to defend against attacks. The game also features five magic spells. There are fifty characters that the player can interact with.

Story

The story focuses on Kingsley, an orphaned

who is adopted by the King and Queen of the Fruit Kingdom, who live in Carrot Castle. Kingsley's father was a True Knight of the Fruit Kingdom, so his goal is to become a True Knight like his father. Meanwhile, a

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

named Bad Custard is expelled from the Fruit Kingdom for a

food poisoning Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food, as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease) ...

incident and steals the Queen's Book of Magic to plot his revenge and take over the Fruit Kingdom. One by one, the four True Knights of the Fruit Kingdom approached Bad Custard to stop him, but with black magic, he transformed them into his own evil personal Dark Knights. Now Kingsley is the only one who can save the Fruit Kingdom. The game starts with Kingsley being trained by Old Wrinkle, a badger who trained many knights in his time, who sets him into an obstacle course that tests his agility, combat, archery, and ability to solve puzzles. Old Wrinkle then gives Kingsley a dagger that was handed down to every trained apprentice after surpassing a squire. The King sends Kingsley to Sea Town, where Captain Gallagher the Scourge of the Seven Seas takes the town's trading galleon to force them to answer his and his master's (a crocodile-dinosaur hybrid named Rex, formerly Sir William the Frog Knight) demands. After defeating both of them, Kingsley is sent to Poorluck Village, where Snuff the Dragon is eating all of the food (except the spinach, since he hates it) in said place. Besides him, Kingsley must defeat Judas the Minotaur (formerly Sir Rufus the Rabbit Knight), who is holding Snuff's leash. Afterward, Kingsley is sent to Rosary Village to solve a poisonous root beer problem caused by Clarence Darklord Jr., a bat-demon hybrid who was plaguing the Abbey disguised as the so-called Novice Tim. Kingsley also must defeat Oscar the Condor Demon (formerly Sir Gawain the Eagle Knight). Finally, Kingsley is sent to Aphasia to help the Fruit Kingdom's most beloved Sheep Wizard Cornflour regain his coat from a rat named Reggie. When the Wizard puts it back on, he summons a bridge so Kingsley can reach the castle in which Gustav the Bulldog - Polar Bear hybrid (formerly Sir Orson the Bear Knight) is located. After obtaining the items, Kingsley becomes a True Knight. If all of the Dark Knights are defeated and changed back to their True Knight forms, Kingsley will be sent to Skull Island, where Bad Custard is keeping the Book of Magic. The final confrontation shows a battle between honor and greed, resulting in Bad Custard's demise into the boiling cauldron of Bad Magic and Kingsley regaining the Book. After the credits, it is revealed that Kingsley himself was the puppeteer from the introductory puppet show, (hinting that he made it all up to make himself look like a hero) and tells the audience to keep his secret.

Development

''Kingsley's Adventure'' was developed by

. Peter Marshall was programmer for the game, and was joined by Ron Festejo as producer.

Release

''Kingsley's Adventure'' was released for the

in North America on September 28, 1999, and in Europe on October 22 of the same year. Upon release, it generated little attention and went unnoticed.

Reception

''Kingsley's Adventure'' received average or positive reviews from critics. Jeuxvideo.com gave it a 16 out of 20 score. OPM UK described it as "strangely atmospheric" with "smashing cartoon visuals", but criticized it for having "maddening controls".

References

External links

Official website (archive)
*{{moby game, /kingsleys-adventure 1999 video games Fantasy video games Action-adventure games Single-player video games Psygnosis games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation (console)-only games Video games about foxes Video games scored by Alastair Lindsay Video games developed in the United Kingdom