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+--- Thread: Musings About Kyrandia (/showthread.php?tid=350)
Musings About Kyrandia - Legerdemancy - 10-26-2025
In the third game of the series, the protagonist Malcolm is influenced by his metaphysical advisors, the stereotypical angel and devil on the shoulders. Stewart is a softly spoken goody two-shoes, whereas Gunther is the brash and obnoxious bully. All three of those characters have distinctive voices which sound nothing alike. Surprisingly, Eric Randall voiced Malcolm, Stewart and Gunther!
I feel that this ties in so nicely into the narrative, from both a spiritual perspective and a psychology angle. Stewart and Gunther don't actually exist, it's just simply Malcolm making life decisions for himself of his own accord.
Do you feel that this was done with intent and purpose by Westwood Studios? Or do you reckon it’s just a fun little coincidence?
RE: Musings About Kyrandia - BobVP - 10-26-2025
I love these games, even the arguably stunted Fables and Fiends: The Legend of Kyrandia, Book One.
Parking that one for now.
The third game is a good twist on the earlier games. I didn't know the voice actor was the same for all three voices! That's a feat in and of itself. And it does work on different levels, very cool indeed.
Whether it was intentional: it might have been due to something unrelated, but they made it work. I wonder if other people heard these voices as variations of the same character. Or if they picked up on similarities later on in the game.
Malcom's backstory and his role in the world make sense to me. He plays along with the absurdity, he can have fun with it. Malcolm can't help stepping on toes, making him a perfect scapegoat when things go bad. But he was also there to keep power in check; in his absence we got King Brandon.
RE: Musings About Kyrandia - Legerdemancy - 10-27-2025
(10-26-2025, 07:57 PM)BobVP Wrote: But he was also there to keep power in check; in his absence we got King Brandon.
My favourite scene in the game is where Malcolm gets nabbed at the Castle Gate before being hauled off to jail. There is so much lore to unpack in this condensed moment alone.
Kallak:
“You have brought Kyrandia enough pain.”
King Brandon:
“Once you are paroled, you must leave Kyrandia.”
Kallak:
“Don’t ever return or we’ll...”
“or we’ll...”
“... do the same thing again.”
Those stuttered words betray so much of how Kallak is really feeling on the inside. The judiciary of Kyrandia is flawed to say the least, and this sudden realisation has finally caught up with him.
Even if they wanted to offer Malcolm a fair and balanced trial, Kyrandia is not equipped to provide adequate rehabilitation. The punishments are outlandish but clearly not enough to deter Malcolm from being a nuisance.
There is an incredible amount of replay value in this arrest scene. You only get to use a maximum of three mouse clicks before being sent to jail. You can plead your case to King Brandon, Kallak or Constable Herman. The optional dialogue variations get expanded even more depending on whether you have the gauge set to nice, normal or lying mode.
Overall, I found this part of the game seamlessly conveyed humorous lines, quality voice acting and elements of societal criticism, all in the space of a few minutes. I’d be interested to hear interpretations from members of the forum.