Yes. GK3 has the luggage of 90's 3D. It looks hideous, the backgrounds are hilariously low-res and the character sprites has like 5 polygons? The 3D nature do let you play the game in widescreen with high resolution, but the textures and sprites still bogs it down. There is a fan-made patch to improve the texture resolution, but yes. It looks bad.
But design-wise, I find GK3 really innovative. Controlling the camera rather than the characters themselves is a brilliant idea. You can look under a desk, into a small corner or whatever without waiting for your avatar to lug over there. You can pan, tilt or turn as you want, and really immerse yourself in the game-world.
And the story is Jane Jensen at her *peak*. She told the story of "The DaVincy Code" six years before Dan Brown crashed the party, and the game really let's you take in and breathe the atmosphere of Rennes-le-Château (As far as 90's tech could allow) in a way a novel couldn't. Legacy characters like Mosely and Grace effortlessly pushes the narrative forward, and the supporting cast is both diverse and interesting. You can gather finger prints and license plates, overhear conversation using a drinking glass, etc to access additional story elements.
The puzzles are mostly interesting. Yes. The cat-hair mustache is really dumb, but not worse than other Sierra or even LucasArt games at the time. And this is a weird anomaly even in this game. Grace's arcs has information-based logic puzzles, and Gabriel's arcs has down-to-earth practical puzzles. I find them both to be very enjoyable, far superior to the second game which made you cry in agony whenever you entered a Grace segment which was inevitably another information dump.
So why is this game so hated? I think this game is up there with GK1.
But design-wise, I find GK3 really innovative. Controlling the camera rather than the characters themselves is a brilliant idea. You can look under a desk, into a small corner or whatever without waiting for your avatar to lug over there. You can pan, tilt or turn as you want, and really immerse yourself in the game-world.
And the story is Jane Jensen at her *peak*. She told the story of "The DaVincy Code" six years before Dan Brown crashed the party, and the game really let's you take in and breathe the atmosphere of Rennes-le-Château (As far as 90's tech could allow) in a way a novel couldn't. Legacy characters like Mosely and Grace effortlessly pushes the narrative forward, and the supporting cast is both diverse and interesting. You can gather finger prints and license plates, overhear conversation using a drinking glass, etc to access additional story elements.
The puzzles are mostly interesting. Yes. The cat-hair mustache is really dumb, but not worse than other Sierra or even LucasArt games at the time. And this is a weird anomaly even in this game. Grace's arcs has information-based logic puzzles, and Gabriel's arcs has down-to-earth practical puzzles. I find them both to be very enjoyable, far superior to the second game which made you cry in agony whenever you entered a Grace segment which was inevitably another information dump.
So why is this game so hated? I think this game is up there with GK1.
Not sure it has ever been hated. It is a shame it didn't sell well. They were forced into the 3D thing with little experience, had to build their own engine.
It has one of the best designed puzzles in gaming (Le Serpent Rouge) as well as one of the most infamous in the moustache puzzle.
I loved it. Once I got used to the controls.
It has one of the best designed puzzles in gaming (Le Serpent Rouge) as well as one of the most infamous in the moustache puzzle.
I loved it. Once I got used to the controls.
An adventure game is nothing more than a good story set with engaging puzzles that fit seamlessly in with the story and the characters, and looks and sounds beautiful.
Old Man Murray did the game dirty, even though he wasn't wrong at how utterly video game-y the mustache puzzle was. In some ways, that essay did the same kind of damage to GK3's reputation than the Angry Video Game Nerd did to Castlevania II.
I think the game absolutely deserves a deeper look, so that it can be fairly judged on it's own merits (or demerits).
I think the game absolutely deserves a deeper look, so that it can be fairly judged on it's own merits (or demerits).
Honestly, love the story in GK3! The gameplay is very unique, and having the full control of the camera is quite interesting, though I do think it's under-utilized. And a lot of the puzzles are just really good, in my opinion! 
I think a lot of people just couldn't handle the freeroam camera system. People tend to prefer sticking to a single way of controlling, something which still reigns true to this day. So when something plays very outside of the norm, it's automatically considered "bad".
The main problem with the cat hair moustache as I see it though, is the part where you're making a disguise that doesn't look like the person you're trying to impersonate. And as far as I know, there's no proper hint to the leap of logic required to solve that. But it really is a trifle that's been blown up over the years.
GK3 is an amazing adventure game, with one of the best stories in the genre, in my opinion!
I think a lot of people just couldn't handle the freeroam camera system. People tend to prefer sticking to a single way of controlling, something which still reigns true to this day. So when something plays very outside of the norm, it's automatically considered "bad".
The main problem with the cat hair moustache as I see it though, is the part where you're making a disguise that doesn't look like the person you're trying to impersonate. And as far as I know, there's no proper hint to the leap of logic required to solve that. But it really is a trifle that's been blown up over the years.
GK3 is an amazing adventure game, with one of the best stories in the genre, in my opinion!
I'm thinking of writing a blog style article making a case for GK3. It's not pretty but dang does it score high on the story.
Some day I'm going to do a full GK series retrospective and it'll be weird because, while I've played GK1 and GK2 more times than I can count, I've never played beyond the first area of GK3.
Okay.. "hated" is a hyperbole on my part. Utterly disregarded would be more appropriate.
But woah.. A SQH video on GK3. I would love that! I've been following your channel for years! And Joshua's article to boot? Maybe this game will finally get the attention it deserves.
But woah.. A SQH video on GK3. I would love that! I've been following your channel for years! And Joshua's article to boot? Maybe this game will finally get the attention it deserves.
The visuals are part of the brilliance of a game. In the case of GK3 it was a mismatch. They were a couple years too soon with their ambitions to render it in realtime 3D.
The story is the selling point of the game. And even with its now ancient graphics it has a gentle southern France vacation atmosphere. If they would remaster the games graphics, it would finally fulfill its potential. Seeing as how Microids can spit out remasters of their old games at a fast rate (Amerzone, Syberia) I wonder if it is now possible to update GK3’s graphics on a more modest budget. Maybe it will reach a bigger audience that way with a possible reappraisal as result.
The story is the selling point of the game. And even with its now ancient graphics it has a gentle southern France vacation atmosphere. If they would remaster the games graphics, it would finally fulfill its potential. Seeing as how Microids can spit out remasters of their old games at a fast rate (Amerzone, Syberia) I wonder if it is now possible to update GK3’s graphics on a more modest budget. Maybe it will reach a bigger audience that way with a possible reappraisal as result.
"Run, you pigeons. It's Robert Frost"
Gabriel Knight 3 is very unique game. Of course its biggest problem is 3D, it was in times of beginning with transition to 3D and especially this first games are not so beautiful now (and also were not so beautiful in comparison with hand drawn or FMV in that time). Of course absolutely amazing is story, puzzles and everything around. I think in terms of storytelling is one of the best pieces on world for me. Also like was mentioned here, it has very unique controlling with free camera movement, when character is moving only when you click somewhere. I had big problems to understand it from beginning, but more and more I was playing, I have found how unique this mechanic is and I am surprised it was never used in any later adventure game.