King’s Quest 6 – Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
This game picks up where the last game left off. Prince Alexander journeys to the land of the Green Isles to see Princess Cassima…but not all hoes as planned. Due to a storm, he wrecks his boat (his crew gets back to Daventry, but he is stranded)….but his problems don’t end quite there.
Note: this is the only King’s Quest game that features two endings (they both give you the same result, but you get to choose how to get there). One is classified as the short ending, and the other the long. When we get to that point, I will give both endings, but personally, I always play the long ending, but that’s just because that was how I first learned to play the game and I like it better, but both are good.
Upon opening the game, open the settings and increase all of the sliders again. Now! Onto the gameplay.
Pick the ring up off of the sand on the right, and move the plank on the left to reveal a box. Take the coin. Follow the path up and right (to the castle) Talk to the guards and show them you royal insignia ring.
After leaving the castle, go down and left to the village.
Enter the first shop (pawn) and take a mint from the jar on the left side of the counter. Talk to the shop owner fully. Trade the copper coin and take the mechanical nightingale then leave the shop.
Go next door to the bookshop. Talk to the shop owner fully. Touch the book on the counter to ask about it. Touch the books on the right-most bookcase. Take the loose paper that falls to the floor. Take the book from the table just right of the door and leave.
Go through the archway and go left to the docks. Board the boat and knock on the door. Talk to the man fully and take the rabbits foot then leave.
Return to the pawn shop and trade your royal insignia ring for the magic map, leave the shop, walk down and back up. Search the bin next to the door and get an ink bottle that seams empty.
Go to the beach (either at the docks or where you began) and use the map. Go to Sacred Mountain. Take the black feather and the flower then use the map to go to Wonder.
Talk to the oyster that isn’t asleep then read the boring book to him. When you can, quickly swipe the pearl from his mouth. Try to walk either up or right and five little men will march own (these are the guardians of the island and they equal the give senses). Use an item for each of the senses:
- Nose ~ Flower
- Ears ~ Nightingale
- Tongue ~ Mint
- Hands ~ Rabbits Foot
- Eyes ~ empty Ink Bottle on Alexander.
After they leave, take the slip of paper floating in the water and walk right.
Try to take a book from the pile in the center of the screen. Look at the spiderweb and try to pull the loose thread. Quickly take the paper.
Go left to the swamp and take a milk bottle from the tree and continue left. Go through the yellow and red doors to the chessboard. Try to cross the chessboard and be stopped by the two knights. After this scene, take the red scarf and go down.
Take a head of lettuce and the rotten tomato.
Return to the beach and use the map to go to Beast. Talk to the creature hanging in the tree. Use the partial sentence on him. Go up to the boiling pond and use the lettuce (it’s iceberg!). Cross the water and take the old hunter’s lamp and continue up. Take the brick next to the tree at the right and return to the beach. Use the map to return to Wonder.
Go right and use the creature on the pile of books to trade him for a rare book. Return to the beach.
Use the map and go to Crown and to the pawn shop. Trade the pearl for your royal insignia ring and the nightingale for the flute.
Go next door to the book shop. Talk to the man (Jollo) sitting down and then show him your royal insignia ring. After Jollo leaves, trade the rare riddle book for the magic book. Leave the shop and look at the poster left of the archway.
Go to the shore and use the map to go to Wonder. Walk up and left to the garden. Give the milkbottle to one of the baby’s tears (heads of cabbage at the left). Use the hunters lamp to take the crying tears. Play the flute for the snapdragons and wallflowers. Take the teacup from the chair and the hole-in-a-wall from the stone wall and walk down to the swamp.
Try to scoop up some swampooze from the shoreline with the teacup and the stick will stop you. Talk to Bump-on-a-log and give him the rotten tomato. Stick-in-the-mud will throw swampooze this way, so scoop it off of Bump-on-a-log with the teacup and go to the beach and use the map to go to crown.
Go up to the tree with the nightingale and use your royal insignia ring on the bird, she will in turn bring you Cassima’s hair ribbon. Give the bird the love poem picked up from that book in the bookstore and she’ll bring you a note from Cassima.
Go to the pawn shop and trade the flute for the tinderbox. Go to the beach and use the magic map to go to Sacred Mountain. Now it is time to scale the mountain. SAVE HERE. To look at each etching, you need to click the hand on it. Save often and be careful when you climb the steps.
Cliffs Of Logic
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A S C E N D
Ignore the old woman (like her, all gold-eyed characters in the game are the genie in disguise). After she leaves, go past the berry bush and into the cave. Use the tinderbox on Alexander and walk right to the other cave hole. Enter that one and take a sprig of mint from the window at the right and leave the way you came.
Walk up and interact with the winged ones, there’s not a lot you can do until you’re left in the beginning room of the catacombs. The catacombs consists of two levels, be careful here there are a lot of death rooms (and there are a few things you need for future puzzles). SAVE!
Level 1
Forward – forward – right – right – forward – take the skull – down – left – left – forward – left – SAVE
This room is tricky because you have to step on certain symbols, and in a certain order: rose – rose – rose – scythe – crown – dove – skull. For the directions, I’m going to list them in compass style (N, S, E, W)
N – SW – SW – N – N – NW – SW – S. Now go left to continue on with the catacombs.
Forward – take shield – forward – forward – forward – left – left – take coins – right – right – down – right to the gear room.
Throw the brick into the gear machine and the right door will pop open.
Right – right – forward – right to the trap floor. The floor will give out and Alexander falls. Use the tinderbox on him to light up the room. This completes level 1.
Level 2
Left – left – left – left – left – down – down – right. Use the hole in the wall on the right wall and peek inside.
Walk left – left – left – down – down – right – down – right – right – forward – right – forward – forward to the tapestry room. SAVE!
Touch the tapestry to move it. Walk right. Grab the Red Queen’s scarf from you inventory and approach the minotaur. Use the scarf on him (Toro!)
After all of the cutscenes with the wingedones, and after seeing the oracles, Alexander will be taken to the beach at the base of the mountain. Use the map and you’ll see a new land at the bottom right, Mist. Go to Mist and go left to the little village. Take a lump of coal from the bonfire and the scythe hanging on the left, then go back to the shore and use the map to go to Wonder.
Return to the garden and take the little bottle from the table by the snapdragons and go forward to Chessboardland. Give the coal to the white queen and get a rotten egg in return.
Go to the shore and use the map to go to Beast.
Go to where you got the brick, and use the shield on the right archery statue. Continue forward and pick a white rose. Use the scythe on the hedges and walk through. After the scene, return to the shore and use the map to go to Crown.
Go to the village and go through the archway. Talk to the girl. Give her the white rose and Beast’s ring. You will automatically take her to Beast. After the scene, use the vial from the oracle on the hunter’s lamp and use the lamp in the fountain. Open the spellbook to the Make Rain spell and cast the spell. Leave the gazebo and take another white rose. Go to the shore and use the map to go to Mist.
You will be captured by two druids and taken to the village and strung up over a fire. Nothing to do here but watch the scenes, but after the make rain spell ignites and the rain extinguishes the fire, Alexander is freed and you talk to the archdruid.
In the inventory, touch Cassima’s ribbon to free the loose strand of hair.
Go to the shore and use the map to go to Crown.
Return to Sing-Sing’s tree and give her the white rose.
Here is where the gameplay differs by which path you have chosen to take. I am going to list the long ending first because that’s the route I take. If you choose the short path, skip down to the *~*~*
Long Ending
From Sing-Sing’s tree, go to the pawnshop and trade the tinderbox for the paintbrush. Leave the pawnshop and see the peddler outside of the bookshop. Trade the hunter’s lamp to him for the replica of the genie’s (it’s a molded blue one, second from the right. Go to the shore and with the map go to Mist. Go to the village and at the bonfire, use the skull to take embers. In the inventory, add Cassima’s strand of hair to the skull and the spoiled egg (sulfur) to the skull. Return the shore and use the map to go to Sacred Mountain. Do not walk up to the black horse, cast the spell here! Open the spell book and flip to the Charming A Creature spell and cast it.
Nightmare, the black horse, will take you to it’s homeland, the land of the dead. The first two ghosts you see at the center of the screen are Queen Alaria and King Caliphim, Cassima’s parents. Talk to them and Alaria will give you her ticket.
Walk right and talk to the sad spirit before continuing along the path. Stop where you see the skeletons and play the bones on the right. The skeletons will dance and one will drop a skeleton key, pick it up and show your ticket to the armored guard in the middle of the screen..
Walk right to the fallen warrior and look at him. Take the black gauntlet (glove) and continue along the path. At the boat, use the teacup on the water and give the coins to Charon.
Walk along the path to a gate with no handle, reach out to it and when it changes to a face, talk to it. The gate will give you a riddle, select L O V E.
Talk to Death and use Beast’s mirror on him.
Back on Crown, if you have not yetgo to the castle, but take the path that goes around the left side of the building to the blank wall. In the inventory, us the black feather on the teacup, then use the paintbrush on the teacup and Alexander will draw a door. Cast the Magic Paint spell. SAVE.
Enter the middle room on the right and approach the cot. Talk to the little boy ghost and give him the handkerchief. Leave the room and walk right. Go to the door on the rightside of this hallway and enter, this is Jollo’s room. Talk to him and give him the replica lamp (yay! it’s the right one). After Jollo leaves, leave and go forward and around the left corner. Go to the suit of armor and pull the bent arm (the right arm of a suit) and enter the passage. Look through the hole in the right wall. (To spy on the guards). Go upstairs and look in the hole in this right wall and see Cassima! Give her the dagger after the scene and back away. Go left to the hole in the left wall and spy on Alhazred. Continue down the hall and around the corner. Save. At the end of the corridor, touch the left wall to enter Alhazred’s room through his wardrobe.
Click the endtable next to the fireplace and read the notes. Use the skeleton key to unlock the trunk behind you and take the papers. Leave the way you came and return to the north hall (where the suit of armor is). SAVE.
Walk left and go to the left door. Talk to the door and select A L I Z E B U. Enter the room and remove the drape from the table and look at everything. Leave and go up the stairs and to the double doors. When Captain Saladin inquires, give him the paper stolen from Alhazred’s room.
In the throne room, talk to Cassima. When Alhazred runs, chase after him to the tower. After Jollo gives you the genie’s bottle, use the bottle on the genie.
Take the sword from the wall and watch the ending scenes!
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Short Ending
Instead of doing all of the spells and going to the land of the dead, go to the pawn shop and get the nightingale again.
Go to the castle and into the little hut just outside of the castle, and change into Beauty’s clothes. Then enter the castle.
Go up the left stairs and watch the scene between the guards. When their backs are to you for a second time, use the nightingale on the floor and hide behind the pillar.
Look at the portrait and touch it. Take the nail.
Go to the door across from the alcove and go inside. This is Alhazred’s room. Pick the lock of the trunk with the nail and take the papers. Leave out the door.
Go forward and right and talk to the door (This is where Cassima is!). Give her the dagger and return to the alcove. Replace the portrait and hide behind the pillar.
Walk down and right to the mainhall and go to the double doors. When Captain Saladin inquires, give him Alhazred’s papers. Captain Saladin and Alexander will go into the throne room. Use Beast’s mirror on “Cassima” to reveal this is a fake Cassima (it’s really the genie).
Alhazred will flee up the stairs to the tower, follow him. When the genie starts his spell, use the sprig of mint on him. Take the sword off the wall and watch the ending scenes!