Maybe the expansive and challenging first chapter spoiled me, but the second installment in the revived King’s Quest series from The Odd Gentlemen left me cold. Rubble Without a Cause, the follow-up to last summer’s fantastic A Knight to Remember, provides three or four hours of gameplay, and routine quests that act as gears to crank the plot forward. You do get more of the same beautiful visuals and quality voice acting headlined by Christopher Lloyd, but also an oddly cruel storyline that feels out of place for the series.

That said, Rubble Without a Cause sure can be charming. This chapter continues with the saccharine Saturday-morning-cartoon vibe that made its predecessor so compelling, with broadly drawn characters reminiscent of something that a TV network might have aired in the 1980s when the original King’s Quest games got their start. As with the first chapter in this planned five-part saga, these new tales–recounted by an elderly King Gra…