The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery (Video Game 1996)

Shortly after moving to Rittersburg to take over duties as the lone "Schattenjager", Gabriel Knight is called by the townsfolk to investigate the killing of a child believed to be caused by... See full summary »

Director:

Will Binder

Writer:

Jane Jensen

Stars:

Dean Erickson, Joanne Takahashi, Russell Mitchell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dean Erickson	...	Gabriel Knight
Joanne Takahashi	...	Grace Nakimura
Russell Mitchell	...	Ludwig II
Peter J. Lucas	...	Baron Friedrich Von Glower
Richard Raynesford	...	Baron Garr Von Zell
Wolf Muser	...	Doktor Klingmann
Clabe Hartley	...	Preiss
Clement von Franckenstein	...	Von Aigner
Edmund L. Shaff	...	Hennemann
Andrea Helene	...	Gerde (as Andrea Martin)
Kay E. Kuter	...	Werner Huber
Nicholas Worth	...	Kriminal-Kommissar Leber
Fredrich Solms	...	Harald Übergrau
Etan Boritzer	...	Xaver
Judith Drake	...	Mrs. Smith

Storyline

Shortly after moving to Rittersburg to take over duties as the lone "Schattenjager", Gabriel Knight is called by the townsfolk to investigate the killing of a child believed to be caused by a werewolf. While Gabriel is away on the case, Grace Nakimura leaves New Orleans for Rittersburgh to conduct research and keep an eye on him. Grace soon learns that Gabriel's case goes back centuries and involves King Ludwig II. Meanwhile, Gabriel's investigation leads him to a small private hunting club, where he believes the culprit may be hiding. The two are pulled deeper into the horrific events, leading Grace out to stop the unrelenting nightmare and Gabriel in a fight for his very own soul.

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Plot Keywords:

werewolf | germany | hunt | nightmare | hunting | 

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Genres:

Horror | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sierra On-Line

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although all the in-game video sequences were shot in front of a blue screen and none of the actors actually went to Germany, the German game package still had a sticker on it, saying: "Exclusively filmed in Germany!" to attract more buyers.

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Goofs

When Gabriel asks his lawyer about the "Koeniglich Bayrische Hofjagdloge" his pronunciation is so bad that not even German native speakers could understand a single word of it. However Gabriel's lawyer does, although he admits he never heard that term before.

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Quotes

[Introduction: Schloss Ritter, Rittersberg, Germany. Gabriel Knight has inherited Schloss Ritter, and now is in his study, typing]
Gabriel Knight: Out falls... Hrrummpph!
[Gabriel pats on his forehead in frustration. He hears a knock on the door]
Gabriel Knight: Come in.
Gerde: [enters, her voice trembling] Herr Knight... there are some people here to see you.
Gabriel Knight: Me?
Gerde: Ya. If you please come?
Gabriel Knight: What's goin' on? You've been acting strange all day.
Gerde: Please, just come. And don't forget your talisman. You must wear it always.
Gabriel Knight: [...]

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Connections

Followed by Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned (1999)

User Reviews

Magnificent: Gets better as the story progresses

I'll admit...when I first saw the opening movie with Dean Erickson behind the typewriter, I chuckled to myself and thought "who the hell is this joker?" Indeed, as the game began, Erickson did little to change this sentiment. But then something happened: he got better and better as the game went on. Don't get me wrong, he's not exactly the same Gabe that was written for Tim Curry, but Erickson has a personality all his own. In the hunting lodge, Erickson reaches the apex of his character. He just seemed so cool and natural, a regular guy (albeit a schattenjager) caught up in an extremely horrendous situation.

But the rest of the acting is also superb. I've played a few FMV games and they were TERRIBLE. God, even the one with Christopher Walken was a disaster. But this game, filled with unknowns, delivers the best acting that I have ever seen in a video game. Kudos to all involved.

The oscar goes to: Peter Lucas. A 200 year old werewolf with homo-erotic tendencies. This guy was great. Funny, charming, likeable, and very cool. You never know exactly what he's thinking.

Also, the girl that played Grace was excellent, which is good because you control her for half the game. In fact, nobody really stunk. Wait a minute, this is a game we're talking about right?

Oh yeah. Great story, great puzzles, great sound/music/video/everything. Jane Jensen is GOD.