Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers is a 1993 point-and-click adventure game written, designed, and directed by Jane Jensen, and published by Sierra On-Line. It is the first game of the Gabriel Knight series. Sins of the Fathers follows the eponymous Gabriel Knight, owner of a rare book store, and fledgling writer, as he investigates a series of local murders he plans to use as the basis for his new novel
The game begins in Gabriel's store, St. George's Books, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having suffered a recurring nightmare, Gabriel learns from his assistant, Grace, that his friend Mosely has photos for him to help him with his book based on a spate of killings across New Orleans, dubbed the "Voodoo Murders", mostly because the killings have Louisiana Voodoo overtones. During his visit to the police station, Gabriel discovers his friend is attending another similar murder at Lake Pontchartrain. While there, Gabriel and Mosley spot Malia Gedde, an African-American socialite, pull up to the crime scene. Gabriel becomes infatuated with her, and later has Grace determine where she lives, posing as Mosely to meet her.
Gabriel also investigates the voodoo angle of the murders, tracking down more information on a partial pattern, and any snake scales that could be matched with one found at the scene. During his investigations, Gabriel meets a number of individuals connected to the voodoo scene, including a voodoo museum's curator, Dr. John, and a member of a French Creole family. He also meets with a Professor Hartridge at Tulane University, who, upon being shown a reconstruction of the pattern from the crime scene made from additional partials from the other murders, identifies it as a vévé that is used in Voodoo. Hartridge agrees to examine and do more research to discover its origins while Gabriel continues his work.
The plot and atmosphere of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers was largely inspired by the film Angel Heart. Game designer/director Jane Jensen recalled that she was given a great deal of freedom in creating the game's concept: "One of the great things about Sierra was that Ken Williams really believed in the artistic vision. If he gave you the chance to do a game, that was your responsibility. Nobody told you what to do with it. If it didn't sell, then you wouldn't do another game for him, but he would let you have that freedom."
On October 8, 2013, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers 20th Anniversary Edition was announced for the PC and Mac. It was developed by Jane Jensen's new studio Pinkerton Road Studios and released by Phoenix Online Studios on October 15, 2014. The remake includes improved graphics, a remastered soundtrack, and new puzzles and game play.
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