GWC: The Silver Lining, like many other recent graphic adventure games, is being released in an episodic format. The first of the five episodes, entitled “What is Decreed Must Be”, was just released today (July 10th, 2010). Since each of the episodes can be downloaded for free from the developer’s website, writing a review for this first episode is somewhat tricky.
Phoenix Online Studios, the fan group behind the King's Quest-inspired game The Silver Lining, had announced The Silver Lining Soundtrack: Volume 1 and a new e-card website, just in time for the holidays. The next instalment of the episodic adventure game series isn't far behind; Episode 3: My Only Love Sprung from My Only Hate is set to release in January.
DHGF: "If you like King’s Quest games then it will be worth your time to download and play through. The game plays through smoothly, and the voice acting adds dimension to the characters. It also doesn’t require the most advanced PC requirements and you can probably play it on an older machine."
A.V. Club writes: "A fan-made continuation of the King’s Quest adventure series, which officially went dark in 1998, Silver Lining is the rare case where an average Joe Gamepad won a concession from the legal department of a major studio—and what’s more, the team of enthusiasts known as Phoenix Online did it twice. Over nearly a decade of development, Phoenix faced down a cease-and-desist order from Vivendi Games, and then another from Activision, the Death Star of game companies. After Phoenix finally wrested a license from Activision this June, the game was cleared for public viewing."
