Part 27: Beast Within 6: Gabriel Knight 2 - The Wrath of Grace

Part Six: Gabriel Knight 2 - The Wrath of Grace

So, now that we have our fancy-schmancy homemade pawprint, I guess we should go show Michael the Lab Geek it, huh? Well, first we need to explore a new mechanic this game introduces: Tape Splicing!


So what we need to do is take a tape of someone else we’ve talked to, in this case Herr Doktor Klingmann, put it in side A, and put a blank tape in the other side of the recorder. From this point, we can pull certain words and phrases from the conversation.


What words and phrases?


That done, let’s go back to the University.


Michael looks at it, starts flipping through a book, and says it’s a wolf…a very big wolf, weighing around 68-70kgs. (About double what the average wolf weighs.) Michael grants that a hybrid might get as big, but can’t say for sure. Ok, back to the zoo.


Luckily, the good Herr Doktor is absent. Let’s do a little snooping first.


But we find nothing. So we use the spliced tape on Klingmann’s walkie-talkie to get Thomas in place.


Thomas looks confused, but doesn’t question all the loud clicking sounds that the tape recorder makes as we use it. Or, you know, the fact that his German boss at this German zoo is talking to his German employee in fucking English. Goddamn it. :uggh:


On the way out, we rifle Klingmann’s coat and get a piece of paper.


Back out at the wolf pen, Thomas shows Gabriel a “special treat” of his that makes the wolves come to him.


This one is having none of his bullshit however, and takes quite a bit of coaxing to come to the pair.


Once there, we can see the tag that all the wolves wear, and Gabriel actually squats down to pet the animal, in the process helping himself to some shed fur. Thomas nearly has a coronary at this, but an even bigger one when one of the other wolves starts to growl at them.


So naturally they do what you should do with an animal that can smell fear, and run like girls. Gabriel, at least this Gabriel, I can understand acting like an idiot, but this dummkopf should know better. Anyway, with another task done, I think we need to visit Michael one last time.


Michael immediately pegs this as wolf hair, and gives us a summary of his findings. Nice guy. Ok, let’s actually take a look at that paper we stole from Klingmann.


Gabriel figures out that it’s a receipt, but can’t make out the backwards writing on the back. Luckily, there’s a mirror back at the Huber farm.


Well, Gabriel’s German sucks so maybe we better take this back to our volunteer translator. Ubergrau identifies the paper as a hunting license, and the text on the back points towards the Royal Bavarian Hunting Lodge, which also happens to be in the same area, back up the road near the post office.


So apparently this Hunting Club is harder to get in than certain golf courses. You have to be able to prove your family heritage is of good German stock before you can join. So we go back to Ubergrau who gives us the Ritter Family Tree. So we take it back to the weaselly door man, who apologizes for being rude earlier, but Gabriel would still have to be invited to join by a member.


GEE I WONDER IF THIS SUSPICIOUS LOOKING GUY COULD BE A VILLAIN??? This fellow introduces himself as Baron Von Glower and offers to sponsor Gabriel’s entry much to the weaselly guy’s frustration. Inside the club we find…


Ah, shit. Cover’s already blown. Herr Doktor and his companion, Baron….something, I can’t catch the name…thank you IMDB, Baron Von Zell…look on suspiciously.


These three fellows are a little more jovial towards Gabriel.


Except this guy, who calls himself Herr Preiss and acts extremely weirdly, shaking Gabriel’s hand and saying “Verry interesting.” Oookay, so this guy’s probably involved too. At any rate, Von Glower offers Gabriel a beer, which infuriates Von Zell.


He slams down his beer stein and storms off muttering in German. Klingmann follows shortly there after, while Preiss excuses himself far more politely. Gabriel then also says he has to leave. Von Glower then gives Gabriel his card and tells him to call on him anytime.


End of Chapter One! Cool! Okay, seeing as I didn’t have a chance to save at all during that segment, let’s get a sneak peek at what’s waiting for us next time!


GRACE!!


Grace’s scenes start with her serving this rather large woman who won’t shut the fuck up about “Blake Backlash” (*groan*), and how in the novel he seduces his assistant…Fujitsu. To say that Grace is not fucking impressed is a goddamned understatement. The customer asks if she might be able to meet Gabriel.

“I wouldn’t if I were you. He’s awfully shy. It’s his face. There was an accident. A terrible accident.”

Going out on a limb here, after only a little bit of time with her, I feel that this version of Grace is equal to or superior to Leah Remini’s version. She gets Gabriel’s letter, and after reading how Gerde is working as Gabriel’s assistant at present, Grace wastes no time in calling Bon Voyage Travel (an admittedly clever bit of continuity to the first game), and books a flight to Germany.


Grace is pissed She bangs on the door repeatedly to get Gerde’s attention, and I cannot stress enough that the video makes this feel more and more that a full scale bitch fight is about to break out. Grace demands to see Gabriel, and is angry that he’s not there, deciding to stay at Schloss Ritter for the time being.

NEXT TIME: Grace becomes a playable character!!