So I've been up until 6:30 AM playing a new freeware point and click adventure game that was released called Heroine's Quest.
The "freeware" part actually surprised me because I was under the impression it was one of those games that you would have to pay for, but no, they released it free.
You're a hero, traveling to the snowy north, when an avalanche nearly kills you. The people of the nearby city rescue you, and nurse you back to health. However, there's currently a food shortage and... you're starving, your supplies were stolen by a creature, and you've gotta get food.
Right off the bat, the three different classes have three different methods of finding their food.
Warrior - Grab a spear, go out, and spear up a boar, slice its meat off, and cook it using your knowledge of animals (Animal Ken, as it's called).
Sorceress - Search for edible roots, using your Herbalism skill.
Rogue - Play off of the local chivalrous chauvinist's heart and get him to give you some of his precious rations using your Fast Talk skill.
To say that this series is immersed in Norse mythology would be like saying a fish is immersed in water. You are basically preventing Ragnarok from happening because of the rebellious Jotun, and the three Norns are there to pretty much guide you to your fate, whatever it is.
Even the character classes draw from Norse mythology. The Warrior follows the path of Thor, the Hammer-Wielder, the Sorceress follows the path of Odin, Rune-master, and the Rogue follows the path of Loki the Lie-Smith.
So far, I'd say it's actually a very, VERY good spiritual spin-off to the Quest for Glory/King's Quest games. There is a tutorial, but it doesn't spoon-feed you the game, either. You gotta figure out how to get food before you starve to death, and the game only offers suggestions. And once you're past that point, you're pretty much past the tutorials.
I've had to put my brain to use on these puzzles. And there were a few times I thought I was encountering a glitch, but I had to step back and go "Okay, no wait..." then did some in-game research and found out why it was happening the way it was happening.
Sidequests are different for each character... but at the same time, you are allowed to hybridize. Want a Warrior with some sorcery? You can do that. Want a Rogue who can understand how animals behave? You can do that, too. A Sorceress with a penchant for thievery? Completely your choice.
Characters are interesting. Lots of strong women around. The smith's wife is a soft-spoken darling who takes care of the adventurer's guild (by which I mean she practically runs it but is too humble to admit it) but when she gets pissed, she can bend steel like it's cardboard.
And then there's the heroine herself. Due to the kinda game this is, she is a generic hero, but that's because she's your avatar. She has a voice, but she only says what you want her to say. Her personality is what you give her through your actions as her.
Also, the game is pretty much chock full of references, humor, and general not-taking-itself-seriously. From getting served "soda" at a tavern (right after an argument about how ID laws don't exist in this time period and how this is supposed to be a family friendly game), to reading all kinds of references to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (in various places no less) to hearing the Zelda "Item Get" Jingle when digging a jewel out of a frozen river.
I'm only at the beginning of chapter 2 for any character and it's already fun. Even the Warrior character is interesting due to getting something unique, "Animal Ken", which I've yet to fully explore. Also she gets to wield a bunch of different weapons. Sword and Shield, Two-Handed Axe, Warhammer... and later, a mystical sword. The Rogue gets dual daggers to wield, and even the Sorceress can do some decent damage smacking enemies around with her magic staff.
Anyways, before I rave TOO much...
http://crystalshard.net/hq.htmHere it is if you wanna check it out. It's done in classic VGA Sierra adventure game style, but its got plenty of differences, enough to make it stand out.
Only real downside is that, due to being a fan game, some of the voice acting will be about as dry as you'd expect a fan game to have.