Queen's Tales: Sins of the Past Collector's Edition

[h1]Short version: 73%[/h1] Thanks to its wonderful scenery and gameplay elements, playing Queen’s Tales 2 is an incredible experience for any hidden object gamer… as long as you are okay with the hilariously clichéd, weak plot. [h1]Long version:[/h1] Princess protagonist, check. Kidnapped relative, check. Magic-wielding foe, check. Fairy tale castle, enchanted forest, and cursed cave, check. Queen’s Tales 2: Sins of the Past hits every single target on the old hidden object cliché card, except one: at least the antagonist has an actual motivation instead of chasing a mystical McGuffin. The the developers' credit, the voice acting and the dialogues are remarkably enjoyable and there is even a time travel aspect to spice up things—however, you will still need an electron microscope to measure the thickness of the plot. Thankfully, the gameplay is stellar. Disregarding the bonus chapter, all hidden object scenes are unique, the puzzles try to bring as much variety as their modest number and the game engine allows, and even the traditional adventure game elements try to limit themselves to predictable moon logic. Combine these with the wonderful graphical style and a comfortable difficulty, and you get a fun HOG that will always sit comfortably in the library of any fan of the genre.

Another enjoyable hidden object puzzle adventure game! This is the second in the Queen's Tales series, and the heroine is persevering and loyal, as well as brave about everything except spiders. Spiders seem to get a bad rep in these games! Pros: - Nice art and overall visuals - Nice music - Okay story, though I found it less interesting than the first one - there were moments of humour, though, which I always appreciate - The in-game achievements and collectibles are nice. - Has most of the usual helpful aids, including a map that let's you move between places. Cons - There is a bit of a sense of running around a couple of times - Not every instruction is perfectly obvious, so you end up really having to figure out what you missed - In a *very few* places, it feels like you have to click more than once for the game to register that you really did select the correct dialogue item. - Honestly, there weren't a lot of cons other than a slightly weak story. I recommended getting both games in the set, they're worth the price.

Recommend Pros .Satisfactory story .Pretty artwork/graphics/scenes .Solid voice acting .Four difficulty levels, including custom .Mini-map with fast travel .Completed areas check-marked on map .Lockable toolbar .Interactive elements .Simple to moderately intricate adventure play .Various types of unique hidden object scenes .Reuse of hidden object scenes was well done .Easy to challenging mini-puzzles .Bonus chapter .Average length Cons .The music is mainly background noise and fails to add anything .Repetitive sounds detract/annoy in a few instances (ie rat in the lab) .Took a few clicks sometimes to get something to register .No indication when objects in correct position for possible use .One of the puzzles required 'golden objects' but only certain golden objects were correct and nothing indicated which ones Final thoughts (7/10): The unique hidden object scenes and challenging mini-puzzles raise this from an okay game to a good game.