Queen’s Quest 2: Stories of Forgotten Past

Developer: Brave Giant LTD | Publisher: Artifex Mundi | Release Date: 2017 | Genre: Adventure / Casual / Hidden Object | Website: Official Website | Purchase: Steam

Despite the title, Queens Quest 2 doesn’t actually cast you in the role of a royal heiress like the first game did. Instead, you step into the boots of an alchemist who has a knack for shape-shifting. This is an ability that comes in handy as she is called upon by the king to solve the mystery of who killed one of his loyal guards. However, what starts out as a murder investigation quickly becomes something much more sinister as you slowly uncover more of the mystery.

Like its predecessor, Queen’s Quest 2 is a hidden object puzzle adventure, which is hardly surprising, but what is unusual is just how much better it is than the first installment. Although the game still adheres closely to the traditional formula for the genre, it does improve on its predecessor in every way. As the game is set in a fairytale kingdom you’ll encounter characters such as Little Red Riding Hood as well as Hansel and Gretel, but some English folklore characters, such as Robin Hood, also makes an appearance. While the story is hardly original, it does provide a good excuse for visiting interesting locations and see what characters will pop up next keeps things entertaining.

Your quest to expose the criminal network behind all the mischief in the game will take you across 48 hand-drawn scenes, each bursting with color and detail. From castles and cottages to forests and fields, all the scenes feature plenty of animated elements, such as falling leaves, swaying branches and scurrying critters that bring them to life. Of course, there is more to do on these scenes than just gawk as you’ll also have to solve puzzles, find hidden objects and chat to people (as well as animals) for clues. Queen’s Quest 2 has about 25 hidden object scenes in total and none of them are repeated. They also display some nice variety, with some taking the form of the traditional list of items to find while others feature silhouettes or a certain amount of the same item. The hidden object scenes aren’t very tricky, but many of the objects are hidden behind other things and you’ll also encounter morphing objects. Instead of the hidden object scenes you can also opt to play a mini-game instead where to aim is to flip and match things.

Luckily the unnamed alchemist has some deep pockets as you’ll also pick up plenty of inventory items on your journey. Some of these are used in your handy alchemy kit in order to create potions or elixirs. Usually we find these types of recipe-style mini-games a little tedious in HOPAs, but this game manages to actually make it entertaining. One scene even sees your character having to do some CSI style blood sample comparisons, which is pretty neat. Along with the hidden object scenes you’ll also encounter your fair share of puzzle mini-games, although none of them really held us up for very long. For completionists and achievement hunters there are also two types of collectibles, puzzle pieces and figurines, that are sprinkled throughout the game. We liked the fact that the puzzle pieces you collect can actually be assembled to create a picture and that each figurine, which includes trolls, goblins, fairies and dragons, comes with its own bio that you can read to learn more about them. Finally, upon completing the main adventure, you gain access to a bonus adventure that challenges you to discover the whereabouts of a missing girl. This adventure is rather short and recycles locations from the main game, but is a nice inclusion nonetheless.

We’ve already mentioned the visuals, but Queen’s Quest 2 actually fares quite well in the audio department as well. The voice acting for the various characters is decent for the most part and the music is quite relaxing too. Since this is a HOPA the interface is fairly standard, but everything is very polished. You have a map that can be used for fast travel, as well as a journal for keeping track of your objectives. The optional tutorial at the start of the game does a good job of showing you the ropes and thanks to three preset difficulty levels, as well as a custom one, you can choose how much you want to be challenged.

Overall Queen’s Quest 2 is a definite improvement over the first title and offers an easy, but entertaining adventure through some interesting locations. While the story is a little weak, it is nice to see how the different fairytale and folklore characters are woven into the plot. The audio and visuals are also polished enough to make this title stand out from the crowd. If you are a fan of the genre, then you can do far worse than Queen’s Quest 2.