Queen’s Quest 3: The End of Dawn
Gameplay 7
Graphics 7
Sound 6

The End of Dawn is the third title in the Queen’s Quest hidden object puzzle adventure series and the second starring an alchemist instead of royalty. This time you have to go on a quest to protect the world from an evil dragon, which obviously means plenty of hidden objects to find, puzzles to solve and mini-games to conquer. The hand drawn visuals are quite detailed, but the story offers nothing new and despite multiple difficulty settings the game can be completed rather easily. It is a title that newcomers might appreciate more, but anyone who has played a couple of hidden object games before will find that Queen’s Quest 3 has very little to offer that is new or innovative.

Gameplay: Plenty of hidden object scenes and puzzles, but everything can be completed rather easily.

Graphics: Detailed hand drawn visuals, but the fuzzy cut-scenes are a disappointment.

Sound: Neither the music or voice acting really stand out

Summary 6.7 Good
Gameplay 0
Graphics 0
Sound 0
Summary rating from user's marks. You can set own marks for this article - just click on stars above and press "Accept".
Accept
Summary 0.0 Terrible

Queen’s Quest 3: The End of Dawn

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

The original Queen’s Quest was a hidden object adventure game inspired by one of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales. This was followed by a sequel where instead of royalty you played as a shape shifting alchemist. Now, Brave Giant is back with the third outing for the series and once again instead of royalty you play as an alchemist. This time the alchemist in question is Eliana Marcius, a student at the prestigious Zora Academy of Alchemy. Eliana was found on the doorsteps of the academy as a baby, but grew up to be a promising student. Players join Eliana on the day of her graduation where she has to complete one final trial before becoming a full fledged alchemist. However, things go very wrong when the academy is attacked by malevolent Gargoyles. These gargoyles are the servants of an evil dragon that was defeated long ago, but appears to be on the verge of awakening again. To prevent this cataclysmic event from happening the headmaster of the academy sends you off on a quest.

The story of Queen’s Quest 3 isn’t exactly the most original we’ve ever heard, but it provides a decent enough excuse for traipsing off to exotic locations and solving puzzles. Your quest will take you through fifty hand drawn locations where you’ll find close to thirty hidden object scenes as well as more than forty mini games to complete. While the game features three difficulty settings, along with the ability to customize the difficulty to your liking, Queen’s Quest 3 is still a very easy title to complete. In fact, it is possible to obtain 100% of the achievements during a single playthrough, without even having to complete the bonus chapter. While this might make the game appealing to newcomers to the genre, veterans should have no problem breezing through everything. In total, it took us about five hours to complete the main game as well as the bonus chapter and at no point were we ever stuck.

Like the previous two titles, Queen’s Quest 3 features a standalone setting and storyline, so no prior knowledge of the series is required. As Eliana, you travel from one detailed scene to the next while collecting any items that are not nailed down, completing hidden object scenes and solving puzzles. The hidden object scenes are actually quite varied and features everything from word lists to silhouettes and scenes where you have to locate a certain amount of the same objects like mushrooms, gems or mosaic pieces. Some objects continuously morph, which makes them a little harder to spot, but overall these scenes can be completed quite quickly. Players who tire of the hidden object scenes can also opt for a pair matching mini game instead. These are just as easy as the hidden object scenes, but it’s always nice to have options.

The puzzles are also quite easy to figure out, although we are glad that few of them are of the tedious variety. Seeing as the protagonist is an alchemist, the game also features plenty of potion making where you first need to find a recipe and then all the necessary ingredients before combining everything in the right order. Like many other hidden object adventures, Queen’s Quest 3 provides you with assistance in the form of a small fairy. Her primary purpose is to reach objects that are too high for your protagonist, but she has so little use in the game that we forgot about her most of the time. In addition, Eliana has access to a special amulet that is used in magical battles. For these scenes you have to memorize the correct sequence of colors flashing on the amulet in order to successfully launch an attack against your opponent. In addition, the game has some bonus objects to find in each scene if you are aiming for 100% completion. These consist of ghosts, hats and crests, all of which can easily be spotted with a bit of effort. Finally, completing the game unlocks a bonus chapter where you have to save some fairies from a gargoyle. It features a couple of nice locations, but the story and characters are not very memorable.

The highlight of Queen’s Quest 3 is definitely the visuals, although there are a couple of rough patches here too. The hand drawn locations all look brilliant and are packed with lots of detail. It’s not all just static pictures either, but animations like dust motes swirling around in the air, birds and butterflies fluttering about, and small animals roaming around enhances these scenes. Character animations are a little less impressive and the animated cut-scenes also look extremely fuzzy on a full high definition display. The music tracks are all quite mellow, but many of the tunes sound a little too similar to previous titles for our liking. Additionally, the voice acting is a bit of a mixed bag, with some characters sounding decent while others faring less successfully. The interface is fairly standard for the genre and has everything fans have come to expect from a hidden object adventure, such as a map with auto travel, hint button and a journal. Like we mentioned earlier, all the achievements can be unlocked with a single playthrough, although the puzzles and hidden object scenes can also be replayed separately if you wish.

At the end of the day Queens Quest 3 is a solid, but rather unremarkable entry in the genre. It can provide fans with a couple hours of entertaining, but overall there’s not much here that really stands out as particularly good or memorable. The story is one that we’ve seen many times before and the low difficulty also means that veterans can just breeze through the game. Anyone who has little experience with hidden object adventures will probably have a blast, but those looking for something new or different won’t find it here.

System Requirements

  • OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
  • Processor: 2 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
  • DirectX: Version 9.0b
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
  • Processor: 2.5 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 512 MB VRAM
  • DirectX: Version 9.0b
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: 10.6.8
  • Processor: 2 GHz
  • Memory: 512 MB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: 10.6.8
  • Processor: 2.5 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 512 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: Ubuntu 12.04 (32/64bit)
  • Processor: 2 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space
  • OS: Ubuntu 12.04 (32/64bit)
  • Processor: 2.5 GHz
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 512 MB VRAM
  • Storage: 3 GB available space

Related posts

Sweet Galaxy Adventure!

Sweet Galaxy Adventure!

Sweet Galaxy Adventure! is a visual novel with an interesting premise and beautiful character designs, but it is let down by a poor translation and story that goes nowhere. The game can also be completed in less than an hour and plays like an adult title with all the adult content removed. All of this makes it hard to recommend Sweet Galaxy Adventure! to anyone except the most ardent fans of the genre. Gameplay: Short and ultimately pointless. Graphics: The character sprites and CGs look rather good. Sound: The music is bland the game lacks any type of voice acting.

Dishonored

Dishonored

Step into the stealthy boots of a master assassin and eliminate your foes through violence or cunning in this immersive first-person title. Eliminating your enemies with deadly gadgets or supernatural powers is a blast, but playing as a silent shadow that is never seen is arguably even more fun. Dishonored might not have the most original storyline, but the amount of freedom it gives players makes for a very memorable experience. Gameplay: There is a lot of freedom to be as violent or stealthy as you wish. Graphics: Great art style and plenty of attention to detail. Sound: Stellar voice acting despite some repetition

SCHiM

SCHiM

SCHiM is a unique 3D platformer where players must use shadows to traverse various everyday locations. The goal is to guide your little schim to its human, but the journey spans more than sixty levels set in and around the city. Jumping from shadow to shadow is fun, and the game features some clever ideas for traversing these shadows. However, despite the large number of levels, most play out in the same way, which can cause the game to feel repetitive. The charming visuals and quirky soundtrack are sure to draw in players, but we would have loved to see more done with the gameplay to keep things engaging right to the end. Gameplay: SCHiM is not a typical 3D platformer, and navigating environments Frogger-style is quite fun until it becomes a little repetitive. Graphics: The visuals look great, and the art style, along with the color palettes, makes the world feel vibrant despite the emphasis being on shadows. Sound: SCHiM lacks voice-overs, but the soundtrack is quirky and easy on the ears.

Project Temporality

Project Temporality

Although the time manipulation elements have been seen in other games before, Project Temporality manages to impress with clever puzzles and rewarding gameplay. There is also a deeper story lurking behind all the puzzle solving for players interested enough to delve deeper. The game challenges you to carefully plan ahead, but because you can simply rewind time to rectify mistakes it rarely becomes frustrating. Gameplay: Challenges you to think in four dimensions and rely on yourself to solve co-op based puzzles. Graphics: Somewhat lacking in visual variety, but the overall design and lighting effects are excellent. Sound: No voice acting, but some very nice music tracks.

Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden

Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden

Abyss: Wraiths of Eden is yet another very enjoyable hidden object game from one of the best developers in the genre. The setting might not be that original, but looks great and makes for an interesting story. Since it is a relatively easy title, it is a good starting point for newcomers, but it is polished enough that even veterans will enjoy the experience. Gameplay: Easy to complete but remains enjoyable throughout. Graphics: The hand-drawn visuals look great, but the close-up character animations are not the best. Sound: Nice music, but the voice acting could have been better.

RefRain -prism memories-

RefRain -prism memories-

RefRain is a great shooter that strays a little from the usual formula to offer an action-packed experience based more on skill than luck. Mastering the M.E.F.A2 and Concept Reactor attacks is immensely satisfying and allows you to play more aggressively. Players used to power-ups and weapon upgrades will find that RefRain has a bit of a learning curve, but this also gives it more longevity and replay value. Overall, if you are a fan of the genre, then RefRain certainly doesn't disappoint. Gameplay: RefRain is challenging but very rewarding when mastered. Graphics: The designs are a little bland compared to other shooters, but the game is very colorful. Sound: The game features a very fitting electronic soundtrack.

Leave a comment

12 + eight =