Queen's Quest 2 Stories of Forgotten Past is a hidden object game set in an unnamed mystical land filled with classic fairy tale characters. Though the title implies that this is a sequel, it isn’t connected at all with the first game. None of the characters appear and I’m pretty sure it’s in a different land, plus in this title you play an alchemist and not even a queen so I’m not sure why it was given the name at all. Semantics aside, this game is very fun to play and was better than its predecessor on most accounts. I enjoyed the fairy tale aspect, the story attempts to mix together many different tales and does a decent job of it.
You play as skilled alchemist who has been summoned by the king to solve a murder. What seems like one simple task soon snowballs into the discovery of an elaborate plot to assassinate the king. The story isn’t very deep or complicated and given that most of the characters are from classic fairy tales you can guess the outcome and who is behind what. The writing isn’t bad though part of me does wish that they had gone further and taken more twists and turns instead of following the cliched path. However, the main character is smart and self-sufficient; I enjoyed playing as her. There is also a bonus chapter which takes place after the main storyline, it’s short and even more predictable than the main chapter.
The gameplay is rather straightforward. You thankfully have a map that allows easy teleporting, a good hint system and four difficulty levels one being a custom one. The game has a good variety in terms of hidden object scenes varying from the usual list of items to find and adding in silhouettes and searching under other objects. If you’re stuck, there is also a side puzzle option you can play during a hidden object scene to finish it. The amount and variety of hidden object scenes was my favorite part of the game. There are also puzzles but most I found to be rather easy and felt there could be more. There is also an alchemy feature where you have to collect ingredients to make a potion, usually for shape shifting. This was a simple but fun aspect but it isn’t used at all later in the game. I will point out one part of the game where you have to find and compare DNA samples, I actually really enjoyed this but it seemed very out of place in a game set in a fantasy world that was very medieval.
Graphics-wise, this game is pretty standard in terms of modern day hidden object games. Beautiful scenery, great colors and all around aesthetically pleasing. The character models are also good, though tend to seem stiff during cutscenes. This game has full voice acting and it’s very hit or miss. The main character has a charming voice and is well acted, everyone else is either decent or just bad. Especially the children characters, I found them to be horrible. Thankfully, most of the main characters aren’t that bad. The background music isn’t memorable but it fits the game well and doesn’t distract from becoming immersed in the experience.
I really enjoyed playing Queen's Quest 2 Stories of Forgotten Past and would recommend to any fan of hidden object games. It’s a fresher take on the genre than some games attempt to be, however, I did find it to be short even with the bonus chapter. There are Steam achievements and trading cards as well, the game also has morphing objects to find and collect. If you’ve played the first one and worried this is more of the same, fear not. It’s a great experience and leagues better than the first. It’s a good addition to your library, because of its brevity you may want to wait for a sale.
