Queen’s Quest 3: The End of Dawn

Hidden object and puzzle games have come a long way over the years. They have managed to migrate to consoles, and along the way they have innovated, adding more elements to captivate the audience. The stories have become more detailed, as have the puzzles included in them. Hidden object games are more than this now, they include many puzzles to solve, many challenging, but not to difficult to take you away from the experience and narrative that they are trying to portray.

When Xbox 360 launched and through out its time in the main frame, hidden object games found a home on consoles, offering the player an experience that could only be previously found on PC. Fast forward to the present, and these games have expanded, offering a more complete experience, with story telling and the variety of puzzles included within the games improving immensely. Hidden Object games provide a chance for the player to engage in what is effectively an interactive story, if only the voice acting could match its success.

I present to you Queens Quest 3: The End of Dawn, a stunning hidden object puzzle adventure game from the creators of Enigmatis and Grim Legends, published by a hidden object’s friends on console, the ever realisable Artifex Mundi. Take charge of a promising alchemy student, Eliana, and take on her role and mission to retrieve a powerful artefact. Get ready for the hidden object adventure puzzle of your life, as you fight mortal dangers and face tragedies from the past. Can you prove Eliana’s worthiness of becoming a true alchemist?

One of the greatest things behind these adventure games, Is that nearly all of them have a free trial, a test it out and try the adventure on for size, if the magic is gold, then why not pay to unlock the rest of the game, at the very  worst you have earned a few achievements. The idea to draw you in, and then catch you hook line and sinker is an excellent advert for the game.

Let me set the story for you, (no spoilers, i promise) Eliana has always been a curious child, a child of mystery. Found on the doorstep at a very young age of the prestigious Zora Academy of Alchemy, she became a very promising talented student by the age of 16. In order to complete her training, Eliana is sent on a dangerous mission, your mission!

Throughout your quest as Eliana you will face many dangerous encounters, solve a wide range of riddles, explore a kingdom and all its glory, whilst reliving the tragic history of Eliana’s childhood.

Take charge of the mission, save Eliana’s hometown and help her save her loved ones. Get ready to take on the evil forces behind a deadly betrayal and prove yourself to be the ultimate alchemist in Queen’s Quest 3: The End of Dawn.

“The puzzles throughout are variable, which helps to prevent the game from going stale”

Queen’s Quest 3, is a nice change of pace, a lovely game to sit down, with a glass wine, maybe involve a friend or your other half and lose yourself in a spellbinding story. The level design is excellently drawn and brought to life, as in most hidden object puzzle journeys, the voice acting could be a lot better, but as a story, there’s enough pot to keep you going. The puzzles throughout are variable, which helps to prevent the game from going stale, and many of them require logical thinking. Pass the puzzle and your rewarded with a vital item, that fits with the next part of the story, allowing you to progress further in your quest.

To be fair, there aren’t that many hidden object game’s in Queen’s Quest 3: The End of Dawn, and that’s probably just as well, as these adventure story game’s require a responsive control mechanism in the form of a pointer, and unfortunately this time around you will find yourself frustrated as you constantly click on the right item, only for it not be accepted due to not hitting the required item in the exact spot the game requires, we are talking fine margins here.

The story flows nicely, maybe not quite as captivating as in previous titles of this nature, but there is still an engaging adventure to be had. The quest’s puzzles offer variety, which is a massive plus, offering a challenge without being horrendously difficult. Queen’s Quest 3: The End of Dawn, is a fine adventure experience, but lacks the wow factor to really grab your attention and is hampered by a control system that fails to be spot on.