The predictions of Prince James came to reality, his final wife had been planning something that could put the entire world at risk. Days after a rare occurrence known as the Silver Moon, terrible snowstorms started to engulf the Bernese Alps of Switzerland and the legendary Snow Queen is said to be the one who is the cause of that, along with the abduction of the local children. The Fairytale Detective is tasked with rescuing the kids and putting an end to the curse that befell the Snowfall Kingdom.
The third entry in the Dark Parables series is rather a short one, but introduces some new elements like the collectibles that unlocks the lore in form of short stories, revealing the larger plot that takes place underneath the surface although the relevant parts are never kept away from the player. It feels far less lonely than the previous ones, as the detective is able to interact with the guide that brought her to the entrance to the kingdom and many of the missing children, some of them will be crucial in future games.
Once again the detective’s journal is your best friend, although this time the game makes it much clearer when there’s a new objective and what the player should be doing, a notable improvement from Exiled Prince. Not enough to telegraph everything and leading by the hand but clear enough that the backtracking isn’t as bad as the previous game.
The game is once again a treat for the eyes, the cold exteriors looking oppressive and the castle is delightful, with hints of storytelling everywhere. The way the Snow Queen is handled is somewhat obvious in the hindsight, which makes it clever.
Sadly the hidden object scenes have more objects partially hidden underneath others and some are actually almost transparent, almost to the point of being eye-straining. Still, the repetition of the scenes isn’t as often as Exiled Prince so if a scene isn’t your thing you won’t be seeing them more than twice until the very end of the game.
The puzzles are somewhat more “streamlined”, with many variations of the same puzzles over and again, with less variety than the previous ones.
The extra chapter tells a story of an event that took place years ago, back when the kingdom had another name. It is an adaptation of the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel, adapted for the Dark Parables universe. It is a brisk extra that doesn’t overstays its welcome and it is charming on its own, also offering its own extra parable.
Rise of the Snow Queen is an excellent hidden object title, although perhaps if you are interested in getting into the series you should play Exiled Prince first. The puzzles are a little on the repetitive side, but the well-crafted story and short length makes that it doesn’t feel stretched too thin.
