I've purchased both versions of Dark Flight, thinking that one was indeed Dark Flight and the other the third game in the trilogy. Silly me, eh? But as it was discounted, I'm not going to hold a grudge against myself. I've played this version, it's time to review it.
Drawn: Dark Flight is the sequel of The Painted Tower. After Iris managed to escape the evil tyrant through her magical book, you're asked by Franklin to ignite the three light beacons that will destroy the darkness and allow Iris to reclaim her throne as she's the heiress. It's time to find a passage that will lead to the town and to explore it. However, the evil tyrant and the sorcerer are tracking you down...
The game use drawings that can bring items to "life" (materialize in the world) and painting as portals to other worlds. The main idea is to use this opportunity to find items that will lead you to Iris and help her become the Queen for a new era of light and peace. There is no real twist or new information if you've played the Painted Tower. However, the game acts as if you're a new stranger despite being mentionned as managing to escape the destruction by hiding in the underground passage, opened by the crash of the bell in the Painted Tower. In other words, you're still the same character as in the first game, but instead of making a recap, Franklin is acting as if you're a new person. Iris, however, acknowledges you as the one that helped her before. It kinds of confusing there.
Now, in the story, you're escaping the tower, however, you still have to explore the city and scare the ravens, sent by the enemy to prevent you to reach Iris or a beacon tower. It's a nice change.
The gameplay is the standard one in this game except for a missing feature: there are no hidden objects scenes. You can say that it's just to find items, use them, combine them and solves riddles and puzzles. However, trust me, it's not boring at all. Objects aren't necessarily easy to find but they're making sense. Everything is making sense, even the actions. Besides, you can find clues thanks to letters or notes scattered around. The only problem here is that Franklin, the master of the hints, stayed stuck to the pirate scene in the beginning of the game, meaning that I couldn't have another advice than to slash the bushes... which I have done without his help.
While many puzzles are easy, some of them were hard or long to play, so long that I've skipped them because I was bored (like the Queen's face painting or the letters in a book game, where you have to catch them and bring them safely to the top on the other pages, while facing ravens and avoiding to send a wrong letter). It's sad because they're very original. I allowed myself to skip them, as there are no achievements included.
One of the recurring puzzles is nice: it's a card in 3D where you can move stuff thanks to sticks. It's allowing you to progress in reality in the town.
The graphics are more close to drawings, however, they're very somber, even the paintings themselves (apart two of them and among them, one becomes bright because you brought back the sun). Between a prison, floating islands with grey cloud (turning colorful after the sun is back), a frog cave, a forest (which is the only real painting breathing of peace and light) and other settings, you bet that Drawn: Dark Flight is way more dark than the Painted Tower.
The soundtrack is also marvellous: very fitting in each scene. While some tracks didn't change, others are new. The voice actings are also well done.
And contrary to the first game, I never experienced a crash, which is a good point.
Drawn: Dark Flight is a good sequel to the first game. The story is well-written, the graphics and the soundtrack are still enjoyable. The only negative points are boring puzzles because they're too long or hard and the fact that Franklin is thinking you're a new stranger, which is sad as the character is the same one as in Painted Tower. Despite that, the game is still worthy of any purchase, though I would wait for a discount.
