I don't know why I often associated this game with another series but deep down, I knew it wasn't related. It was also time for me to play it and to stop letting it rot my backlog.
Henry and Laura, with their two children Emily and Francis, are visiting their aunt Amy in Egypt. However, when Jynxie the cat escaped, the family finds itself trapped into a lost tomb, separated from each other and forced to find a way to reunite and bring together their findings to escape a deadly trap set by a Pharaoh that killed his own brother and cursed his memory.
Escape The Lost Kingdom: The Forgotten Pharaoh is a casual adventure game, with hidden objects scenes and puzzles. Each member of the family has a special item: Francis has googles with glyph visions, showing him areas of interests, Emily has the Time Amulet, showing her the previous state of a room, Laura is holding the key to many enigmas thanks to Amy's diary and Henry is carrying with him tools (hammer, shower and crowbar). Each chapter is seen through Francis, Emily and the parents first, before the kids finding themselves and exploring their areas. In the end, the family is reunited for the final push: they're each carrying items needed (staff, torn painting, etc..).
Indeed, some parts of the game can't be access unless you have Francis's Googles for example. Besides, each member is carrying items found in their part that will be useful at the end, when the inventories will fuse together. The puzzles are relatively easy, though you may need Amy's diary to find out clues. I had to resort to a walkthrough twice because I couldn't see what to do. And it wasn't because I didn't read Amy's diary. It was mainly because I couldn't understand well the meaning of the enigma.
Escape the Lost Kingdom is clearly set in an early era of the genre, though it was transitioning, as it's not hidden objects scenes set as main gameplay. But when you clear a location, it's shown. The map is also an indication of that and isn't interactive at all.
However, while the story is only about escaping and not about the Forgotten Pharaoh (everything is explained in the beginning in other words and while you're expecting the main story to come back to that, apart one or two mentions by Emily, the Pharaoh is really forgotten), I would have expected a longer game. Even if you can choose who you'll play first when the whole family is splitted up (Emily, Henry and Laura, Francis), after that, the game is taking back the control: the kids will have to go through more trials than the parents as they found quickly the reunion point.
Besides, it's not the graphics that will reconcile people with hidden objects games as they're kinda giving the feel of being outdated. While I appreciated the drawned cutscenes, Francis seemed really an angry child and Henry very serious, where the girls are smiling. And given the scenario, it's sad that you don't have any change in their expression. I would have appreciated Emily's rolling her eyes when saying that she's a big girl now.
The soundtrack is nice, like the voice actings. That's why it's just sad that the emotions aren't matching.
The feature that showed me how old the game is (and it's not even so old) is the mention of 3D glasses use. You can play the game with it. As I don't know where my old glasses are (from the middle of the '90, mind you), I couldn't try it.
Anyway, should I recommend it? Yeah, even if I feel like the game is missing something: too short, not many use of the tools typical to each character, no real freedom of choice despite the beginning, what about the Forgotten Pharaoh and outdated graphics. But it's still an enjoyable moment to pass.
However, buy it during a sale or in a bundle. Five bucks for it seems too much for the content.
