[b]My Playtime:[/b] 2.6h (finished the game and bonus content)
[h1]Intro[/h1]
[b]Kingdom of Aurelia: Mystery of the Poisoned Dagger[/b] is a point-and-click game with hidden object elements, in a similar style to [i]Artifex Mundi[/i] games. It has fewer hidden object scenes from the game it tries to copy albeit with better voiceovers.
[b]Pros:[/b]
- 4 difficulties to choose from, including a customized one
- A lot of unique puzzles, some can leave you stumped
- Hints and skip button for those who need it
- Simpler hidden object scenes that rely on object interactions
[b]Cons:[/b]
- You can experience bugs if you play the game too fast
- There is a delay whenever you switch screens
[b]Specs[/b]
Intel Core i5-9300H 2.40GHz, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
[h1]Should you buy this game?[/h1]
[b]Yes.[/b]
[i]If you are looking for an alternative to [i]Artifex Mundi[/i] games, [b]Kingdom of Aurelia: Mystery of the Poisoned Dagger[/b] can provide it with lesser quality. Just make sure to buy it whenever it's heavily discounted and you'll be fine as long as you are aware of the cons.[/i]
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[h1]In-Depth Review[/h1]
[h3]Visuals[/h3]
Contrary to the impression that I got from looking at the [i]Steam[/i] store, the game isn't blurry at all. I might get that impression because the thumbnail has too many objects and Steam somehow compressed the image, but the in-game scenes are pretty sharp. Images look more realistic compared to [i]Artifex Mundi[/i] games since it doesn't have dimmed lighting, giving a steampunk vibe with the robots and old pieces of machinery.
[h3]Story[/h3]
The game combines steampunk elements with magic in its world-building. It's nice to see that the world was set differently for a change, as most games like these are set in the same world as ours. The story itself is pretty basic, though - it's the same trope all over again where you need to stop a bad guy from doing whatever they want. There are some mysteries that I found left unexplained, or rushed, even, although I don't mind it since these kinds of games usually have their story to be secondary compared to the experience. Heck, I even had laughs from seeing how prudent the ending is.
The voiceovers are cool, though. They are speaking clearly and don't sound robotic at all. Some dialogues might not match the subtitles, but you don't have to worry about it since they are talking about the same thing. Plus, those who can listen to English a bit can understand what was talked about just fine.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2240393466
[h3]The Game[/h3]
[b]Gameplay[/b]
The game is a point-and-click first and a hidden object second. Most of the gameplay is pretty straightforward, and the game's features to show hints on what you should do to an object and a button to show all interactable objects are very helpful.
However, sometimes it can be difficult to use an object as you want - the game tends to require you to use an object to a very precise spot. There was one occasion when I wanted to use a raft to cross a river, but I couldn't since you need to place it down to a nearby ground first to inflate it. I think it would be better if it was handled differently, like inflating it first in your inventory instead of on the nearby ground, especially since there will be a plus sign in the inventory if an object can be interacted with.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1578261292
Puzzles are plenty with varying difficulties. Honestly, I had trouble with some puzzles - two, in fact, and had to resort to skipping them since I couldn't manage to figure them out. The rest are not giving me trouble, especially since they can be brute-forced if needed. Some puzzles can be hard to understand, though, even after you press the button to show the instructions.
[b]Hidden Objects[/b]
I like the hidden object scenes design. The game has two types: one where you need to click on objects based on the given words and another that require you to click on the objects from the given pictures.
Although the first one is commonly done in [i]Artifex Mundi[/i] games, the game gives it a twist by resetting all found objects if you clicked the wrong one. This might prove to be problematic if it's done in the same style as [i]Artifex Mundi[/i]'s hidden object scenes, but the objects in this game are way easier and clearer to find - it's more like finding an object from several scattered objects in the screen, making it just a matter of remembering their positions since they are quite obvious. It still can give some sort of challenge though since some objects are obscured between other similar-looking objects.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=803117908
The second hidden object type is basically similar-looking to [i]Artifex Mundi[/i]'s, but instead of finding a list of objects, the game focuses more on the interaction scenes. You need to find some key items that can be used in another object, which in turn will give another object that can be used for the same thing, and repeat the process until you find the final item. It's simpler, but I found a charm in its gameplay.
[b]Length and Replayability[/b]
The game is very short. In fact, I finished both the game and bonus content in 2.6h in the easiest difficulty. There are hint and skip options that you can take if you are stuck too. As for replayability, there is none.
[b]Issues[/b]
The most gripping issue that I had with the game is how the screen freezes a bit whenever you are changing scenes. It would work better if the game prompted for a fade-in and fade-out transition if they can't manage to make it smooth, but they ditch that and ruins my experience from time to time because of it.
The game also has an issue if you try to click things too fast - I had to redo some actions because I had to wait for the animation to end. Lastly, the game tends to crash whenever I was alt-tabbing. I'm not sure if it's an intermittent issue, but I didn't dare to alt-tab again after my first crash. Luckily, the game autosaves quite often so I didn't lose much of my progress.
[h1]Conclusion[/h1]
Despite how unappealing it looks on the store page, [b]Kingdom of Aurelia: Mystery of the Poisoned Dagger[/b] actually holds well as an [i]Artifex Mundi[/i] game's alternative, provided that you play it by keeping its cons in mind. The hidden object's difficulty is way easier although the puzzles can be harder than its counterpart. However, due to its quality and length, the regular price can be too expensive, so I won't recommend buying it unless you get it in a sale.
