[i]Hidden Objects - Sleeping Beauty - Puzzle Fairy Tales[/i] is a hidden object game with jigsaw puzzle and spot the differences elements developed and published by Crisp App Studio. Just like in the classic fairy tale, you take on the role of Princess Aurora. However, rather than experience the steps that lead to her deep slumber, you listen as Aurora recalls her dreams as she was asleep. That's the basic gist of the story, and well, since I'm sure we're all familiar with the fairy tale, no need to worry about spoilers and all that. XD
As for the gameplay, the game mostly consists of hidden object scenes where the items are listed and you have to find all of them. You can earn up to 3 stars per scene, depending on how quickly you find all the items. Also, you can earn up to 4 collectibles (purely for cosmetic purposes) for each scene. Collectibles can be obtained by earning 3 stars, repeating a level, and finishing the scene within a certain amount of time. (You'll automatically earn 1 collectible for completing the scene the first time, assuming that you earn 1 star, at least.) In addition, you'll unlock jigsaw puzzle and spot the differences scenes. These are pretty self-explanatory since there are no additional gameplay mechanics. There are Steam achievements although they won't count towards a user's global total until the game is out of "profile features limited".
Now that I've gone over the story and gameplay, I'll move onto my critique. I enjoy games that narrate fairy tale stories (with or without twists), and this one isn't an exception. I like how Aurora takes the reader through her dreams, starting from when she was little and then to how she wanted to explore the world outside the castle. There aren't a lot of parts where she narrates, as the game focuses mostly on gameplay, but I enjoyed the parts where there was narration. As for the gameplay, it's pretty simple. For the hidden object scenes, you click on the items listed. You have help bonuses like identifying objects and finding an object (although once you use the latter, you'll have to wait a certain amount of time before you can use it again). The same goes for the jigsaw puzzle and spot the differences scenes. Achievements can be obtained fairly well if you're fairly good at HOGs, can earn the maximum score, and can complete scenes quickly. What I liked about the gameplay, from a technical perspective, is that there's finally an option to play between windowed and full screen mode. This has been my issue with games by this developer in the past since I'd be forced to play in full screen mode. However, it's great that there's a windowed mode although every time I boot up the game, it would go back to full screen mode, so I had to change it to windowed mode. Also, there's no difficulty option, so you're forced to play on the difficulty that's set.
In regards to the art, this is where the game truly shines. The backgrounds are beautiful. It feels like you're really in this fairy tale that Aurora inhabits. The style is done realistically, and finding the objects proves to be fairly doable. As for the music, the soundtrack is lovely to listen to. It has that fairy tale twist, and the tracks feel relaxing and soothing to listen to.
Overall, would I recommend [i]Hidden Objects - Sleeping Beauty - Puzzle Fairy Tales[/i]? If you like HOGs and don't mind one that is fairly simple in nature (as there's just the bare bones story), then this is worth checking out. I enjoyed the game although I was able to complete it fairly quickly. For the asking price, I'd recommend holding off for a sale, as it took me fewer than 2 hours to complete. However, it is a good HOG with other puzzle elements, and it's quite enjoyable. ^^
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