Overall, it had all the dressings and components to make a well-rounded, beautiful, and exciting hidden object adventure game... however, there were so many moments where I either laughed out loud from the absurdity of the situation or scratched my head in puzzlement.

 

The Story of Dark Strokes: The Legend of the Snow Kingdom

The story behind Dark Strokes 2 is supposedly based off of a Grimm Brothers tale, but for the life of me, I can't fathom what story that might be, except possibly Snow White? And if that's the case... then let's stress the "loosely" a bit more. 

 

The game begins with Alan, a young hunter (woodsman?) who happens upon a young girl being chased by a strange figure in the night. Alan saves the young girl, Adele, and they somehow settle into domestic bliss in his cabin... or do they? 

 

 

The timeline of the story is so murky, I just couldn't tell you if he barely rescued her or if he rescued her last year. They seem to know each other pretty well, there are comments about how she reads to him on the porch of the cabin, but then go out to the carriage and you'll see that there are still bowls of fresh fruit inside. (Because when you're being chased by icy villains, you never know when the craving for grapes and apples is going to strike.) 

 

The two are settled comfortably in the cabin when a strange package arrives by, what else, but a hot air balloon... a vehicle featured throughout the game... because, when I think of a fast get-away ride, I think of a hot air balloon... nothing like being at the mercy of the weather for your escape. 

 

But I digress... 

 

Upon opening this mysterious package, poor Adele is somehow magically transferred into a snow globe, and then settles comfortably at the corner of your screen as your hint icon. Lovely. Just what I always wanted. 

 

Now, the plot moves forward and you get whisked away into a painfully slow-paced storyline where you attempt to find a way to release Adele and save the rest of the kingdom from these icy specters. 

 

So far, their not wowing me with the story. 

 

Graphics

The graphics of Dark Strokes: The Legend of the Snow Kingdom faired a bit better in my book. They were nicely textured and overall pleasant to look at. The color palettes were muted but gorgeous, all rosy pinks and shadowy purples and blues. 

 

 

Don't get me wrong, they weren't anything to write home about, nothing that made me ooh and ahhh like a night time display of fireworks on New Year's Eve at Disney World, but they created a pleasant atmosphere that helped move the game along. 

 

Gameplay

Gameplay was very much in line with your classic hidden object adventure games, so if you're an old pro to these types of games, you'll have no need to play through the tutorial. 

 

The game mechanics were smooth and seamless. Scenes transitioned well, and items were easily picked up and added to your inventory, making for a very enjoyable gaming experience overall. 

 

Music, Sound & Voice Acting

The music of Dark Strokes 2 were appropriate and non-intrusive to play, so definitely count on being able to keep the volume up on this one. 

 

The background animal noises were head-turning and interesting. Even when they weren't integral to the scene, I still wanted to search out where that purring noise was coming from. 

 

 

Which takes me to the Voice Acting, which just did not sit well with me at all. Adele was the most prominently featured voice as she spoke to you from the confines of her snow globe prison, but her lack of emotion and awkward pauses made me want to smash the globe to the ground and go and get a drink at the pub instead of saving her. It wasn't just her either, there were several voices that just couldn't seem to get inflection and tone right at all and I have to dock Dark Strokes for making my ears bleed a bit over the time I was playing. 

 

Hidden Object Games & Mini-Games

If you're a big fan of hidden object scenes, you may be disappointed in Dark Strokes: The Legend of the Snow Kingdom
as they weren't that many  scattered around. However, they were varied and unique as they ranged from your traditional list views to locating 15 instruments, to putting pieces of a machine back together. 

 

 

On the other hand, the mini-games and puzzles where a shining moment for Dark Strokes, as they were unique, fun, and many. Most were short little puzzles that, and, while not particularly challenging, they rated high on my overall level of satisfaction. For me, that means they aren't so easy as to be insulting, but not so hard that I need to use the skip button in shame. 

 

Collectibles

If you're going to spring for the collector's version of this game, you won't be disappointed if you're a fan of collectibles. You have the option to find 35 snow flakes hidden throughout the game as well as 10 magic items, which are your morphing items. 

 

Overall Conclusion