Plus, by using the entire room to search, it’s hard to find the items you need. It was such a jarring change, because no other puzzle had a timed element. To finish the game, you have to find hidden objects to create a potion while the witch tries to do the same. The only part of gameplay I didn’t like was the boss fight at the end. ![]() And the map shows the status of each room (if it’s still cursed, if there’s an unsolved puzzle or if it’s clear) which is extremely helpful to prevent you from getting stuck. From the map, you can teleport to any room you’ve previously been to, making backtracking easy. I also really liked how the map system was set up. Still, it’s nice to have a sidekick that’s useful. Though she has one spell to break things called “Rock”, which always made me think she was just throwing rocks at things. Like using fire to light candles or water to make flowers open (don’t question why there are items inside flowers). Speaking of fairies, there are some puzzles where you’ll have to use her to cast certain magic spells to clear obstacles or find objects. The fairy can also provide you with hints after a certain amount of time if you’re stuck, which is always nice. I might’ve had to restart a puzzle or two once, but solely because the first time around I didn’t see how to do it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as I hate getting stuck on puzzles, but it does make the game pretty easy. The puzzles are a bit simplistic, however. There was never a point where I couldn’t think of what to do next. Usually you’ll have to find a certain number of objects to solve the puzzle (for example, four marbles or five bear claws), but I think that helps with the feeling of progression. There’s also a nice variety to the puzzles you have to solve to clear all the rooms. Not everything you’re asked to find is useful, but most are, which I think is a nice touch, rather than making my character seem like they’ve got OCD. For one, there’s actually a purpose in finding those random objects, as most of them relate to a puzzle of some sort. Mechanics: From a gameplay perspective, Princess Isabella is the most competent hidden objects game I’ve played thus far. It’s just there to drive your actions, which I suppose it does well enough. So overall, the story is enough to give context, but falls flat otherwise. Blessedly, she’s nowhere near as annoying as the real Navi. Why am I saving what sounds like a forced marriage? Why does the princess (the heroine) have no personality - or indeed, lines at all? The only person with any semblance of personality is the fairy. Almost no one has any character or personality. It just felt flat & the trouble resolves so quickly that if you blink you’ll miss it. Or maybe not… I honestly wasn’t sure who it was at the end conversing with the witch. Without spoiling much, the ending is basically: No, this person isn’t really evil! Big happy family reunion. You uncover the story at a reasonable pace, learning more of the hidden backstory from diary scraps & the servants, but the final conclusion left me thinking, “What?”. Narrative: Though fully self-contained, I found the story rather threadbare. ![]() ![]() But you won’t go alone, as the game gives you your own version of Navi - a little fairy friend who offers guidance & gains spells to help you clear away obstacles. However, you must also locate broken mirror shards to free the servants & unlock new areas of the castle, banish evil icons, make potions, learn musical scores… All these puzzles serve to lift the curse from your rooms, until finally unlocking the witch’s hiding place. The most obvious are the hidden object games, where you must find a list of random items from a mess. Every room has several different puzzles to solve. Princess Isabella is a puzzle game at its very core. Did the witch curse me with a fog machine? But there may be more to it than that, as a dark family secret comes to life. Worse still, she’s holding your fiance hostage. After returning home from some undisclosed location, you discover that a witch cursed your castle, turning everything dark & gloomy, & imprisoning your servants & family into mirrors. Is this the princess or witch?Īs the title suggests, you play as Princess Isabella. ![]() But the question becomes: What makes a good hidden object game? I think I may have found a good example in Princess Isabella: A Witch’s Curse. They’re not the type of thing I want to play all the time, & I’m hard-pressed to buy one if it’s not on sale, but when I’m in the mood for a quick little bite of gaming, they fit the bill. I’m beginning to find that hidden object games scratch a very peculiar itch of mine.
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