Hey gang, Valkor here. 2015 is going to be the year that I’ve head first into a slew indie titles. Much the reviews as of late have been nothing but indie and I’m not even mad about that. Why? Well mainly because of the wide variety of titles that have come through – platform, RPG and puzzles just to name a few. This round we’ll dip into the “point and click” genre with an interesting title from Kram’s Design and Daedalic Entertainment called “Anna’s Quest”. It’s a storybook adventure that's fun all over.
In an Anna’s Quest, you play as Anna in a point and click, Wizard of type of Oz-esque type of journey (sans yellow brick road), in order to save her grandfather from a fatal illness. Throughout her journey, she’ll meet a host of characters that will either aid in her quest or try to hinder it such as a talking teddy bear, ghosts, a disgruntled, drunken axe man, underwater she-beast, talking animal quartet, a crazy old witch and plenty more. Getting through the game is more than just exploration; you’ll also have to solve a variety of puzzles in order to see Anna through to the end. Most puzzles can be solved through simple interactions, while other objects can be picked up for use at a later time; there are also certain objects you can combine to form something new. Finally, what will also aid you in your quest is your telekinetic ability that you can use to interact with certain objects such as opening/closing doors or locks, or retrieve items out of reach. If you're unable to use your ability or Anna just flat out refuses (because she’ll never use her abilities on anything living), she’ll chime in with little musings of her own. Moving on, with your computer mouse, a simple press of the middle scroll wheel will show you with a red or blue ring which people or objects you can interact with. If it’s red, it’s usually of some importance.
The game is mainly story driven with plenty of dialogue to help broaden the tale. This is unlike a Tell Tale’s game where the responses determine the mood of the characters you’re talking to; this is all about aiding Anna with her quest. And with most characters you meet, you can select from a variety of questions and responses to get more information about your current quest or maybe even learn something new about your surroundings.
Anna’s Quest is a dark and a little bit twisted adventure tale, yet Anna’s innocence and curiosity balances things out. It won’t be easy attempting to rescue her grandfather but it definitely won’t be boring and I’ll tell you why in the TOV Breakdown.
The Good:
To Anna’s Quest, I can honestly say I wasn’t expecting too much especially given its point and click mechanics. Not only that but it also, at first, looked a little too kiddie. But when I started up the game and begun my adventure with Anna, I was completely drawn in within the first few minutes. Gameplay is simple, but it's all about problem solving; some of the puzzles will give your brain a bit of a workout. Thankfully, the first chapter dealing with the witch kidnapping Anna doubles up as a nice tutorial. The story flows nicely and even though there’s a hefty amount of dialogue, it never gets tiring. The only dialogue you might get tired of hearing is the repeat phrases Anna spews when she tries to interact with something more than once. Other than that you’re golden. The graphics has a nice, childhood storybook appearance to it and the animation, while limited, works well for the title. The music is big and bold for such a game, and that’s not a complaint as combined with the graphics and sounds, it really adds to the immersive experience. Finally I have to give a nod to the wonderful voice acting that helps carry you through this dark and wild adventure. Vocals are clean and clear and I didn’t have any trouble catching on to what the characters were saying. If you’re looking for something different, something mellow with a taste of dark, then get on board Anna’s Quest.
The Bad:
N/A
The Ugly:
N/A
Episode one of Anna’s Quest is available now on Steam and if you’re looking for a simple yet compelling and fun storybook adventure, this is definitely one you won’t want to pass up. And out of TOV 5 stars, I’m giving Anna’s Quest the perfect 5.
