Royal Detective: The Lord of Statues Collector's Edition Reviews

[h1]Short version: 72%[/h1] Royal Detective 1 is a great hidden object game in many aspects, including story, puzzles, pacing, and visuals. However, it carries a fatal flaw of having bad hidden object scenes, which can tarnish the rest of its design. [h1]Long version:[/h1] It is difficult to rate Royal Detective: The Lord of Statues, because it is a hidden object game that does [i]almost[/i] everything right. It has wonderful graphics. The music (when it plays) is incredible. The puzzles are varied, although sometimes a bit long. The classic point-and-click elements sit in a comfortable position between being both casual and challenging. However, the hidden object scenes are bad. They are often monochrome, the items are tiny, and the placement is lazy. If this happened in any other area, it would be a minor complaint, but these scenes are supposed to be the lifeblood of a HOG. As for the story, it is a mixed bag. The plot is remarkable for the genre's standards; for example, its big twist is genuinely surprising and witty. Alas, we seldom see traces of said plot, as we spend most of our time exploring the desolate town to search for clues on how to stop an army of rampaging living statues.

This is an older game (2016 for Steam, older according to copyright), but has obviously been updated. It works smoothly, uses a wide screen without distortion, and has an interactive map. The game also has a fully integrated guide, although it is less necessary than for many of these kinds of games. [Forgot to mention in original review: the bonus chapter is short and felt contrived (more than usual).] Pros: - excellent dry humour - coherent, interesting story - continuing character (protagonist) - the special feature of the game (acquiring certain living statues with different functions) is used intelligently by the writer(s), and feels much less gimmicky that expected - collectibles aren't obvious, but are reasonably noticeable if you're looking - about the right number of HO scenes (word lists) - excellent cut scenes, I enjoyed the fantasy movie feel :) [a note on the HO scenes: they're not easy, but all of the objects are distinct and visible; for the most part, objects are hidden by being well-placed; however, there were a few instances where there were too many neutral colours, or objects were hidden within a spot of the same colour] Cons: none to mention except as immediately above. This is an excellent game for any HOPA collection; a 9/10