Dream Chronicles - A Puzzle Epic

I even had a hard time while settling with the genre of this game. Though for the last year we've been witnessing the extreme popularity of hidden object games, this one seems to relate to a new genre that I would call Hidden Logics. This is the most bizzare game I've seen!  

Well, seriously, when you see the intro movie with all these supernatural elfin visuals and scenes, and read the mysterious story, you think you've run into some role-playing game. But as you play further, it becomes clear you're tackling an epic puzzle, hunting for the hidden objects and placing them where they belong just like in Mortimer Beckett and the Mystery of the Spooky Manor.

The visuals and music of this game are state-of-art. And the puzzles  you are to solve are of state-of-art difficulty.

When you totally surrender to the magic spell of the visuals and music, you're introduced to the mysterious and eerie story of the game. First of all, in the magic world of Dream Chronicles you're to accept the role of mortal Faye who has a noble mission of fighting with dark spells and reuniting her family.

Lilith, a Fairy of Dreams has taken your husband Fidget and cast a sleeping spell over him and your daughter Lyra.      

You will be guided by the voice of your husband throughout the game. He will show you the way out of any puzzle and tip you in many tricky situations.

So, here's how the gameplay looks: you find yourself in a bizarre house, every corner and wall of which breathes with magic and sorcery. But unlike all other magic-based games sort of Abra Academy, and Magician's Handbook: The Cursed Vallley, this game has no sinister message. It is full of light and white magic like the good old tales about kind fairies and elves you were told as a child.

So, you find yourself in a locked room of your own house. But... despite of the warm weather outside, the door of the room is covered with ice. So, the point here is to find a match and put it on the chimney to make a fire. Once you do that, the fire burning in the chimney will help you melt the ice on the door and it will open.

So, this is how the game looks like: you're solving puzzles in many locations of your own house, by picking up mysterious objects and applying them correctly.

This might seem like a simple hidden object game, where you are to hunt for the certain objects. But don't you underestimate the difficulty of Dream Chronicles: at times you will be uncertain of the things to search and do.

This is why I would call Dream Chronicles the first casual game that appeals to player's intuition.     

If you are left somewhere without a clue, take your time and explore the location carefully.  There's something you can do with the smallest objects(stones, jewels, keys)...

In case you feel stuck, consult your husband's diary and look for the solution there.

Anyway, Dream Chronicles grant much more freedom to the player's actions than other games. That's why those who got used to base their actions upon clear instructions, hints and lists of the objects to find will feel themselves at a loss at first time(and frankly so did I). But once you play far enough to feel yourself confident in this eerie world of fairies and spells, this game really grabs you. So try and see how far you can get in Dream Chronicles.