Artifex Mundi, the company that has been bringing their hidden object PC games to consoles, has released another one of their titles to the XB1. Lost Grimoires – Stolen Kingdom, is the latest of their catalog to make the migration to the console world, and it is a title in a series that has not yet been seen there.
The story starts out with you returning home after being away for many years. Your father disappeared, your mother passed away, and you were raised by a family friend, the kingdoms alchemist. He trained you as his apprentice for years so that one day you may take his place in helping out the kingdom. But once you return home you quickly realize that the kingdom is not the peaceful place it was when you left.
The gameplay is similar to the previous titles from the developer. You must find objects in hidden object puzzles and complete mini games to advance the story. One thing that sets this title apart from others is your alchemy abilities. You will have to find objects and transmute them to create spells. To transmute items you will have to play a mini game where you place the elements in the proper position of a ring puzzle. But this game is lacking a few items that we have seen in previous titles.
Stolen Kingdom features a main story that can be played in either casual or expert mode. Missing this time around is an epilogue. There is also no alternative to the hidden object puzzles. This cuts down on the variety and the re-play value. Since there is no change in the hidden object items or placement, when you play through on the higher difficulty, you can breeze through it fairly quickly. This means that you can get through both difficulties in under 4 hours.
The graphics are beautiful. There are multiple locations that show you all different aspects of the kingdom from the simple town square to the opulent throne room. The music plays well with the scenery and helps to heighten the suspense where needed in the story.
Lost Grimoires – Stolen Kingdom is out now on XB1 and has been available on PC for a while. You can pick it up on your preferred platform for $9.99.
