Point-and-click, hidden object puzzle adventures are fairly commonplace on Xbox nowadays, especially with Artifex Mundi churning out titles on a regular basis. There’s a new pretender to the throne now though, as developers Far Mills have rocked up with a colourful fairy-tale befitting of the genre. So, prepare to be whisked away to an enchanting world full of magic and puzzles galore in A Tale for Anna.
Anna – the titular heroine in A Tale for Anna – has had a rather strange upbringing, being raised by a talking feline named Tail. Life is about to get even more complicated for her upon discovering she’s the last remaining sorceress and possesses magical abilities. It’s not gone unnoticed either, as the evil Queen of the kingdom has been keeping a watchful eye on Anna. Should the Queen manage to steal these newfound powers, then her wicked plan to bring darkness to all the land will come to fruition. After poor Tail is kidnapped, Anna begins the adventure to fulfil her long-awaited destiny.
So there’s a big bad villain, an underdog with a fresh purpose to their existence, and a good old sprinkling of peril to get things started. It’s hardly an original narrative. In truth, the storytelling never comes close to captivating, but serves the adventure well enough to draw a youthful audience in to see its wares. It also suffers from a lack of voiceovers, which could breathe personality into the extraordinarily bland characters met on the journey.
The setting itself is very pleasant, whether traversing the cosy and warm environments like Anna’s home or traipsing through the exotic and slightly darker places. Art-wise, Far Mills have absolutely nailed the children’s storybook style and lighting is used excellently throughout. Which is ideal, because you’re going to spend most of your time engrossed in everything A Tale for Anna offers visually. For it’s vital in overcoming the many puzzling conundrums ahead.
You see, every location is effectively a vast hidden object scene full of trinkets and items of use. Interacting with something within Anna’s vicinity that’s necessary to move forwards or conjure up a spell, will add the missing components to the inventory. This could be a simple broken piece of cutlery to open up a door or as strange as half a dozen blue moths. It’s then a case of scouring the area to find them in order to advance and possibly acquire another item of importance.
Having such a setup means that you’re always working towards an objective, occasionally multiple objectives, and so you’re consistently engaged in the world. And should you want more stuff to hunt down, actual jigsaw pieces are littered across the four main story chapters as well as the bonus one. Putting them together is very easy, but finding them is another matter. The pure sneakiness in how well most objects are blended into the surroundings is impressive; it’ll be challenging even for eagle-eyed gamers. Not nearly as challenging as the mini-games though, which border on frustrating.
The number of mini-games isn’t an issue, featuring quite often during the adventure, but I do question the quality and recurring theme. In too many situations it’s not entirely clear what the puzzle is asking of you or how to go about solving it. There’s one in particular involving a fishing net and untangling the strings by moving rings around. Which of the rings can and cannot be repositioned isn’t obvious, so half the time you’re just seeing what’s manoeuvrable, instead of focusing on the crossed strings. My other problem is with the plethora of mini-games where, at the crux of the concept, focuses on just shifting various elements here and there until everything is lined up perfectly. For example, you’ll need to swap all the frogs and mosquitos from one side of a board to the other, a single move at a time. Sadly, these kinds of sections are mundane and feel like a chore.
In the interest of fairness, there are fun mini-games too, more in keeping with the overall relaxed tone. Rotating a maze to release a ball, painting by numbers while mixing colours, a bit of Pipe Mania style potion making, and some Sokoban using gems, are definitely more enjoyable. There’s actually a cool maze puzzle involving the balancing of acorns in order to turn it either clockwise or counter-clockwise, and although not perfectly executed, the idea is sound.
Should you be worried about getting stuck on any of the mini-games, fear not because after a specific amount of time, help is at hand. Every single mini-game is skippable if it’s too troubling to overcome and that’s a real blessing. Furthermore, a handy hint system is also in place to guide you towards any items you may be looking for during the hidden object aspect. So there’s absolutely no reason to give in or lose hope in reaching the end of the tale.
Ultimately then, A Tale for Anna undoubtedly nails the hidden object aspect and has a charming look, but is slightly hampered by irritating mini-games and a bland narrative. It’s incredibly engaging, with tons of eureka moments when you locate those hard to find items. The mini-games are very hit and miss however, struggling to balance between fun and difficulty. Without the hints and option to skip puzzles, it’d be a far less chilled adventure for sure.
A Tale for Anna is a must for hidden object enthusiasts who can put up with tedious mini-games.
