The latest PC to console port from beloved developer Artifex Mundi is Lost Grimoires: Stolen Kingdom. If you have ever played any of the developer’s games such as: Clockwork Tales, Nightmares from the Deep, or Enigmatis, then you already know what to expect. These games provide classic point and click style gameplay with puzzles of the trial and error and hidden object variety. With both easy and expert difficulties, any player can dive into Lost Grimoires and find enjoyment.

 

With similar gameplay across nearly every title, the story and setting take more important roles in each Artifex Mundi game. In Lost Grimoires, you play as an alchemist’s apprentice who has just returned home. Her parents have disappeared and her quest to find the truth leads her into mysterious situations. As you progress you will uncover secrets that make sense of the situation, but I won’t spoil those in this review. Dialog sections are fully voiced and can be skipped if desired.

The same art style we’ve come to expect from these games remains in Lost Grimoires. Scenes consist of a static image with areas you can inspect and interact with. For example, you may see a chest and upon interacting with it you discover it needs a key. Interact with another area to find the key and add it to your inventory. Go back to the chest and use the key from your inventory to uncover another item needed for something. Figuring out what goes where is easy for the most part; sometimes items will need to be combined or put through multiple steps before they are usable. Unique to Lost Grimoires is the use of alchemy, where special items are combined in a spell book for one special use.

 

Hidden object puzzles are back and just as enjoyable as ever. A list of items will display under a large cluttered image, think of iSpy books. You use your cursor to hover over the scene looking for those specific items. Once you have clicked them they will disappear and the puzzle is finished when all are found. If you get stuck there is always a hint button available and there is no punishment for incorrectly clicking an item.

As for achievements, there are 13 for a total of 1000 Gamerscore. Achievement fans love these games because they are relatively short completions, this remains the same with Lost Grimoires. If you know what you are doing you can get the entire completion on one expert playthrough. Short but sweet at a price of $9.99  I enjoyed Lost Grimoires, while not as unique a setting as Dark Aracana: The Carnival, the story was more than engaging and kept me hook from beginning to end.

 

Final Score: 8/10

 

Written by: Jordan650

Twitter: Jordan650

Xbox: Jordan650

 

A code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review

 

You can purchase Lost Grimoires: Stolen Kingdom on the Xbox Store Here

 

Release Date - Friday‎, ‎April‎ ‎28‎, ‎2017

Price - $9.99

Download Size - 675.91 MB