Royal Detective: The Princess Returns – Review

Your old acquaintance, the Princess, has now all grown up and has asked you, the detective, to meet her at a small town called Stone Peaks. Apparently, the Princess and her magical ability to breathe life into statues is targeted by a gloomy figure. Find out what this mysterious man is up to and help the Princess on her dangerous journey!

If you are a long-time fan of Elephant Games’ Royal Detective series, you probably remember the Princess from the very first game in the series. Unfortunately, Royal Detective: The Princess Returns does not come close to the glory of the first game. The storyline is not the least bit interesting, mainly due to the slow pace of the delivery. Not only that, but the Princess does not feel like a character worth rooting for, considering how long ago the first Royal Detective game was released.

Nonetheless, we can always rely on Elephant Games to wow us with dazzling visuals. The graphics in Royal Detective: The Princess Returns are up to our high expectations, with intricate details and impressive scene designs. The cutscenes and the character animations are also surprisingly realistic, making this game less childish than its fairytale feel might suggest.

Gameplay wise, Royal Detective: The Princess Returns does not bring anything new to the table. Regardless of how well-engineered it is, the gameplay could definitely use some risk-taking and creative ideas. As it is now, the adventure part is predictable and the hidden object scenes are just acceptable. The puzzles are slightly more complex and feature some neat ideas, so we are glad to see how puzzles-focused the game is.

In our opinion, Royal Detective: The Princess Returns plays more like a deeply average HOPA than a Collector’s Edition-quality game. Still, it does include a ton of bonus features; a strategy guide, wallpapers, soundtracks, screensavers, concept art, replayable hidden object scenes, replayable mini-games, achievements, collectibles, and morphing objects.

Royal Detective: The Princess Returns a middle-of-the-road adventure that is as safe as can be, even its breathtaking production cannot save it from becoming one long snooze-fest.