Fairy Godmother Stories: Cinderella – Review

As Cinderella’s fairy godmother (and part-time detective), you immediately rush to her side when she comes to your doorsteps for help. However, things turn sour when you are accused of stealing Cinderella’s glass slippers. Can you find your way out of this bind and get to the truth in this new twisted fairy tale from Domini Games?

Giving familiar fairy tales a new spin is definitely not an unexplored territory for the HOPA genre. From a well-established series like Dark Parables to the critics’ favorite Living Legends – this is one of the genre’s tried-and-true tricks. Nonetheless, Fairy Godmother Stories: Cinderella manages to keep the storyline fresh with a more grounded approach to fairy tales. There are times when the game leans a little too heavily on the investigative side as opposed to the fairy tale side, but it is still captivating overall.

Part of what makes Fairy Godmother Stories: Cinderella a success has to do with the game’s wonderful production. Although the scene designs are nothing extraordinary, the balance of colors and the excellent lighting breathe life into each scene. The beautiful soundtracks and the extravagant sound effects also give the game the audio punch it needs.

As for the gameplay, the main game mechanics are fairly straightforward, with no gadgets which is surprising for a game from Domini. There is a good balance between easy and difficult puzzles, all of which are fun and cleverly integrated into the game. The standout here is the hidden object scenes. They are imaginative and supremely entertaining, offering a satisfying level of challenge that prevents the game from going stale.

Fairy Godmother Stories: Cinderella has a standard length of just a little under four hours and the bonus chapter that takes around one hour to complete. The Collector’s Edition also includes a strategy guide, wallpapers, soundtracks, concept art, videos, replayable hidden object scenes, replayable puzzles, achievements, collectibles, and morphing objects.

With top-notch production and well-constructed gameplay, Fairy Godmother Stories: Cinderella is a strong start to a new series.