Fairy Godmother Stories: Dark Deal – Review

After having successfully solved the Cinderella case, the Fairy Godmother is back for her second adventure in Fairy Godmother Stories: Dark Deal. A trip to visit your godchildren Gerda and Kai goes south when you discover that something is wrong with Kai. With dark forces involved and a dangerous figure named The Seller at the helm, can you put your magical power to good use and settle this case?

Although the first Fairy Godmother game was based on a well-known fairy tale, Dark Deal seems to take a different approach and construct a new tale from the ground up. Still, originality runs low in this “new” storyline. A troubled relative, a mysterious villain, and hints of dark magic – nothing stops Fairy Godmother Stories: Dark Deal from becoming just another predictable fantasy hidden object game that feels all too familiar.

Fairy Godmother Stories: Dark Deal’s lack of innovation rings even truer when it comes to its gameplay. The adventure portion of the game is incredibly straightforward. Despite the massive volume of tasks to be completed, they are all cookie-cutter tasks that recycle a lot of the same-old HOPA tropes. Most tasks make logical sense given the context of the game, but there is also a handful of silly, out-of-place ones, including the totally unnecessary Magic Wand gadget. Domini Games exercise more creative control with the hidden object scenes and the puzzles and introduce a slew of neat ideas, but not nearly enough to save the game from being just another indistinguishable entry in the Domini machine.

Whether it be Labyrinths of the World or Dark Romance, Domini Games’ signature colorful visuals are always present. Fairy Godmother Stories: Dark Deal fits right into the studio’s neon-colored portfolio. As a fantasy-themed game, Fairy Godmother Stories: Dark Deal can afford to experiment more with its visuals, which it does so occasionally through breathtaking locales and gorgeous graphics. The audio components are also effective in bringing the game to life, from soundtracking the game’s magical landscapes to inserting personality into the characters.

Fairy Godmother Stories: Dark Deal has a standard length of just under four hours, plus an extra hour from the bonus chapter. The Collector’s Edition is filled to the brim with extra items; a strategy guide, wallpapers, concept art, soundtracks, videos, replayable hidden object scenes, replayable puzzles, achievements, collectibles, morphing objects, and suitcase items that can be purchased.

Fairy Godmother Stories: Dark Deal’s lack of originality drains itself of any magical or amusing qualities.