A Tale of Two Kingdoms is a point-and-click adventure that easily feels like it could have come out in the early nineties, during the golden age of point-and-click adventures. With beautiful pixel art graphics, gorgeous original music, voice acting, and of course, fiendishly difficult puzzles, this is an adventure that you can lose yourself in, whether or not you were around during the nineties.
A Tale of Two Kingdoms – You’ll Do A Lot of Dying
Developed by Crystal Shard Games, the makers of Sub Terra Draconis, A Tale of Two Kingdoms tells the story of an uneasy truce between former enemies that forms out of necessity to fight back a goblin invasion. You are a member of a band of ambassadors sent to the kingdom of Theylinn to help form the treaty and fight off the goblins. However, when the king ends up dead and you end up blamed for his murder, you must seek help from the fairies to clear your name, which uncovers a complex plot that goes far beyond the assassination.
Of course, since this is a point-and-click game, there will be many ways to die, but there are no soft-locks or dead ends. So long as you are alive, you can finish the game, though certain choices might lock you out of the best ending. In addition, when you die, you’re treated to a gravestone with a hilarious rhyming epitaph. Finding out what the different epitaphs say makes you want to die in as many ways as you can.
Pure Atmosphere
Many games from the nineties utilized their limitations to create some truly magical atmospheres. This game achieves a similar aesthetic. The pixel art graphics are highly detailed, with weather effects like fog and wind. The music is also incredible, perfectly capturing the suspense of having to escape the castle in the middle of the night or the mystique of the fairies’ kingdom. Visual and audio stimulation blend to let the players immerse themselves into the game. This can help ease the stress when you’re struggling to solve a difficult puzzle and you keep dying.
Conclusion
A Tale of Two Kingdoms is one of those games that feels magical. Even if you’ve never played a point-and-click adventure before, you can still fully immerse yourself in this beautiful game. It makes you feel like you’ve tumbled into another world where magic is real. If you harbor nostalgia for the King’s Quest and Monkey Island games, A Tale of Two Kingdoms will make you feel at home. It can be purchased on Steam for $11.99.
