I recently had the opportunity to discover the strange world of Anna's Quest, the new Daedalic title scheduled for July 2! Of course, this is still only a beta version, so the final rendering could be further improved by launch!
After this introduction, the game gives us the opportunity to follow the tutorial or to skip it. Preferring to start on a good basis, I opt for the tutorial. The game will therefore teach me the basic commands, the same as those used on all of the publisher's recent titles. Thus, each interactive element of the decor can be activated via the left click or the right click. Depending on whether it is an inanimate object or not, the actions are different: speak, take, observe ...
Dialogs once initiated are presented as a list of discussion choices.
With the mouse wheel, I show or hide my inventory.
An object is selected in the inventory by clicking on it and thus becomes active. It can then simply be used in the world on an interactive object by clicking with. Likewise, two inventory items are combined by selecting the first one and then applying it to the second.
To make it easier to detect interactive elements, I can use the space key to display all of the elements that exist in the scene.
Locked in the room where the old witch holds Anna prisoner, I quickly discover that the character has a power of telekinesis. In order to improve this power, the first thing to do is to collect the blue light that is in the strange lamp that the witch uses.
To be able to do it without danger, I cut a balloon in half using the scissors found on the table.
With the unicorn horn, I can open the machine, press the button and collect the lights. Once my power is activated, I just need to turn off the witch's camera and go with my new friend, Ben the teddy bear!
Unfortunately, the witch is blocking our exit. Anna manages to close the door in time but there she is stuck in the house. The ghost attached to the wall tells us that there is a secret passage to exit hidden behind the gigantic painting of the witch. First of all I need a key, a key which is kept by a little rat who refuses to leave it. After smearing dirt in yellow, he takes my editing for cheese and leaves me the key. I also created a great bed for a tired cat to rest and allow me to take the crystal he wears around his neck (I combine the unicorn padding with a pillow and a piece of curtain of my room).
After I find a small heart-shaped key in a drawer in a downstairs drawer, I can record the witch's voice and open the safe. Inside, I find in particular a strange photo!
To be able to escape, the mirror of the cellar tells me that I will need a protection spell requiring a hair from the person I want to protect myself from, a raven's feather, a pendant charged by the moon, the blessing death and fire. Easy !
Thanks to a conjuring book I found in the cellar, I use the witch's hat to conjure up a cord of handkerchiefs. Thanks to the plans found in the safe, I discover the existence of a fireplace in my room. With my power, I knock on this weak spot and make a hole in the ceiling.
The cord of handkerchiefs connected to a very heavy paperweight allows me to climb. In the attic, I find a cute little dragon that, combined with a pencil from my painting kit, becomes a fire-breathing dragon.
On the roof, I use a lens, taken from the hidden camera planted in the armchair in my bedroom, to focus the moonlight on my pendant.
A crow has also set up its nest on the satellite dish. I divert his attention with a mirror and create a hole in the roof behind him to take my quill.
For the hair, nothing beats a detour to the sinks!
Finally, the blessing of a dead takes me a little longer because the dead do not cooperate. The first one I meet disappears as soon as I bring him his wedding ring found in the cellar. So I have to retrieve a handkerchief from the sewers, then fall asleep to summon it. Finally, she agrees to bless my cauldron where my components are already gathered!
I am going to stop my story there because it would be a shame to reveal to you beyond the events. To make you want to discover this world beyond, here are some landscapes from other places!
True to the reputation of its publisher, Anna's Quest offers a haunting story punctuated with humor and fun discoveries. The puzzles are as always sometimes a bit far-fetched, but I was only slightly blocked during the 3 hours spent discovering the enchanting universe of this little girl.
In conclusion, the official trailer:
