Anna's Quest
- July 2, 2015
- Daedalic
- 15h median play time
In "Anna's Quest," players help a strong-willed girl named Anna save her kidnapped grandmother using telekinetic powers and a host of strange inventions. The game features a charming fairy tale setting, clever puzzles, and a variety of quirky characters to interact with. As Anna, players will explore a dark and whimsical world filled with magic, mystery, and danger, using their wits and unique abilities to overcome obstacles and save the day.
Reviews
- Charming art style and engaging story that combines elements of classic fairy tales with a unique twist.
- Puzzles are mostly logical and enjoyable, providing a fair challenge without being overly frustrating.
- Strong character development, particularly in the final chapter, adds depth to the narrative.
- Voice acting, especially for the main character Anna, can be grating and lacks emotional range.
- Some puzzles can feel non-intuitive or require specific actions to be completed before others, leading to confusion.
- The ending feels rushed and leaves several plot threads unresolved, which may disappoint players looking for closure.
- story1,310 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of "Anna's Quest" follows a young girl named Anna on her journey to save her grandfather, blending whimsical fairy tale elements with darker themes. While the narrative starts simply, it evolves into a more complex tale with unexpected twists, though some players found it predictable and lacking depth. Overall, the game is praised for its charming visuals and engaging storytelling, despite some criticisms regarding pacing and character development.
“The game has a very clear idea of what it wants to be, a kid-friendly, albeit sometimes weirdly morbid, cute adventure game where we follow Anna on her quest to save her grandpa.”
“Anna's quest is a delightful point-and-click adventure game that combines a captivating story with endearing characters and beautifully crafted visuals.”
“The story is surprisingly complex and is based on a host of fairy tales and folklore, most notably ones from the Brothers Grimm.”
“The storyline is bad and feels lazy at best, the way it is wrapped up in the last section is genuinely moronic.”
“Took me way too long to realize I didn't care about the story or main character anymore.”
“The story is very childish but I don't mind that; the problem is that the puzzles are either very easy or very thin.”
- graphics280 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics in this point-and-click adventure game are widely praised for their charming hand-drawn visuals and whimsical art style, which effectively complement the game's darkly whimsical narrative. Players appreciate the colorful, cartoonish aesthetics that evoke nostalgia while also noting some inconsistencies in animation fluidity and occasional graphical bugs. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong highlight, enhancing the immersive experience of the game's engaging story and characters.
“This point-and-click game combines a darkly whimsical story with charming hand-drawn visuals.”
“The beautifully designed graphics are another highlight of the game.”
“Anna's quest is a delightful point-and-click adventure game that combines a captivating story with endearing characters and beautifully crafted visuals.”
“The graphics are a bit flat and animations lack some fluidity.”
“Immersion: the graphics are so blunt, I can’t even imagine how I could get into immersion mode.”
“The art style isn't something I really like; after staring at it for so long, I am realizing although good, it just feels off.”
- humor154 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The humor in "Anna's Quest" is a mix of whimsical, dark, and sometimes childish elements, with various characters providing amusing interactions and clever dialogue. While some players found the humor charming and well-integrated into the story, others felt it lacked the depth and inventiveness seen in other titles like the "Deponia" series. Overall, the game offers a light-hearted experience with moments of genuine laughter, though it may not appeal to those seeking a more prominent comedic focus.
“The humor and character interactions add a delightful layer to the gameplay, making each moment enjoyable.”
“It's whimsical, funny, and to be honest, I ugly cried at the ending reveal.”
“The dialogue is cleverly written with references to real-life situations and sarcastic humor throughout, and each character itself is unique with their own personality, style of acting, and agenda of their role in Anna's Quest.”
“The main character is one-dimensional and not funny or interesting enough; the antagonist is more likable than the protagonist, especially once you enter the flashback chapter and discover the childhood of the antagonist. You realize her motives and that she isn't the right subject to blame for what happens.”
“I started to care about the characters that interact with the protagonist only in the last flashback chapter when their past is shown. Suddenly, they became interesting, but then the game was finished.”
- gameplay142 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized as a typical point-and-click adventure, featuring standard mechanics such as dialogue progression and inventory puzzles, with some unique elements like telekinesis. While the puzzles can be intuitive and enjoyable, many players find the requirement to complete tasks in a specific order frustrating, leading to excessive backtracking and occasional confusion. Overall, the gameplay is generally seen as casual and accessible, with a focus on story and character interactions, though it may lack the challenge and innovation some players desire.
“The humor and character interactions add a delightful layer to the gameplay, making each moment enjoyable.”
“The gameplay is simple, yet the telekinesis ability added a bit to the gameplay and kept it fresh along the way.”
“It's got an amazing story, smooth and fun gameplay, super cute graphics and easy/medium puzzle difficulty.”
“Some of the puzzle solutions are pretty far-fetched or suffer from the mechanics, where they won't let you say certain things or pick up items unless you've done a specific thing previously, even though you already have the information.”
“There's a lot of running back and forth, which isn't that unusual for this type of game, but felt a bit excessive here, because of the aforementioned mechanic where it will only let you do things in a very specific order, even when it doesn't make sense.”
“The puzzles suffer from the same problem a lot of Daedalic games do where you can't pick up an item or do something until you have done something else, which breaks the flow of gameplay and makes it all feel irritating.”
- music96 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the captivating soundtrack for enhancing the emotional experience and fitting well with the game's atmosphere. However, some players found the music repetitive and occasionally annoying, suggesting that while it complements the visuals and storytelling, it may not be memorable or of high quality. Overall, the soundtrack is generally considered good, with a few standout moments, but opinions vary on its impact and enjoyment.
“Additionally, the exceptional and captivating soundtrack enhances the emotional experience and gameplay.”
“The music is beautiful.”
“First, let me state that the soundtrack is excellent.”
“The soundtrack was annoying at times, to be honest.”
“Real annoying game, the music, the sounds, the character, all of them get annoying surprisingly fast.”
“The music was ok, too - not really memorable and at times a bit repetitive.”
- emotional42 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartwarming and often heartbreaking story, complemented by a captivating soundtrack and charming visuals. Players resonate with the well-written characters, particularly the relatable protagonist, Anna, whose journey is filled with touching moments and humor, despite some predictable plot elements. While the game may lack the dark humor typical of previous titles, it delivers a powerful emotional experience that leaves a lasting impact.
“The art style is cute and adorable, the story is sad and heartbreaking, and the characters are well-written and deep!”
“Beautiful little game with an engaging story, a really quirky (in a good way) visual style, and a surprisingly powerful emotional punch at the end.”
“The ending of this game made me cry like a colicky baby.”
- atmosphere22 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its charmingly dark and nostalgic qualities, with unique locations that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the well-developed characters and the effective use of music and sound, which contribute to a strange yet familiar ambiance. The blend of humor and emotional depth adds to the game's inviting atmosphere, making it both enjoyable and impactful.
“Each location feels unique and contributes to the overall atmosphere of the game.”
“Music and sounds altogether fit very well to the game's atmosphere as well.”
“The atmosphere of this world is strange, yet familiar, dark, yet inviting, and all helped along by its characters, especially our main character, Anna.”
“And also, no matter how whimsical, light-hearted, and friendly the atmosphere and characters can feel in some of their games, they still always manage to find a way to really hit you in the feels.”
“Good within its genre, with a charmingly dark atmosphere.”
- grinding18 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
Players frequently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and slow-paced, often requiring repetitive interactions and backtracking that detracts from the overall enjoyment. While some puzzles are well-designed, the overall experience can feel monotonous, leading to frustration rather than engagement.
“The game's extremely slow pacing makes it terribly tedious.”
“Mostly, playing it felt tedious.”
“The biggest flaw is one present in many of these point and click adventures: there's a lot of tedious back-and-forth between the scenes.”
- character development14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
Character development in "Anna's Quest" is noted as outstanding, with significant growth for various characters, particularly the villain in the final moments. However, some players feel that Anna herself lacks development and find her voice acting irritating. The overall presentation, including character designs and voice acting, is generally well-received, contributing to a story that balances humor and emotional depth.
“The character development in Anna's Quest is outstanding.”
“Characters - there actually is character development.”
“She goes through no character development, and her voice actor is a little irritating.”
“Oddly enough, in the 11th hour, the villain of this story gets a lot of character development.”
“- inconsistent character designs”
- stability14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits occasional stability issues, including freezing during specific actions, such as clicking on the organ without lighting lanterns first, which can lead to game-breaking glitches that require restarting. However, players noted that their progress is saved despite these interruptions, and many found the controls to be responsive with minimal glitches overall.
“Freezes up sometimes leaving you needing to restart the game window but it holds your progress!”
“When I press the 'start game' button, the screen freezes.”
“Ran into game-breaking glitches necessitating starting over.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game offers limited replayability due to its linear progression, making it primarily enjoyable for those who appreciated the story. While some players find value in replaying for achievements, many feel that the experience is more suited for a single playthrough, leading to concerns about its price relative to its replay potential.
“The progress is linear, so replayable for the story if you enjoyed it.”
“Additionally, the game does have some replay value, for example if you're motivated by completing achievements.”
“I suppose you could argue there isn't much in the way of replayability, but that's pretty standard for these kinds of games.”
“Additionally, the game does have some replay value, for example, if you're motivated by completing achievements.”
“I tend to like and find replayable games more worthwhile, and single play-through experiences I buy tend to be in the $3-10 range, so it seems a little expensive to me.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization in terms of dialogue delivery has received mixed reviews, with players appreciating the extensive voice acting but criticizing the slow-paced and stuttering dialogue that can detract from the overall experience. While the story and puzzles are generally well-received, the dialogue's pacing and execution may frustrate some players.
“The stilted, stuttering dialogue got too annoying.”
“The story was good, but I got sick of the stuttering and slow-moving dialogue at times.”
“The dialogue is quite slow-paced and has lots of stuttering, but the puzzles are mostly fun and challenging.”