14 DAY TRIAL // 
If you are into adventure games or quest games as they used to be called decades ago, Daedalic usually is a safe bet. Crazy characters, twisted stories, and well-put-together puzzles are the key characteristics most fans are looking for and what the German publishers usually deliver. Can Anna be as memorable as Edna and her deranged rabbit? The answer is not that easy as you might think.
There are a lot of similarities between Anna’s Quest and Edna and Harvey: The Breakout. Both games start with the need to escape, but they develop in very different directions. The story dreamt up and initially developed by a single man from down under, Dane Krams, is tamer and has a soft spot for the tales of the Brothers Grimm. But this is not your average fairy tale, since Anna possesses some telekinetic powers that will come in handy while dealing with all the weird that life throws at her.
In a desperate attempt to save her beloved Grandpa, Anna will embark on a perilous journey filled with witches, wizards, and even the musicians of Bremen. The world imagined by Krams is an eclectic mix of classic tales and contemporary elements, where magic and science coexist. It should be refreshing to see different machines in a world hinting at the most popular tales, but unfortunately, this topic is not explored until the very end of the game. The pace of events is slow and the crazy unexpected turns are missing completely.
Unlike other games published by Daedalic, the story of Anna’s Quest is overshadowed by the puzzles, most of which will require you to find the correct items, combine them as the developers planed, and use them in a specific way. You have some leeway regarding the order in which you tackle some problems, but most of the puzzles are straightforward and will not make you sweat. Even without a hint or help system, Anna’s Quest follows the typical logic of adventure games and keeps the challenge to a minimum.
Due to the camera and movement system, the biggest challenge is to collect all the candy pieces that serve as collectibles. But if you pay attention to the dialogues, you will always know what the next steps should be. Still, there are some odd choices, especially when it comes to game design. You will around between the different scenes in order to make the game look longer.
Also, there are quite many objects that feel like filler, since they have no real utility, not even to give more flavor to the world. Overall you are looking at around 8 hours of gameplay time, with no replay value whatsoever. Neither the puzzles nor the story would ever make you want to return to this stale. Especially that the two tasks that could have made you increase your brain usage can be skipped by pressing a button.
As mentioned earlier, Anna will meet a lot of characters and situations hinting at well-known children’s tales heroes, and locations. If you are familiar with the work of the Brothers Grimm brothers and the German folk stories you will recognize Hansel, The Magic Mirror, or the Glass Mountain. Despite the source of inspiration, most of the NPCs you will interact with feel unusually tame and flat for a Daedalic game. Even compared to Night of the Rabbit or The Whispered World, Anna’s Quest comes off as safe and unassuming.
The biggest disappointment next to the design of these characters is the way dialogues unfold. The entire game lacks the wits and sparks that we got used to, and it just drags on and on. Anna is the archetype of innocence without a bad bone in her body, and as a result, many will find her unidimensional and almost boring. She is light years away from the sarcasm of Sadwick or the wacky personality of Edna, making the best part of the game when you are reliving the memories of someone else. The excuse of trying to target younger audiences does not completely work, because you cannot help but feel that the fun and humor got lost somewhere along the way.
The same can be said about the visuals, which give the vibe of a generic cartoon. Unlike in the case of Edna and Harvey: The Breakout, where the simplicity fits the general atmosphere, in Anna’s Quest we would have loved to see some more creativity. The lack of details makes the game feel bland and does not fit the themes the game has been built upon.
Surprisingly, the control scheme is better and more precise than in other Daedalic games. But the greatest issue remains the pieces of candy hidden in various scenes, which are a pain in the but to collect using a controller instead of a mouse. The music compliments the atmosphere the developers had been trying to build but is completely forgettable just as the voice acting lacking any emotion.
Conclusion
Anna’s Quest is a solid adventure game, that fails to become memorable. Both the puzzles and the story are just too generic, the characters are lacking emotion, and once finished, most probably you will never feel the need to spin it up again.
The dialogues are plain and the pace of the story is way too slow, with only a few moments you could actually call funny. The simple graphics do not bring justice to the fairy tale theme of the game, and overall Anna’s Quest is far from the level we come to expect from Daedalic.
Review code provided by the publisher.
