Dark Parables

Dark Parables
Genres Adventure, puzzle, hidden object
Developer(s) Blue Tea Games
Eipix Entertainment
Publisher(s) Big Fish Games
Platforms Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, Android (operating system)
First release Dark Parables: Curse of Briar Rose
March 11, 2010
Latest release Dark Parables: Return of the Salt Princess
March 15, 2018

Dark Parables is a casual game series originally developed by Blue Tea Games, developed by Eipix Entertainment for games 8-13, and produced by Eipix Entertainment from then on. The games are distributed by Big Fish Games. They are available for PC, Mac OS, iOS and Android devices. The series features ‘Hidden Object’ scenes where, in order to progress through a game, the player must find all the pieces that make up a certain item to be used as a 'cause and effect' in another area of the game. Every game in the series is based around a different fairy tale, with some overlap between games, there is also some divergence from the series' continuity in storylines (especially while Eipix Entertainment took up the franchise).

There have been fourteen games in the Dark Parables series to date.[1] In each installment the player plays as "The Fairytale Detective", a detective who is dispatched to exotic locations to investigate reports of disturbances of suspected/confirmed fairytale nature. Although in the games the player is simply addressed as "Detective", the appellation "The Fairytale Detective" is used for the first time in the third installment, and again in the sixth and tenth installment.

History

Dark Parables was inspired by the amazing comic book series, Fables. Also at that time, the epitome of adventure hidden object game experience was Return to Ravenhearst. I wanted to merge the strong stories similar to Fables with the gameplay experience of RTR, while adding innovative features that makes our brand stand out. This is what became of Dark Parables.

the owner of Blue Tea Games, Steven Zhao[2]

Owner and creative director of Blue Tea Games, Steven Zhao, stated in an interview that inspirations for Dark Parables were the comic book series Fables and casual game Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst.[2]

Installments

Part 1 - Curse of Briar Rose

Dark Parables: Curse of Briar Rose is the first installment in the Dark Parables franchise and was released on March 11, 2010. Set in Edinburgh, Scotland, the player takes on the role of The Detective to investigate and discover the true tale of the real Sleeping Beauty, and save her from the disembodied spirit of the evil sorceress who originally cursed her, and who now needs a new body and has her sights set on Briar Rose's.[3] After Briar Rose is reawakened, she tells you of the "fabled Frog Prince, who still walks amongst us to this day", setting up events for the following game, The Exiled Prince.

The bonus gameplay in this game is titled "The Spinning Room" and serves as a further teaser for the following game, The Exiled Prince, by introducing the fact that Princess Briar Rose had a sister named Princess Ivy, (who, in The Exiled Prince, is James the Frog Prince's first and one true love).

Part 2 - The Exiled Prince

Dark Parables: The Exiled Prince is the second installment in the Dark Parables franchise and was released on February 25, 2011. Set in Black Forest, Germany, the player as The Detective is sent to investigate the tale of The Frog Prince after the disappearance of the chancellor's daughter. It is revealed the fabled prince is still alive, cursed with Immortality, and now roams the deserted path in the forest, capturing unsuspecting visitors trying to find a solution to his curse.[4]

After rescuing the chancellor's daughter, she told the detective about the appearance of the alleged 'white lady', which is actually the Snow Queen in the next installment Rise of the Snow Queen. In connection to this, the bonus gameplay in this game is titled "The Frozen Lair" and was a teaser for the following game, Rise of the Snow Queen.

Part 3 - Rise of the Snow Queen

Dark Parables: Rise of the Snow Queen,the third installment in the series, was released on December 2, 2011. Set in the Bernese Alps, Switzerland, the player journeys into the mythical Snowfall Kingdom and investigate the disappearance of several children. The legendary Snow Queen has risen and has been terrorizing nearby villages with her supernatural powers in her search for the "Golden Child". The player must rescue the missing children and put a stop to the fabled queen's plan.[5]

The bonus gameplay in this game is based on the tale "Hansel and Gretel", revealing the origin of "the Golden Child" seen in Rise of the Snow Queen. The player is Hansel as he rescues his sister from a witch and releases a goddess from captivity.

Part 4 - The Red Riding Hood Sisters

Dark Parables: The Red Riding Hood Sisters is the fourth installment in the Dark Parables franchise and was released on September 21, 2012. Set in the forests of the Vosges Mountains, Eastern France, the player as the detective returns to defeat the fabled Wolf Queen.[6]

The bonus gameplay in this game is based on the fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", telling the backstory of how the Mist Kingdom became overrun by the Mist Wolves. The player is 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf', as he seeks to save his father from the Greedy King of the Mist Kingdom and rescue a mermaid from captivity.

Part 5 - The Final Cinderella

Dark Parables: The Final Cinderella is the fifth installment in the Dark Parables franchise, and was released on May 23, 2013. Set in the Matese mountains of southern Italy. For decades, a mysterious witch, known as "Godmother", has been hunting maidens, in search of the legendary "Cinderella"; a pure-hearted maiden. Play as the fabled detective, venture into the mirror world to rescue this Final Cinderella alongside Pinocchio, from the evil Godmother's clutches, and stop her evil plans to steal the girl's pure soul!

The bonus gameplay is called "The Oriental Cinderella". It tells the story of a Chinese Princess, Shan Mao, a "Cinderella", who was turned into a nine-tailed fox by the Spider Witch, who is in fact her evil stepsister, Princess Chi. You, the player, play as the Prince, (whose marriage proposal Princess Shan Mao has accepted), as he goes on a quest to save Shan, with the help of Godmother (before she turned evil, showing how she met Geppetto), from Princess Chi.

After the end credits, it reveals that the next installment will center around "Jack and the Beanstalk".

Part 6 - Jack and the Sky Kingdom

Dark Parables: Jack and the Sky Kingdom is the sixth installment in the Dark Parables series released on February 6, 2014. Accompanied by a legendary and infamous Robin Hood-esque fortune hunter called Jack, the Fairytale Detective ventures up to the Sky Kingdom, (a mythical floating kingdom), after chunks of it have rained down upon a town in Alblasserwaard, South Holland, and discover the history behind the chaos and stop the Sky Kingdom King and Princes' wreaking havoc and destruction. The bonus gameplay is called "Rumpelstiltskin and the Queen". It tells the story of how the young Queen of the Sky Kingdom, (the miller's daughter from "Rumpelstiltskin") rescues her infant daughter from Rumpelstiltskin.

Part 7 - Ballad of Rapunzel

Dark Parables: Ballad of Rapunzel is the seventh installment in the Dark Parables series, released on June 26, 2014. The events of the seventh installment are set at "the ruins of the ancient Floralia kingdom, (named for the kingdom's patron, the Roman goddess, Flora) on this mountain," Mount Sněžka, Czech Republic, in Central Europe, and the game is set 10-years after the events of 'Rise of the Snow Queen'. Along with Gerda and Prince Ross Red (Snow White's estranged fraternal twin brother), the player explores the cause of the waves of deadly pollen that is building to spread across the land.

The Bonus Chapter gameplay is called "The Thumbelina Curse". Following the events of The Ballad of Rapunzel, the player play as Gerda, the Golden Child (descendant of Hansel, the first Golden Child), as she seeks to locate Kai, who disappeared at the beginning of the Main game.

Part 8 - The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide

Dark Parables: The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide is the eighth installment in the Dark Parables series. It is the first sequel developed by Eipix Entertainment. The Collector’s Edition was released on November 13, 2014 for PC and Mac, with an iOS version released afterwards. The events of the eighth installment are set the Island of Crete, off of the coast of Greece, in the Mediterranean Sea. As the Detective, the player must investigate the "Legendary Sunken Kingdom of Prasino" (under the patronage of the ancient Greek Goddess, Thalassa), after reports of a Purple Tide approaching the coastline, killing all marine life in its path and flooding a coastal village.

The Bonus Chapter gameplay in this game is called "Trusty John and King Bluebeard".

Part 9 - The Queen of Sands

Dark Parables: Queen of Sands is the ninth installment of the Dark Parables series, once again developed by Eipix Entertainment. The Collector’s Edition was released on May 21, 2015 for PC and Mac, with iOS and Android versions to be released at a later date.

In the (fictional) town of Montafleur, provincial France, the streets are overrun by a purple mist created by the "Queen of Sands", transforming all of the townsfolk exposed into nightmarish creatures. As the Detective, the player must find the source of the mist and assist the Red Riding Hood Sisters, an organization first met in the fourth installment.

The Bonus chapter is centred around the Parable of The Seven Ravens.

Part 10 - Goldilocks and the Fallen Star

Dark Parables: Goldilocks and the Fallen Star is the tenth game of Dark Parables franchise. The CE was released on November 19, 2015. The Detective is sent to the fictional Lake Symhir (possibly based on an area of Russia) and the Kingdom of Barsia to investigate mechanical stag attacks occurring in the kingdom.

The bonus gameplay linked to this game is titled The Golden Slumber, and it centers around Jack (from the sixth installment) and his fiancee Emma who has fallen comatose. It is the Detective's job to wake her.

Part 11 - The Swan Princess and the Dire Tree

Dark Parables: The Swan Princess and The Dire Tree is the eleventh installment of the Dark Parables series.[7] It was released on July 7, 2016 as Collector's Edition version. The Detective is sent to the fictional Dire Island (possibly based on a region of Ireland) to investigate odd cracks threatening to destroy the island. A member of the Swan Guard, faithful protectors of nature, has stolen a seed necessary for the Dire Tree to keep living.

The bonus gameplay linked to this game is A Fable of Two Hearts, and it centers around the romance between a member of the Swan Guard who chose love over duty and her husband Prince James (from the second installment).

Part 12 - The Thief and the Tinderbox

Dark Parables: The Thief and the Tinderbox is the twelfth installment of the Dark Parables series. It was released on September 22, 2016 as a Collector's Edition version. The Detective returns to the Snowfall Kingdom to investigate a thief who is setting fire to the kingdom's forests. The Detective is also there to join Prince Gwyn and Gerda's wedding, two characters who appeared in the third installment of the series.

The bonus gameplay linked to this game is The Journey of Atonement, in which the thief tries to right his wrongs by venturing to the edge of the world to stow the Tinderbox's evil forever.

Part 13 - Requiem for the Forgotten Shadow

Dark Parables: Requiem for the Forgotten Shadow is the thirteenth installment of the Dark Parables series.The Collector's Edition game was released on February 24th, 2017 on the Big Fish Games site. The Detective must investigate a mysterious illness plaguing the fictional town of Anaben at the base of the Swiss Alps, whose residents are losing their shadows. But in doing so, the Detective discovers a ritual to revive a fallen evil and a romance between the most unlikely lovers. This is the last game in the Dark Parables franchise to be developed by Eipix Entertainment.

The bonus gameplay linked to this game is Out of the Shadows, in which the Detective must rescue the Duke and Duchess of Anaben from an unknown evil and stop his plot to revive another evil.

Part 14 - Return of the Salt Princess

Dark Parables: Return of the Salt Princess is the fourteenth installment of the Dark Parables series. The Collector's Edition version was released on March 15, 2018 on the Big Fish Games site. In this game, Blue Tea's return to the series, the Detective must investigate the return of the Grak Kingdom's princess in Krakow, Poland. There has also been an odd case of things turning into salt, and the Detective must both find the princess and put a stop to the salt.

The bonus gameplay linked to this game is Moonlight Romance, which revolves around the romance between two of the game's characters (set 100 years prior to the events of the game). The bonus is based on many different types of oriental folklore, namely the tale of Chang'e and The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. The player assumes the role of a princess in this bonus, based on the figure Princess Wanda.

References

  1. ↑ "Big Fish Games presents the Blue Tea Games collection". Big Fish Games. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  2. 1 2 "Series Spotlight: Dark Parables". Big Fish Games. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  3. ↑ "Dark Parables: Curse of the Briar Rose Collector's Edition Game Download for PC". Big Fish Games. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  4. ↑ "Dark Parables: The Exiled Prince Collector's Edition Game Download for PC". Big Fish Games. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  5. ↑ "Dark Parables: Rise of the Snow Queen Collector's Edition Game Download for PC". Big Fish Games. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  6. ↑ "Dark Parables: The Red Riding Hood Sisters Collector's Edition Game Download for PC". Big Fish Games. Retrieved 2012-09-23.
  7. ↑ "Dark Parables: The Swan Princess and The Dire Tree Collector's Edition". Big Fish Games. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
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