Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery is the follow up to Lost Grimores: Stolen Kingdom, a game I had a lot of fun with. Learn more about this sequel in our Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery review!

 

So far I’ve had a blast with all the PS4 games from Artifex Mundi games since I am very much in my element withe these point and click adventure/hidden object puzzle games. They are very relaxing and the stories are always fun to experience, and the gameplay mechanics keep me going until the end – and the extra modes that take the spot of the hidden object puzzles are also fun on the side!

This time around the story has more of a romance theme to it. Just before Prince Fern’s Coronation he disappears with a mysterious girl. You play as a Royal Protector who is tasked with finding where Prince Fern is and bringing him back for his Coronation festivities. As the game gets underway you will come across a magical forest full of wonderful creatures and tons of puzzles to solve, leading you into enchanted labyrinths as you look for Prince Fern. You will also come across the evil Drosera who is trying to stop you… but you won’t let this slow you down, right?

As is the case for other Artifex Mundi games, you will navigate the very pretty hand-drawn scenes, and within each one you will find a puzzle to solve or an NPC with a clue you might need. In your inventory you will the ability have to zoom in on objects, and you’ll sometimes need to solve a smaller puzzle for said item to be useful for your quest! For example, say you pick up a wooden owl, but upon inspecting it you find some broken parts that you can remove. Problem is, you’ll need to remove said pants and find new ones to make the owl work again, so you will then have to explore the environments to find the missing replacement parts.

Another interesting puzzle type is the standard hidden object puzzles that you either love or hate in which you are presented with a screen full of clutter and you need to find the correct shaped key to unlock the list of words you need to find within the clutter. I quite liked this method of giving us a hidden objects puzzle since it adds a level of challenge, and it keeps things fresh after so many games from Artifex Mundi.

You can also create spells by doing a puzzle that is similar to a match-three puzzler where you have to match certain numbers of each color to create the spells. They are not at all difficult but again bring something different to the table to bring some welcome variety. There is also a casual mode in the game in case you want to get hints faster, and when playing in this mode you won’t be penalized for your mistakes. But if you want a challenge you can definitely play in Expert mode, have hints take longer to regenerate and be penalized for the mistakes you make here and there.

What is an Artifex Mundi game without collectibles? For Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery you have 31 roses to collect which will keep you busy for several hours since some are easier to spot than others, but at least finding them will earn you a trophy for your collection. So if you want to add a new Platinum trophy to your collection you should keep your eyes open and be ready to search high and low!

The hand-drawn graphics are colorful, bright and look great, which is what we come to expect in a game from Artifex Mundi – they have a formula that works and that allows them to produce great looking art to complement the experience. The voice acting is also good and helps to elevate the story telling for this 3 to 4 hour game – your mileage may vary based on how good you are at puzzle games. There is no additional campaign this time around after you finish the story, but it’s not a deal-breaker since I’m sure we’ll soon be able to enjoy the third entry in the series.

Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery is another fun point and click adventure/hidden object puzzle game on Sony’s home console and one I can easily recommend, even more so if you’re a fan of Artifex Mundi. I look forward to playing the next game they send our way!

Disclaimer
This Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Artifex Mundi.