Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze

Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze
Developer(s)	KatGames
Publisher(s)	PlayFirst
Director(s)	Miguel Tartaj
Producer(s)	Angel Inokon
Designer(s)	Miguel Tartaj
Programmer(s)	David Gonzalez Miguel Angel Linan
Artist(s)	Pablo Vietto 3dBrigade Bon Art Studio
Writer(s)	Eleanor Burian-Mohr Michelle Woods Alexei Othenin-Girard Cornerstore Entertainment
Composer(s)	Adam Gubman
Series	Dream Chronicles
Engine	Playground SDK
Version	1.0.0.91
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release date(s)	Download: February 14, 2008[1] Retail: May 23, 2008[2][3] December 21, 2009 (+ Pt.1)[4] September 3, 2010 (+ Pt.1 & 3)[5]
Genre(s)	Adventure, hidden object, puzzle
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: E Apple: 4+
Media/distribution	Digital download, CD ROM
System requirements Windows 2000 or later, Pentium III 700 MHz processor or faster. Mac OS X 10.4 or later, G4 800 MHz processor or faster. 128 MB RAM or bigger. 800×600 minimum screen resolution. 40 MB available hard drive space. DirectX 7.0 or higher. A sound card is recommended. Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher.

Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze (often shortened to Dream Chronicles 2 or The Eternal Maze) is a 2008 adventure, hidden object, and puzzle casual game developed by KatGames and published by PlayFirst. It is the first sequel to 2007's award-winning game Dream Chronicles, also the second installment in the Dream Chronicles series, plus the middle part of the first trilogy called Faye's Journey. Follow the events of the first game, it tells the story of a mortal woman named Faye who wakes up from a powerful fairy's dream spell, and continues the quest to search then save her kidnapped fairy husband and imprisoned little daughter. With help from her mother-in-law, Faye travels deeply into the Fairy Realm where no mortal like her has entered before, containing lots of obstacles and magical fairy locks. Upon solving them, the answers provide clues that help Faye restore her family, and eventually unravel the mystery of this strange realm.^[6]

Dream Chronicles 2 was first presented limitedly as a beta version on December 8, 2007. It was officially released as a digital download on February 14, 2008. Soon after its initial release, Dream Chronicles 2 became a casual game hit like Dream Chronicles, reaching number-one of seven major casual game charts and peaking inside top ten on many other game charts.^[1] The game itself received mostly positive receptions from casual game critics, calling it "an endearing, intriguing and original quest, a fairy-tale that both enchants and entertains from beginning to end."^[7] It also won two awards, "Top Adventure Game of 2008" and "Best World Design", in the first annual RealArcade Great Games Awards held in mid-2009.^[8] Dream Chronicles 2 was preceded by the original game Dream Chronicles and followed by Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze is more involved than that in the original game. Whereas in the first Dream Chronicles, players as Faye would solve one scene and then move on to the next level, in this game they may need to move between relative scenes in a separate area in order to progress.^[9] The objects that players find may be used in a scene other than the one they found it in. Objects will stay in inventory until players need to use them. All objects that players are able to pick up will serve a purpose, whether they are used in that scene or not.^[9] A lot of times in this game the pieces players pick up may only be used as they get to the next scene.^[10] Some items may not become visible in a scene right away, players must perform other tasks first before they become visible.^[11]

Each level becomes more complex as players advance through the game, and how players solve the puzzles will vary greatly.^[9] There are many puzzle types in game: logic puzzles, Simon-style memory games, jigsaw games, scramble words, maze puzzles...^[7][10] If players are having difficulty with a level they can go back and reset the level. It will bring players back to the beginning of the closet area.^[11] This feature only appeared in Dream Chronicles 2. For the first time in the series, players can enjoy the experience of solving maze puzzles.^[7] The game contains two underground labyrinths, one in the ninth scene, and the other one in the last/twenty-fifth scene. However, they are sometimes criticized for their highly difficult level which prevents players from completing the whole game.^[12] As a result, Dream Chronicles 2 has been considered as the most difficult Dream Chronicles game so far.

Dream Jewels, previously a mere bonus for high scores, now have a function. Collecting these transparent gems and you're presented with a word scramble to unravel, one that offers clues to a future conundrum. Players will be asked a question and provided with a number of words. Their task is to put all the words into a sentence, and after they find the answer, they are given more detailed information on this question.^[10] Players can choose "Meditate Now" to tackle the poser right away or "Unlock Secret" in the diary to solve it later.^[7] There are 138 Dream Pieces molding eight Dream Jewels to complete in a given game, and fifteen ones in total. Players need to replay the game several times before they can receive all the Dream Jewels. In order to activate these Jewels, players must find the Dream Pieces first.^[9]

In the end, players earn a high score. The faster how players can complete the game, the more Dream Pieces they can find, the more Dream Jewels they can find and answer their mysteries, the better score they will earn. When players play again under the same name, they will have new Dream Jewel puzzles to solve, and some of the items will be in different locations.

Synopsis

Setting

There are twenty-fifth main scenes and six large areas featuring in the game:

• The Forgotten Prison: There are 3 chambers in this prison. Fairies that fought the elements of nature were imprisoned here.

• The Ancient's Place: This is the birthplace of the fairy race. Fairies have kept its location secret from mortals for thousands of years. It is protected by an impenetrable force field, making it an ideal spot for Lilith to imprison a mortal like Faye in Dream Chronicles 2.

• The Mortal Maze: This is the underground tunnel that leads from the fairy realm to the mortal realm.

• Merrow's Cottage: Merrow's cottage was once a sanctuary for fairies escaping into the mortal realm.

• The Tower of Dreams: It holds all the knowledge, wisdom, history, and insights of the fairies. Because of the value of its contents, it is guarded by five ancient Fairy Knights and each floor is protected by ingenious locks. The upper floor is where dreams can be made and watched.

• The Eternal Maze: As a final safeguard so that no mortal could ever enter or leave the Ancients' Place, the fairies created an underground maze with no light and no map. Unfortunately, this made fairy passage almost impossible as well, and so some of the fairies created a map to help them find their way between realms.

Characters

First four people listed below are the main characters, while the others play the minor roles.

• Faye is a mortal woman who is the main protagonist of Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze, and the Faye's Journey trilogy. She has woken up in a stone chamber after the long journey in search of her husband Fidget only to realize that Lilith, the Fairy Queen of Dreams, has locked her in a fairy prison, and taken Fidget away once again. She soon discovers that her daughter Lyra has been taken as well. Faye continues her lonely yet dangerous quest to rescue Fidget, and is able to save him. She soon explores many secrets about her in-law family's birthplace: fairy origin, fairy legends and the Fairy Realm's mysteries. According to Fidget, Faye is "a strong and smart and persistent woman" who never gives up hopes and always tries hard to get her family back to their old peaceful days. Faye doesn't appear in person because players play as her point of view.

• 

  Lilith is casting a dream spell by using her very powerful crystal ball
  Lilith as Fairy Queen of Dreams is the main antagonist of the Faye's Journey trilogy. She is a powerful fairy trying to separate Faye's family, and her ultimate ambition is to marry Faye's fairy husband Fidget and to be even powerful than she is now. In Dream Chronicles 2, she abducts Fidget again, plus puts numerous obstacles to prevent Faye from reaching her.

• Fidget is Faye's husband, Lyra's father, and a fairy raised in the mortal world by his fairy parents Aeval and Tangle. Being brought to the Fairy Realm by Lilith, Fidget is finally released at the end of the game, right under the ground of the Enchanted Tree lying near the Tower of Dreams.

• Aeval as Fairy Queen of Flora is Fidget's mother, Faye's mother-in-law, and Faye's guide in this game. Both Aeval and her plants try to help Faye find Fidget. Aeval is only much mentioned in this game.

• Merrow is an inventor who lives in the Mortal Realm, also used to be Tangle's mentor. His love of science angered Lilith's mother, Fairy Queen of Darkness, who stripped him of all his powers. Merrow helped Aeval and Tangle escape to the Mortal Realm, and for this Aeval gave him the power to communicate with plants. In Dream Chronicles 2, he, as a human-talking plant, helps Faye reach the Tower of Dreams, and then disappears strangely.

• Dream Librarian is the keeper of all knowledge in the Fairy Realm. She is the closet person to Fairy Lord, and is his loyal adviser too. This character doesn't appear, as she is only mentioned through Dream Jewels' secrets in the game.

• Lyra is the daughter of Faye and Fidget. She has been kidnapped right before Lilith releases her father Fidget. Lyra's unusual fate is revealed in Dream Jewels' secrets emphasizing that she will be a very important character in the future.

Story

The Tower of Dreams holds all the knowledge, wisdom, history, and insights of the fairies race.

A mortal woman named Faye had a dream in which she was on the search of her fairy husband Fidget. The couple were almost united until the Fairy Queen of Dreams, Lilith, came and separated them. Lilith brought Fidget with her, and sent Faye to a forgotten fairy prison where no mortal has ever escaped from. Waking up from Lilith's dream spell for the second time, Faye soon realizes her real-life situation, which makes her highly confused. Meanwhile, the Fairy Queen of Flora and her mother-in-law, Aeval, appears and is able to communicate with Faye through magic plants, as she helps Faye find a way out.^[7] Escaping from the prison rooms, Faye finds the Ancients' Place (known as the fairy race's birthplace) where fairies used to live for a long time ago. She has to face numerous magical obstacles arranged by Lilith, as she continues preventing directly Faye from ruining her almost-perfect plan: marrying Fidget, and becoming more powerful.^[9] Aeval looks at the nearest crystal ball, informs Faye that her daughter Lyra is no longer sleeping in her bed, and it is assumed that Lilith has taken her hostage.^[10] Aeval also tells Faye to hurry, as Fidget's hope of being rescued is fading, and he may succumb to marrying Lilith. After roaming through the Mortals' Maze, Faye arrives at the cottage of an Aeval's old fairy friend named Merrow, an inventor who lives in the Mortal Realm, and asks for his help rescuing Fidget and Lyra. Faye actually finds Merrow himself in his secret lab, and is surprised with his appearance as a human-talking plant which is another result of his crazy experiments. Merrow agrees to take Faye to the Tower of Dreams where, according to him, Fidget and Lyra are being kept hostage by Lilith. There is a strange tree lying beside the Tower, but Merrow declares that it is not important. So Faye doesn't notice the tree, and enters the Tower (which no mortal has done before) without Merrow's help as he can't enter. The Tower of Dreams is also where one of the closest Fairy Lord's advisers, Dream Librarian, lived and studied. That explains why each floor is locked with a genius lock: melodies, books, instruments, chess pieces, statues and a bed. Reaching the top floor, Faye founds a bed reminding her of the same one in her Town of Wish. Having suffered enough nightmares since the husband was abducted, Faye just wants to take a short nap. But as soon as she touches the bed, Aeval warns Faye that Merrow is a traitor, and that she must escape from this dangerous Tower. Faye jumps out of the Tower's window and is caught by Aeval's vines. Aeval then leads Faye to the Eternal Tree which is actually the one that she skipped before, and where Fidget and Lyra are thought to be being held. Faye enters the Tree, finds a sleeping Fidget and Lyra's favorite teddy bear. Aeval tells Faye to obtain a Root Potion from the Eternal Maze that will awaken Fidget. After Faye emerges from the Eternal Maze with the potion, the teddy bear vanishes. Faye gives the potion to Fidget, and the couple are finally reunited, but they must find their missing daughter now.

In the extra cut-scene, after putting the book named Dream Chronicles: The Eternal Maze back to bookshelf, Faye declares that finding Lyra is all to her. Unless she finds Lyra, there will be the end to her and Fidget all.

Release and post-release

Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze was first presented limitedly as a beta version on December 8, 2007 for the publisher PlayFirst's players. A game preview and the teaser trailer appeared the first time on Gamezebo in January 2008. It was officially released on February 14, 2008 by PlayFirst,^[1] and promoted: "With its attention to detail in storyline and gameplay, KatGames has built upon its initial work to deliver an expanded sequel - with longer gameplay, more puzzles and more depth - that will keep players even more firmly immersed than the spellbinding original."^[6] Following the successful footstep of the previous game, Dream Chronicles 2 instantly peaked at number-one on PlayFirst, Pogo.com, Shockwave, Reflexive Arcade, GameHouse, RealArcade and Zylom; number-two on Big Fish Games, SpinTop Games and Logler Global; number-three on iWin.com, Amazon.com and Mac Game Store; peaked inside top ten on Yahoo! Games, MSN Games, Alawar Games and other major casual game charts.^[1]

Reception

Much like the original Dream Chronicles, the game earned positive responses from casual game critics.

Reception
Review scores
Publication	Score
Gamezebo	[7]
Jay Is Games	[9]
Awem Studio	Positive[10]
Adventure Gamers	[13]
Awards "Top Adventure Game of 2008" by RealArcade[8] "Best World Design" by RealArcade[8]

On the second time with the series, Gamezebo's Chuck Miller praised the game: "Like its predecessor, [Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze]'s an amazing piece of craftsmanship. Visuals are beautifully rendered. Each scene features gorgeous imagery, with many including animated objects like falling leaves, rippling pools and tumbling waterfalls. Atmospheric audio accentuates play. Exceptional music and sound effects bring the game's fantastical world to life. Plus, an unexpected plot twist adds to the mystery, while a built-in leaderboard allows you to compare your questing skills with those of other players."^[7] Miller also noticed its "a bit on the short side for an adventure" still he rated the game 4.5/5.0 stars overall.

Ms. 45 from Jay Is Games gave her opinions on the game's impressive production value: "The artwork is impeccable — beautiful, immersive, and extremely good at hiding that last item you desperately need to get to the next level. [...] The overall layout is essentially the same, but the addition of more complex puzzles and useful Dream Jewels scattered around the levels adds a new layer to the experience."^[9]

Meanwhile, Awem Studio highly enjoyed Dream Chronicles 2 and stated: "The sequel Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze follows in its forerunner’s path and delights its players with gorgeous graphics and enchanting music. [...] The artwork is gorgeously dreamy and it adds some special coloring to the entire atmosphere of mystery and enigma. [...] The backdrops are fragrant with eye-soothing nature and landscapes while the sounds of the game are incredibly enchanting and fascinating. The visual and sound aspects are greatly satisfying and create a real Dream World. Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze is one of those games that will be engraved in your memory and win over your heart."^[10]

Adventure Gamers gave the game 3 out of 5, summarizing that the game is "a noticeable improvement over the original, Dream Chronicles 2 nevertheless retains a few too many common adventure-like problems to fulfill its evident potential".^[13]

In July 2009, RealArcade announced that Dream Chronicles 2 won two awards, "Top Adventure Game of 2008" and "Best World Design", in their very first RealGames Great Games Awards.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} CasualCharts.com (2008-02-14). "Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze Detail". CasualCharts.com. http://www.casualcharts.com/games/detail/dreamchronicles2eternalmaze.html. Retrieved 2008-02-14. 
2. ^ Amazon.com (2008-05-23). "Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze on Amazon.com". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AH6O6G. Retrieved 2008-05-23. 
3. ^ Amazon.com (2008-05-23). "Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze (Jewel Case)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AH7W6M. Retrieved 2008-05-23. 
4. ^ Amazon.com (2009-12-21). "Dream Chronicles & Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze (JC)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030VKCVI. Retrieved 2009-12-21. 
5. ^ CasualCharts.com (2010-09-03). "Dream Chronicles Trilogy 1 Bundle Detail". CasualCharts.com. http://www.casualcharts.com/games/detail/dreamchroniclestrilogy1bundle.html. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 
6. ^ ^{a b} PlayFirst (2008-02-19). "PlayFirst Launches Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze". PlayFirst. http://www.playfirst.com/about/news/dreamchronicles2.html. Retrieved 2008-02-19. 
7. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Gamezebo (2008-02-18). "Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze Review". Gamezebo. http://www.gamezebo.com/download-games/dream-chronicles-2-eternal-maze/review. Retrieved 2008-02-18. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d} GameHouse (2009-07-21). "RealGames Recognizes Outstanding Developers with First Annual Great Game Awards". GameHouse. http://www.realnetworks.com/pressroom/releases/2009/cc09_awards.aspx. Retrieved 2009-07-21. 
9. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} JayIsGames.com (2008-02-15). "Dream Chronicles 2". JayIsGames.com. http://jayisgames.com/archives/2008/02/dream_chronicles_2_the_eternal_maze.php. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
10. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Awem.com (2008-11-09). "Dream Chronicles 2. Dreamy World". Awem.com. http://www.awem.com/reviews/dream-chronicles-2.-dreamy-world.html. Retrieved 2008-09-11. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Gamezebo (2008-02-19). "Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze Walkthrough". Gamezebo. http://www.gamezebo.com/download-games/dream-chronicles-2-eternal-maze/walkthrough. Retrieved 2008-02-19. 
12. ^ Gamezebo (2009-04-17). "Dream Chronicles: The Chosen Child Review". Gamezebo. http://www.gamezebo.com/download-games/dream-chronicles-chosen-child/review. Retrieved 2009-04-17. 
13. ^ ^{a b} Allin, Jack (2010-01-18). "Adventure Gamers: Dream Chronicles review". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,1096. Retrieved 2010-12-13. 

External links

• Dream Chronicles 2: The Eternal Maze on PlayFirst
• Dream Chronicles Home on PlayFirst
• Dream Chronicles Page on Facebook