Last month I reviewed the eighth game in a lengthy series, Dark Parables: The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide, and today I’m going to review the ninth in the series, Dark Parables: Queen of Sands. There will be a makeup look at the end inspired by the game so if you’re only interested in that feel free to scroll down. I’m not very tech savvy so while I will mention the game system requirements, I probably won’t be able to answer any tech questions. This also isn’t a walk through, only a review. Now onto the review!

Game Series Information

Dark Parables is a series of PC video games that currently includes fifteen separate games, there will be more in the future. The games were originally created by a company called Blue Tea Games but later games were created by another company, Eipix. All fifteen games have a common theme, reimagined fairy tales with a dark twist. They are each connected in some way and each one builds on the previous which makes for a huge, dynamic universe. These games are more adult versions of childhood fairy tales but they are pretty tame and would be suitable, in my opinion, for preteens and up. All of the games are what is considered a “point and click adventure.” They also contain mini games and hidden/fragmented object scenes.

Game System Requirements

• OS: Windows XP/Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8
• CPU: 1.6 GHz
• RAM: 1024 MB
• DirectX: 9.0
• Hard Drive: 856 MB

Game Synopsis

Townspeople are disappearing in the provincial city of Montafleur as its streets are overrun by nightmarish creatures that vanish into a purple mist. The Red Riding Hood Sisters were called in to investigate, but they’ve got their hands full chasing a ferocious beast last seen along the outskirts of town. Explore the lush French countryside as you team up with Ruth and Brianne to uncover the dark secrets behind Montafleur’s world-famous perfumes. Unmask the true villain, before their nightmares spread to the entire world.

My Thoughts

Queen of Sands is the second Dark Parables release to be created primarily by the gaming company, Eipix. It was released in 2015. I have the same issues with this game that I did with The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide, primarily the game play mechanics.

The first seven games that were created by the gaming company Blue Tea Games were all smooth with very short loading screens and no lag. This game, and all the ones after it, not only have longer loading screens before the game starts but they also lag as you move from location to location and when you enter the fragmented object scenes. I did notice that this game seemed to lag less than The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide, however. These are not issues that make the game unplayable but they sure make it less enjoyable.

The music and graphics are sub par when compared to the original Blue Tea Games. I do find the graphics in this game to be prettier than The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide but that’s just my opinion. I have raved about both of those aspects in my previous reviews and they’re part of why I love these games so much. Blue Tea Games knows how to expertly use color and music to help convey emotion, Eipix does not. These are supposed to be DARK PARABLES, they should have a darker feel and tone to them. In The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide, the colors, while pretty, are very bright. They’re almost so bright that you can’t decipher details in the scenes. It’s not that the scenes are ugly, they’re not, they just don’t fit with the rest of the series. Queen of Sands is a bit more toned down, which is why I like it more, but it’s still very bright. The music is unmemorable but, if you’re interested, here’s a link to a collection of music for the entire Dark Parables series. It’s worth checking out for the first seven games alone.

As for the story line, I thought it was fine. It wasn’t really detailed or intriguing but it wasn’t awful. It’s loosely based on the story of Beauty and the Beast but primarily revolves around the Sandman, a mythological creature. There are a few references to previous games which I typically enjoy. We, the detective, are assisted by the Red Riding Hood Sisters who we first met in the fourth game, The Red Riding Hood Sisters. We’re also briefly helped by Rapunzel from the seventh game, Ballad of Rapunzel. Rapunzel’s cameo felt very odd and like they were just trying to throw in more references to the previous, and more beloved, games. The main characters were just kind of boring. There’s Eric, the prince that has been cursed into the form of a lion, and Mab, the Queen of Sands and sort of villain. All games by Eipix just lack detail when it comes to the story so it’s difficult to be really invested or get to know the characters.

The bonus game is based on the fairy tale The Seven Ravens. In it we learn more about Mab’s backstory and I did enjoy it. As always, there are two versions of this game available for purchase, the original for $10.00 or the Collector’s Edition for $20.00. I DO still recommend buying it but only if, like me, you want to complete the overall story being told throughout the series.

Makeup Look

My inspiration for this look was Mab’s dress and just her color palette in general, you can see her in the last picture up above. I really loved the berry and cooler tones. I like the way this look turned out and I’m going to let you know step by step how I did it. I’ll go in the order of the swatches on my wrist, top to bottom and left to right. I used a few eyeshadows and other products that I haven’t reviewed before so I’ll link to where you can purchase them and if I have reviewed it, I’ll link to my review. I did set my primer with a random cream eyeshadow and won’t be mentioning it below.

1. I blended the single shadow Forbidden from ShopMissA above my natural crease.
2. I then blended the shade Look-See from the Colourpop You Had Me at Hello Palette underneath Forbidden and lightly into my crease.
3. I blended the shade Sleeper from the Colourpop It’s My Pleasure Palette into my crease to add depth.
4. I applied the single shadow Worth from ShopMissA from the outermost part of my lid to around the center.
5. I applied the shade Mr. Sandman (very fitting for a game based on the Sandman) from the Colourpop It’s My Pleasure Palette from the innermost part of my lid to the middle where it blended into Worth.
6. I mixed the shade Earthshine from the Colourpop It’s My Pleasure Palette and the shade Butter Cake from the Colourpop Yes Please Palette into my inner corner and on my brow bone.
7. I then lined my lower lash line with Sleeper and smudged Look-See underneath it.

Brushes Used:

• Detail Crease Brush
• Tapered Blending Brush
• Flat Eyeshadow Brush
• Small Angled Brush
• Smudge Brush
• Eye Crease Brush
• Blending Brush, I used this brush to blend out the edges.

Here’s the other noticeable products on my face (for everything I’m wearing, check my Instagram): blush- Flower Beauty Blush in Wild Rose, highlighter- Laura Geller Baked Highlighter in Diamond Dust and lipstick- NYX Suede Matte in Subversive Socialite.

Final Thoughts

That is everything for this video game review and makeup look! What are your favorite video games to play? Does the Dark Parables series look interesting to you? Thanks for reading and have a great day!