Today I’m going to review the eleventh game in the lengthy Dark Parables series, The Swan Princess and The Dire Tree. Back in November, I reviewed the tenth game, Dark Parables: Goldilocks and the Fallen Star. 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: 2.0 GHz
• RAM:1024 MB
• DirectX: 9.0
• Hard Drive: 993 MB

Game Synopsis:

The game takes place on the fictional Dire Island, home of the Swan Kingdom. As the Fairytale Detective, we are summoned to the island to retrieve a Magic Seed that has been stolen by a former member of the Swan Guard. Once we do so, events take a rather sinister turn.

My Thoughts:

The Swan Princess and The Dire Tree was released in 2016 and is the fourth game in the series created solely by Eipix. I’ve given mostly negative reviews to all of the games in this series created by Eipix but I actually really like this one.

My main issues with the previous three games were the game play mechanics and story development… or lack thereof. The game play mechanics for this one aren’t much better and it’s a bit laggy as you move from location to location but it did seem to be marginally improved. There is a fast travel option included in the game map and by using it the issue can be avoided altogether.

The graphics and the music, however, were perfect; I would consider them to be on par with the original seven Dark Parables games. If you’re interested in the music from the entire series, you can listen to it here.

The story development was also excellent and I felt that this game really added to the overall story being told throughout the series. We play as the Detective who has been sent to Dire Island, the home of the Swan Guard, to apprehend the Black Swan. The Black Swan is a traitor and wanted for stealing the new magic seed from the top of the Dire Tree, which allows the goddess Flora to regenerate her powers. Without the seed, the restoration ceremony cannot take place, and therefore, the life force of Dire Island, and the world will begin to die. This game ties into the second game, The Exiled Prince, and the seventh game, Ballad of Rapunzel.  The game as a whole is loosely based on the Russian ballet, Swan Lake.

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 recommend the Collector’s Edition because it includes a bonus game that I feel adds to the story. Now let’s get into the makeup look!

Makeup Look:

This look was inspired by all the colors of the swans in the game; black, white and gray. I used these palettes: Morphe 35V (shades Knockout & Little Black Book), Lorac Shine Bright (shades Crepe & Haze) and Juvia’s Place Nubian Coral (shades are unnamed but all the gray/silver ones). As always, I used the essence Colour Intensifying Eyeshadow Primer and set the primer with a cream shade. Not all of the shades I used have names so I’ll just describe what they look like. I’ll go in the order of the swatches on my wrist, left to right.

• I blended a matte light gray above my natural crease in an arch, near my brow bone.
• I then blended a deeper matte gray into my crease.
• I applied a deep metallic charcoal onto the outermost part of my lid.
• I applied a light metallic silver over the rest of my lid.
• I applied a white shimmer in my inner corner and on my brow bone.
• I smudged a matte jet black on my lower lash line.

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.

If you are curious about any of the other products on my face, you can find this look in my recent posts on Instagram.

Final Thoughts:

I hope you all enjoyed today’s review and makeup look! I would love to know if this game or series sounds interesting to you and what you think about the look I created! Thanks for reading and have a great day!