Chronicles of Albian 2 takes us back into the magical world of Albian, as players are challenged with repairing the Wizbury School of Magic by collecting hidden objects, selling them for a profit, and then using those earnings to upgrade walls, buildings, islands, and much more. Its predecessor’s charm and whimsy is definitely back in full force, along with some new gameplay elements that make this an experience not to miss.
Chronicles of Albian 2 takes us back into the magical world of Albian, as players are challenged with repairing the Wizbury School of Magic by collecting hidden objects, selling them for a profit, and then using those earnings to upgrade walls, buildings, islands, and much more. Its predecessor’s charm and whimsy is definitely back in full force, along with some new gameplay elements that make this an experience not to miss.
Chronicles of Albian 2: The Wizbury School of Magic follows the Fairy Godmother Gwendolyn on her trip back to Wizbury School. The school’s gold supplies have been stolen on the eve of an inspection. Without the gold to complete the school’s many necessary repairs, the school faces immediate closure, but we’re here to help. By completing dozens of hidden object scenes, players earn gold that can be used to purchase one of three upgrades for each portion of the school’s grounds (think the garden or home repair of the Gardenscapes games, as an example).
The majority of gameplay in Chronicles of Albian 2 is focused on finding sets of hidden objects in repeated scenes. Scenes are broken into chunks for small chapters in the story, but scenes aren’t just static images containing junk piles and hidden objects. Each has interactive hot spots allowing the camera to zoom in for more detail, and many contain magical spell symbols, puzzles, and other interactive doors, chests, statues, etc. that require some sort of inventory item for activation or completion.
While scenes may be repeated throughout the course of the game, they never become too easy to complete thanks to the addition of new items and puzzles in each. Most of the puzzles are fairly basic, like jigsaw and pipe rotation puzzles, but there are also fun games of Sudoku and Picross to complete along the way as well. Completing puzzles provides you with gold, as does completing all sorts of secondary tasks, like finding multiple hidden object scenes without hints, finding multiple items in rapid succession, and so on.
While Chronicles of Albian 2 is a pretty game, the graphics can sometimes be blurry due to the overly textured art style. Furthermore, hidden object scenes contain many modern day items that simply shouldn’t be found in a magical / fantasy setting (beach balls, razor blades, etc.). This makes the game feel less immersive, as do the character models, which are mostly static with odd facial animations. Still, the gameplay is more than entertaining for those looking for a simple, but lengthy game that doesn’t take a lot of concentration to complete.
While the general flow of Chronicles of Albian 2: The Wizbury School of Magic isn’t that complex, there’s still a ton of content here. From the basic hidden object scenes to the addition of tons of puzzles and mini-games, along with lots of interesting characters and spell-casting abilities, there’s a lot of depth and fun to be had with this one. Add this to the gems that can be collected in every scene for coins, unlockable achievements, and even free desktop wallpapers, and we’ve got a ton of fun in a colorful little package. This certainly isn’t the most challenging game in existence, but it’s still a whole heck of a lot of fun.
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