The Ugly Prince Duckling The Adventure Company, 2007. Windows XP / Vista. Rated E for Everyone. Available online at Amazon.com.
The Ugly Prince Duckling is a clever little game in that it is a fairy tale story made into a game based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen tales. The world and characters and riddles and adventures in this game all stem from those fantasy stories and the main character is Andersen himself. Of course there is a princess in distress, an old witch to help (or hinder?) poor street urchins, rich kings and counts, and trolls.
You must figure out how to gather items that characters ask you to get. This requires you to go from one end of the town to another, all the while avoiding guards or trolls or other characters that will stop you. Parts of the scenery allow you to kick items and objects, releasing coins to be picked up (at which point a counter in the upper-left part of the screen lets you know how many are left to be found). The coins allow you to buy items you need, as well as give generously to the poor.
As the story progresses, in appears the princess in distress, crying for help, but with a snotty, everything-is-mine type attitude. Meanwhile, everyone is expecting a prince to save her, but of course it is Andersen, a poor little boy that must save her - a young boy with a future no one expects. The rest all pretty much goes like most of the fantasy tales we were told as kids.
I believe this game is probably perfect for the younger kids, but will be difficult to stay interested in as an adult or young adult. Controlling the main character is a little difficult, and there was no way to access a map of the town, which would have been nice to try and navigate with. With that said, the graphics were wonderful and imaginative and the concept was a good one.
PC games are often released by the handful, and out of that group there are usually one or two that are worthy of mention. Lately, it seems that most I've played have had a similar design: some sort of sci-fi/fantasy type land with strange machines and worlds that the character travels to and attempts to solve obscure and strange riddles. Not that these aren't fun, but I've come to expect a lot of the same story elements and therefore have become a bit bored. So, with that in mind, it is nice to see a different kind of game and story released such as this one, The Ugly Prince Duckling.
Screenshots
About the Author
Emily Roma is a proud, strangely calm (inebriated?), strict, doting, and placating mother of no children. Her husband Clive would be extremely supportive of her non-work ethic and frequently opposing mental forces of self-congratulation and humble non-certitude if he would stop doing movies and finally come home. But until that time, she is quite happy applying an objectively opinionated view on the philosophical colors of the world.
My curse is my gift. My nightmares, deep sensitivity, and emotional instability gives the best (and most uncomfortable) inspirations I could ever have. For me, art is passion - and visions are the mirror, which show my feelings and connect me with the rest of the world. Read More...
The Ugly Prince Duckling
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